DID you enjoy watching the first edition of the Racing League on Thursday night? Were you cheering on Team Ireland?

Hands up, I have to admit that it didn’t cross my mind, but then again Goodwood followed by Galway was always going to win out in any competition about what would get my attention.

A straw poll of a handful of racegoers in Galway revealed almost no knowledge of the competition, the venues, the trainers and jockeys competing, or of the support for Team Ireland from brothers Joseph and Donnacha O’Brien.

There appear to be as many detractors for the idea as there are supporters. Indeed, I would imagine that the former might presently outweigh the latter in terms of numbers. After all, the card that was run on Thursday at Newcastle was made up of pretty ordinary races. The big difference was that all the winning connections collected £25,770.

Put that in context. Goodwood’s flagship festival of racing had seven races on the card that same day, three of which had a winners’ purse of just over half of what Newcastle was offering. Winning owners at Nottingham could ‘look forward’ to taking home prize money ranging from £2,322 to £4,347.

Epsom was not a great deal better on Thursday; race winners could expect between £2,592 and a high of £7,731.

The new Racing League is easy to knock, pick holes in, and ultimately dismiss. I cannot say I have strong views on it either way as a concept, but I will admit that anything which brings extra money into racing’s coffers is worthy of consideration.

Can it be improved? I am sure it can. Is it here to stay? I am not sure. Should it be given a chance? Most certainly yes.

The first people to knock it are probably the same people who will whinge about the poor levels of prize money in British racing, and are unlikely to be innovators who will bring forward ideas to better racing’s landscape. May I slightly tweak a well-known saying, and offer the following advice? If you have nothing positive to say on the matter, then stay silent.

What racing as a sport needs is more innovation. Look at Naas on Monday, where Joe Foley’s brainchild, the €300,000 guaranteed Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes, will be run for the second time. The ninth and tenth horses past the post will earn their owners €3,500, more than many winners received on Thursday across the water.

Hats off to Joe for backing his belief in the concept, seeing it to fruition, and being rewarded with another hugely competitive race. We require more of this, and we need it now.