IT may have seemed unfathomable even 10 years ago, that the sport - and to be more correct - the industry of horse racing could feel as threatened as it has over the last two years.

But in recent months, with the banning of greyhound racing in Wales, albeit a sport that had a lesser impact there, added to this week’s ruling on strong affordability checks being implemented for British punters, the headlines didn’t make for optimistic reading. GBNews were among the first media who ran with the headline - ‘The First Minister of Wales has refused to rule out’ banning the sport, continuing that: “Horse racing is at risk of being banned in Wales as concerns rise over one of the country’s oldest traditions being taken away.”

But it’s still a stretch to take a “refused to rule out” to imply that ‘Horse racing is at risk of being banned’. Most participants in the modern political arena are clued in on how to get their names in headline debates. It’s important to beware of those headlines that are simply meant to mislead and gain attention. There’s no real indication that racing is being targeted, it’s just that it is a topic that can be made newsworthy, and that attention can be driven into the minds of those who normally have no interest in racing or indeed horses or horse care in general.

Lessons learned

One must always be mindful of the lessons learned in March 2020 when racing and the Cheltenham Festival were accused of being ‘super-spreader’ events which led to the initial lockdown. All the while other events, the theatres in West End and Heathrow Airport and the London Underground, were still operating.

This week, the defeat of the Bill to ban hare coursing was, according to The Irish Times report, “never in doubt once the Government parties applied the whip and Sinn Féin declared its opposition. The margin, however, tells us little about the state of opinion in the Dáil, and still less about opinion in the country.” From coursing to greyhound racing to horse racing, many will feel the same concerns once the debate makes headlines. Opinions on how close or not racing should align itself to the greyhound industry continue to differ.

On the Luck On Sunday programme earlier this year, Matt Zarb-Cousin, co-founder of gamban.com, got plenty of attention in the debate on gambling regulation with his soundbite that ‘a horse is not a dog’. He used that line to dismiss greyhound racing as being a purely betting-driven sport, unlike horseracing.

But we can’t assume the welfare accusations levelled at greyhound racing won’t come to horseracing as well. We ‘train’ them, control them by saddle and bridle. We use the phrase ‘breaking a horse’ to prepare them for our use. We have got to tread carefully and beware of those who can twist headlines for attention.

IT’S pretty rare these days that a championship race contains all the top contenders; many can be absent due to going and track conditions.

But we can’t say that about today’s Al Basti Equiworld Dubai July Cup Stakes, which has the winners of the three big Group 1 sprints from Royal Ascot in opposition as well as the top class Japanese colt Satono Reve.

Three others who ran well at Royal Ascot - Double Rush, Division and, to a lesser extent, Comanche Brave - are also in the field.

Ed Chamberlin called it a ‘stallion-making race’ on the ITV mid-week coverage, as we saw footage of Oasis Dream and one of this season’s leading sires, Starspangledbanner, winning the race. However, a win today for Venetian Sun (filly), Mission Central (gelding) or Satono Reve won’t add anything to British or Irish breeding.

Instead local breeders will focus is on the late developing Almeraq who has the correct profile for the race as a son of Dark Angel, and here’s hoping he emerges on top.