ONE of the exciting things about racing is the fact that the scene changes so much from year to year with new horses, new owners and new young trainers waiting in the wings, ready to beckon our attention as the season unfolds. This year, according to the Sporting Chronicle’s Horses In Training 1970, there are more horses in our Irish stables than ever before.

The Prendergasts, Paddy and his sons, Kevin and Paddy junior, have between them 153 animals in their charge. Kevin has increased his string from 47 to 61 this year; he has 29 two-year-olds to look after, only three less than his father, and young Paddy has 12 among his string of 32 horses at Melitta Lodge.

Another trainer who has expanded his stable considerably this year is Michael Connolly who now has 57 horses, 20 more than last year. Phil Canty, Paddy Norris and Paddy Mullins, and Cork trainer Mick Neville, are others with a lengthier string this year. The largest team – 66 – is that of John Oxx who enjoys the honour of training for Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, a three-year-old filly called Mascara who has yet to make her debut.

If possible, even more so than usual, the horses in Vincent O’Brien’s stable this season represent the crème de la crème of equine aristocracy – sons and daughters of Ribot, Sea Hawk, Relko, Bold Ruler, Right Royal, Northern Dancer, etc. to mention just a few, and his owners are the creamiest millionaires in the business.

Which reminds me of a very interesting and amusing competition for trainers, sponsored recently by the Hospitals’ Trust. About 100 leading trainers in Britain and Ireland were asked to arrange in order of importance nine specified attributes which go towards making the ideal racehorse owner, and to suggest one additional quality.

Sixty-five trainers entered for the competition and the winner was John Dunlop, who submitted an entry which was identical with the views of the adjudicators; Mr Paddy McGrath, chairman and managing director of the Hospitals’ Sweepstake Organisation, and Captain Spencer Freeman, a director. The attributes, placed in order of importance, were:

1) Confidence in trainer.

2) Good loser.

3) Patience and perseverance.

4) Pays training bills promptly.

5) Generous.

6) Not inquisitive about horses in same stable.

7) Experienced horsemen.

8) Au fait with stud book.

9) Coup-minded.

John Dunlop, whose stables are at Arundel in Norfolk, was third in the list of winning trainers in Britain last year. He has a team of 81 horses this season and his patrons include the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk and their family; The Countess of Rosebery; Mr Roderic More O’Ferrall; Mrs J H Thursby, etc. His prize is a set of Waterford Crystal glass.

Four runner-up prizes were awarded and went to English trainers, Ted Leader, Jack Watts, George Beeby and Fred Winter.

The only Irish trainer to win a prize was Paddy Mullins from Goresbridge, Co Kilkenny. He got one of the seven consolation prizes which also went to Ryan Jarvis, Capt. Ryan Price, Derek Candy, Major W R Hern, John Hooton and Tom Fairhurst.

What does it take to make the ideal owner, apart from the nine attributes listed? This is really the part of the competition which the trainers enjoyed thinking about, judging by the list of “extra suggestions” which Captain Spencer Freeman has kindly sent me. ‘Oh, if they were all Aga Khans!’, or at least ‘To be young, rich, in good health and mad about horses.’

There were several little cri de coeurs about owners who perhaps don’t realise that late night telephone calls are not popular; for example, ‘A sense of proportion between his own interest in his horses and the realisation that the telephone is an infernal instrument after 7p.m.’

Loyalty was stressed several times as one of the most desirable attributes in an owner and a surprising number of the competitors insisted that their patrons should be gentlemen as well as good sportsmen.

Some of the suggestions I thought were just a teeny bit unreasonable, from the owners’ point of view. For instance; ‘Be satisfied with the best available jockey riding at a bank holiday gaff meeting’, and ‘inquests barred’. If I was an owner and my fancied horse ran far below form I’d like to know why.

And, oh dear, ‘Unruffled, win or lose’ – what a very high standard some trainers expect from their owners. I love them best when they get excited and kiss the horse and the trainer’s wife and beam at everyone around.

On the whole though most of the suggestions were excellent, and very revealing. In sponsoring the competition Hospitals’ Trust felt that as so few owners seem to understand how best they can contribute to the success of their horses, the contest would help them perhaps to have a sense of proportion and more understanding in their relations with their trainers, thus promoting better co-operation on both sides.