IN recent weeks we have had a number of Irish races sponsored by ‘Sky Sports Racing Launching January 1st’. These sponsorships are backed by At The Races, the channel undergoing a name change at the end of the year. Leopardstown on St Stephen’s Day is the latest fixture to have one of its races branded in this way.

Irish Racing will of course no longer be on this channel. It might perhaps, seem strange in that regard, that having been instrumental in having no further control through selling the pictures to SIS, which led to Irish racing now on a subscription channel, (the soon to be launched Racing TV, the new name for Racing UK), that Irish racing seems happy enough to promote ‘the opposition’.

Journalism costs

AS we move into Christmas shopping time, high street retailers begin the battle with online sites and it’s a losing battle for many.

High street shops are closing each year, but off course, you still have to pay online.

Print newspapers are also losing out to online content – and much of this is free.

But quality journalism doesn’t come for free, it costs. It’s a shame that well-meaning readers continue to post photos of articles they recommend or enjoy, on social media, where they can be clearly read for free, instead of recommending readers to just go and buy the print edition.

Land of Legends?

ANOTHER grumble! There were many who felt the ‘best in the world’ hype may have gotten out of control after the Irish rugby victory over the All-Blacks last weekend.

But hyperbole is the way of the modern world. We can’t watch sports coverage without tagging on a few ‘legends’ to praise. We had a legend reference on the Racing Post cover this week when we lost a well-loved old horse this week in Monet’s Garden. But sorry, he was no legend.

In a bygone era, we knew what legend signified.

Red Rum’s death got nine pages, no less, of tribute in the Daily Mirror in the 1980s. He was truly worthy of the legend tag.

Monet’s Garden won 17 of his 32 races and was an admirable racehorse, loved by his connections. But Legend? Hold on. If we had a Red Rum in 2019, by these standards, he’d probably need a whole edition to give him proper recognition.