Ruby Walsh: Don’t mind the car park - worry about who is in the parade ring

The soccer was an over-complicated mess, causing human error, which also happened at Killarney. Johnny Feane, who trains Ano Manna and Indigo Five, ran the latter instead of the former in the 3.05pm race.

Indigo Five bolted in, running as Ano Manna, and was subsequently disqualified when brought for a routine post-race check, and the wrong identity was identified. Johnny put his hands up, acknowledged his mistake, accepted full responsibility, and headed home for the Curragh with a €3,000 fine, two non-runners, and a bill for expenses he would most likely settle himself. It was a bitter pill for a small trainer who probably set out last Saturday hoping for a winner, maybe two, but never envisaged the day he would endure.

For this error, the buck stops with Johnny Feane. That is how the rules are written, but are the rule writers doing enough for the sport’s image by writing the rules this way and absolving themselves of any blame?

All horses are microchip-identified as they enter the racecourse stable yard on arrival, but of what use is that to anyone? It’s like checking the airline passengers at the airport door and nobody checking at the boarding gate who actually got on the plane or where they flew.

Anything can happen once, but this only occurred at Galway two years ago with Alizarine, who, like Indigo Fire, was only found out because she won. That raises a question: how many losers have run as the wrong horse and not been discovered?

I doubt too many, but nobody knows, and that’s a question many have asked this week, which puts the ball firmly in the court of the IHRB’s integrity department. My suggestion would be to quit fussing about in the car park and get busy checking who is in the parade ring.

This leads me to the most brilliantly designed one I have ever seen: Longchamp. I was never in the old Longchamp, but my first trip to the new one last Sunday left a lasting impression. Maybe I got lucky with the weather, but the layout, atmosphere, and ease of viewing left me standing in Paris last Sunday night wondering how someone designed the Curragh and put the parade ring where they did - off the end of the grandstand in no man’s land.

Longchamp’s parade ring is long and narrow, running behind the grandstand, giving a moving crowd, which is what a racecourse attendance is, two points of interest. The track and parade ring, with everything else in between, creates a seamless flow over and back. It made for a delightful afternoon, but before Leopardstown or whoever is next to redevelop even submits for planning permission, please send someone to Paris to get an idea of what is required.

It is also a pity Newmarket ran all those Group 1s last Saturday and clashed with Longchamp because Saturday’s card on the Rowley Mile is weak, with only the Sun Chariot Stakes standing out.

Backed up by Ascot in the UK and the Curragh and Fairyhouse here, it is a busy afternoon, but there is nothing to shout about from the rooftops when there could have been. All the cameras will roll at lunchtime Saturday, but there is only one race on the whole afternoon that is top level when we could have had three Group 1s and the Cambridgeshire, which got a little lost last weekend. Simple, one good day at Newmarket with a stand-out card instead of two weekends, but the scheduling row continues at a pace in the UK, with all the interested parties seeming to care little about what their consumers want.

The other row or debate that continues apace is the one over the proposed gambling advertising bill. The most recent ESRI report suggests Ireland has a far bigger problem with gambling than it first believed.

The survey seems wide-ranging and highlights the need for Ireland’s new Gambling Regulatory Authority. The bit that struck me is that the Lotto and scratch cards are the most common form of gambling ahead of horse racing, greyhound racing, and other sports. That’s hardly surprising, but the proposed ban on gambling advertising in the Dail excludes the Lotto, which will still be advertised on terrestrial TV carte blanche. 

The charitable off-shoots of the Lotto are wide-ranging and are vital sources of income for many organizations. Still, the unintended consequence of having a lottery is that some people are addicted to playing it. Whose needs are more significant in that debate? I don’t know, but there is no easy answer, and the unintended consequences of the gambling advertising ban will also be huge on horse racing, and the threat of the end is on the horizon. Once out of sight, next is out of mind.