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Stuart Andrew is the UK Minister for Sport and Gambling. Last week someone let him write to the readers of the Racing Post. And it was embarrassing drivel. Oh how his civil servants must have sniggered by the coffee machines, in the unlikely event that they were at work, as they gave him the thumbs up to press send.
Andrew gushed that this government is immensely proud of its broader horseracing heritage. He actually wrote “we are determined to help the industry thrive so the sport can continue to hold its special place in the nation’s heart.”
But actions speak louder than empty words and nothing could be further from the truth. This government has been as good as murdering the future of the horseracing industry in this country, and the careers of many who work in it, by kicking a new Levy deal into the long grass for the past three years.
Experienced industry insiders estimate that the delay in a new Levy deal has cost racing £250 million over the past three years.
Some might argue that it was racing’s fault that the Levy ball was dropped, but there is no denying that senior ministers have recently had “less presence than Shergar” when it comes to talking about simple, basic changes to the return that racing gets from the bookmakers.
Try and think of one other industry that allows free imported goods to compete with a home-grown product that is subject to various taxes and levies? And yet that is what horseracing has to do. So Andrew’s waffle is baseless.
Andrew claims the Government has begun its review of the Levy deal, which was promised about three years ago, but my prediction is that there isn’t a cat in hell’s chance that it will be implemented before the next election. Even if the ministers could be bothered to pull it out of the long grass, their civil servants will predictably torpedo it one way or another.
He also refers to the tardy White Paper that was finally produced earlier this year which “set out for discussion, proposals which are still at a formative stage.” That is what Green Papers do, not White Papers. White papers in this country are meant to be issued by government as “statements of policy.”
Equally unconvincing is his assertion that inappropriate financial risk checks “will not impact those people, or anyone who put a few quid on the horses at [Royal] Ascot over the past few days.”
A reader of this newspaper contacted me to complain that he was refused permission to deposit more than £200 with a betting firm because they had noticed that he tended to bet mainly at the Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot, That flagged him up as a potential problem gambler. Perhaps Stuart Andrew would like to include his experience whilst he embarks on yet another “crucial consultation period?”
Whilst it was a magnificent Royal Ascot, the absence of one key figure should trouble anyone who cares about the future of Flat racing in this country. The non-attendance of Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum caused much speculation. He remains the most significant investor in Flat racing bloodstock around the world, mainly through his Godolphin racing stables and Darley Stud.
The financial carnage that would ensue if he decided to relocate his bloodstock away from the UK would be catastrophic. So for him to choose to not attend the greatest horseracing show on earth, where he had a stack of runners, should be causing a few people sleepless nights.
It was also regrettable that he wasn’t present to celebrate Desert Hero’s victory with the King and Queen, their first Royal Ascot winner. Because without the Sheikh’s generosity, that victory would not have occurred.
In 2007 the Sheikh bought a mare called Galatee for 1.4 million guineas at the sales in Newmarket. He subsequently gave Queen Elizabeth II the gift of a yearling out of Galatee by top stallion Dubawi, who turned out to be Dartmouth. He won the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot. He also subsequently gave the Queen Dartmouth’s full sister, Desert Breeze. She never raced, but her first foal is Desert Hero.
So one would imagine that a very long thank you letter will be on its way to Dubai from Buckingham Palace.
Don’t be fooled by the waffle – racing’s future has been murdered
Government has treated the horseracing industry in this country appallingly by kicking a new Levy deal into the long grass for three years