Speaking to BOYLE Sports , renowned trainer Richard Hannon has delivered a wide-ranging assessment of the challenges facing British racing, insisting that prize money, not musicians like Ronan Keating , is the key to successful meetings.
Hannon has welcomed the decision to allow geldings into the Arc , but branded the disqualification of Benvenuto Cellini at the Derby disgraceful, arguing the incident in the stalls was part of the test the horse simply failed.
The trainer has also called on the government to look beyond the champagne image of the sport to the whole ecosystem it supports, and floated a Japanese -style model of paying stable staff a share of prize money to solve a growing staffing crisis.
Geldings in the Arc
What's Your View on Geldings Being Allowed in the Arc?
Personally, I think it's a good thing. I think it should be about the best possible horses you have, and they should be able to enter any race. If a gelding wins the Arc , it's far from a disaster. It will have been sired, and that stallion's name will be up in lights. And the mare's.
Coolmore would say that a gelding winning takes something away from the thoroughbred breeding programme. They would say that. Whatever wins it, gelding or not, it's been bred. It's been bred by a stallion out of a mare. It's not taking anything away from the breeding programme at all. It's about racing. The Derby is a race, not a stallion promotion. And you need to get the best racehorses there as possible, and if one of them is a gelding, so be it. Racing is about racing, not breeding. You want the best horses turning up.
Benvenuto Cellini
What Angered You About the Benvenuto Cellini Decision?
What has really incensed me is the decision to declare Benvenuto Cellini a non-runner after the incident in the stalls at the Derby . It was disgraceful. There are never any cameras in those stalls, so you don't check that. And quite frankly, the Derby is supposed to be the supreme test of a thoroughbred. Well, that bit in the gate, that's part of the test. And the horse failed it. It should never have been made a non-runner.
It made the industry look stupid and took a lot of money out of the world pool. It had won the Irish Derby . It might well be a good horse. But at Epsom , he showed immaturity, and he was found out.
Leadership & Government
What Could Be Done on Leadership and by the Labour Government?
I know they have taken a lot of stick in the past, but I think the BHA is now proving, more than ever, that they're willing to listen. They are becoming approachable and reasonable. That has to be a good thing. They are part of the racing industry. They are the regulators.
With regard to the government, I don't know what their approach will be. But it must be a wider look which takes in the reality of life in the country. They probably look at racing and see a lot of very smart, wealthy people standing on sunny days, drinking champagne, dressed up to their nines. But you have got to think about stable lads, the vets, farriers, the catering at racecourses, racecourses themselves, racecourse staff, and salaries, people in the feed business; the whole ecosystem that revolves around racing and all the sorts of people that are subsidiary to the actual race day.
It's like people are going about shooting. They think it's nine toffs in a row with guns. But it is about the picker uppers, the beaters, loaders, local pubs. When they stay in local pubs, or visit the local shop, that boosts them and helps the local economy. They're helping the farmers; then you've got the feed merchants, the feed for the pheasants, you've got the gamekeepers. Without all that, some farmers would barely get a living. And that's what they need to look at. It's not just racing; it's all the parts around the whole industry.
Prize Money & Staff
How Big an Issue Is Prize Money?
Prize money remains an issue. Take Newbury , which is such a lovely racecourse, and we go there because it's one of the best in the world. But you win a maiden there, which takes a lot of winning, you get £6,000. They think having Ronan Keating on stage in the background is enough.
What Other Issues Concern You?
Stable staff is a problem. I am just about to pay £25,000 to keep on five from India who work for me and need special permits. I can't afford not to have them. Although it looks like a glamorous job this time of year, it's not in the depths of winter. When it's wet, it's cold. If you fall off a horse, it hurts. They're fresh; a lot of them are babies, yearlings or two-year-olds. They muck about, and it is high risk. It's early mornings too.
Generally, I think racing staff and lads have never had it so good. But I am not sure that has not been reflected in staff numbers. It has not sorted out the issue. What do we do? In Japan , they give them 5% of the prize money, the lad that looks after the horse. What a great idea. I get 10% of every winner. I would happily give 1% of that to the lads if it would keep them here all winter.
There must be a way of incentivising full-time staff through the winter. The ones who stay all year, let's give them a bit of the prize money. Many staff don't want to be here from November to March .
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