Ruby Walsh: Cesarewitch farce must force action from BHA 

Six is the limit, and four over triggers the ultimate sanction of disqualification but only in terms of the records and prize money distribution because, in betting terms, all winning bets were paid on Alphonse Le Grande.

Two results of the one race for a rule infringement everyone knew of 10 minutes after the race, but two results because the case would not be dealt with until Tuesday of this week when the disqualification would be triggered and Manxman would become the winner.

The saga was extended further yesterday when connections of Alphonse Le Grande announced they will be appealing the disqualification.

Rules are rules, and the race day stewards only followed protocols, but what rubbish they are.

I have never been and never will be a fan of exact numbers being applied to how many times a jockey can use their whip to encourage a horse in a race.

One can be too many, and eight can be acceptable, but that ship has sunk, never mind sailed, yet the BHA need to do something.

Perhaps this will trigger the change to the half-cocked stewarding we have endured for a lifetime, and horse racing will catch up with other sports.

Simply put, anything that affects the result must be dealt with on the day, and how the decision is reached, like the TMO and the ref do in rugby, must be live for all to see, so if the BHA is going to continue with this rule, that change must be made.

Before it was altered on Tuesday, John ‘Shark’ Hanlon had his appeal against the severity of his 10-month ban heard at IHRB headquarters on Monday and, according to the man himself, he got a fair hearing.

The panel couldn’t decide what to do and took 14 days to think about it, but my understanding is this was an appeal against the severity of his sentence, so one imagines a
period on the sidelines will still have to be served even if the panel decides the initial sanction was excessive.

On Wednesday night, the Gambling Regulation Bill was successfully passed, and Racing TV, who I work for, reiterated its stance on the viability of its channel showing Irish racing to Irish customers.

The books won’t balance for RMG when it has to create a separate channel for broadcast in Ireland without the bookmaker’s ads it carries in the UK, and like most things, a sledgehammer has been used to crack a nut, but not before the highest played games on this island, were removed and sugar-coated in a safe place.

I don’t see how allowing the Lotto to play ads on terrestrial TV at all hours of the day, advertising mansions, holidays, and astronomical sums of money, is ok, but ads on an over 18’s subscription channel are not.

Go figure because I can’t, and the ESRI report clearly shows the most significant products the Irish spend money on when wagering is the lottery and scratch cards. Both games of luck require zero skill or opinion, but both will be advertised to children daily.

This ESRI report shows growth in online casinos and slot machines. Gaming is not gambling because the house always wins, so one shoe does not fit all, especially if the biggest foot can run barefoot at will.

THE song goes that it’s a long way to Tipperary, but I always felt Killarney was further away, and the road from there to being a four-time champion jockey has been a winding one for Oisín Murphy.

Winners and controversy have at least been tilted in the winner’s favour, but the road he has followed for the last 21 months has undoubtedly been the most difficult of his career. In February of 2022, he left London with a 14-month suspension from racing for misdemeanours of his own making, but how one serves the time of committing a crime will undoubtedly shape their return. The Kerry native stepped back, assessed himself, and kept fit and active to take up where he had left off before his ban started.

Bridges weren’t burnt, but I have no doubt some foundations were rocked, and to get himself back to being a champion jockey has been the fruit of hard work. No one is perfect, but being strong enough to rebuild yourself is admirable, and there was no fluke about what he achieved this season. However, on the other three occasions, he was crowned champion at Ascot in October, he drew a blank on the day, and that is one stat he will want to correct today to cap a fine season.

He will struggle in the first, where Kyprios looks unopposable, but Al Nayyir may push him most.

Theories will fly as to where the place to be will be on the straight course, but to me, it’s always where the pace is, and that is high in the Sprint today. That gives Oisín a live chance on Flora Of Bermuda. In the Fillies & Mares Stakes, I would doubt Kalpana’s ability to handle the soft ground, so I am going for Jessica Harrington’s Village Voice to hold off Doha for a massive forecast payout.

Charyn is not quite Kyprios but is the best horse and looks hard to get away from in the QE11 before the feature at 3.55pm. 

Economics v Calandagan v the rest. It does look like a match with Los Angeles or maybe Iresine being the only others who could get involved, and I am happy to side with the French raider, who will come from close to the back of the field to run them all down late on.