How can one owner be bigger than racing? Saturday 27 January sees the running of the Met at Kenilworth, writes Concerned Parent in the Sporting Post Mailbag.
Cape racing, the sponsors and the NHA, are surely well aware of a march/boycott arranged by the PSA and others? And yet nothing has seemingly been done to prevent Mayfair Speculators from having 13 carded runners on the day.
I have told my University-going children that they are not allowed to attend this event, as an unruly crowd could end in disaster
What about the transport of runners to the course? A traffic jam caused by protesters on the N1 or N2 or M5 – miles away from the course itself – could delay horses and stakeholders and derail the day – in the process destroying the little public credibility the sport still has.
Why have the organisers and sponsors not issued a public reassurance of safety that they have at least engaged with the threatening party and that everything is under control?
Surely they or the NHA – who are there to protect the integrity of the sport – should be preventing Mayfair Speculators – whether the constitutional principle is right or wrong – from showing their and their horse’s faces on the day?
It’s not about the rights of Mayfair Speculators. It’s about public safety and the folly of ignoring a real threat – and sitting with chaos and public blood on your hands.
I was there on Met day 2000 when over 130 cars burned in the parking area. It was unnerving and frightening. Throw in angry people and you have a cocktail for disaster!
Here’s a call on Derek Brugman and Stefan Potgieter. Nobody is saying either of you have done anything wrong. But be men and do the right thing for the game and for everybody involved. Scratch your horses and walk away. This game is bigger than any one of us – and believe it or not, racing goes on the next day.
And let’s face it, sure as hell the small guy would not be allowed to continue to race in similar circumstances!
