NOT having been to a point-to-point for nearly 10 months now, I find it hard to realise that I am hardly missing it.

However, with no meetings at all so far this year, on either side of the Irish Sea, I find the demise of our sport beginning to cause long-term worries. To ban it because it is not an “elite” sport is an insult to so many involved in its being.

With so many other major problems in recent weeks, it was perhaps not that surprising that the banning of amateur riders in all track racing in Britain rather slipped under the radar.

This has meant that horses running there in hunter chases must now be ridden by professional or conditional jockeys even if the conditional rider has only ridden a small fraction of the number of races of the more experienced amateurs.

This could have major repercussion when Cheltenham comes around as the top Irish amateurs could well find themselves in armchairs instead of saddles over the Festival period.

Professional licences

Might I make a suggestion that the Irish authorities consider issuing our amateurs with temporary conditional professional licences to ride over the Festival period with the option to revert to qualified rider status immediately the Festival is over. It is only by acting now that an undesired situation can be averted.

In the longer term things have really got me thinking. Those who know me probably see me as a dinosaur set in my ways and tending to last back to “the good old days”, so perhaps my suggestions might seem counter to what I am seen to stand for.

Although appalled at first by the banning of amateur riders as not elite participants, I do not see this as a long-term major problem. The present Covid-19 restrained sport actually presents a great opportunity for those who want to modernise the sport of horse racing.

A very conservative sport, racing has been very slow to take some of the bold moves taken by other sports.

So first proposition: Get rid of amateurism.

This may seem a radical suggestion but many other sports have done this notably cricket and tennis (well over 50 year ago) and other notably Rugby Union have embraced professionalism

Is there really any need for “amateur” riders – let’s face it most of these willingly accept a “present” for any ride with which they do not hold close association.

The whole concept of “amateur”, in what is a very skilled profession, means that many of the general public perceive these riders as not as good as professionals – witness the hoo-haa over the National Hunt Chase in 2019.

At a stroke, all amateur riders’ races would have to go but this is not an insurmountable problem. For instance, hunter chases could be replaced by races confined to conditional age limited riders. And amateur flat races are not a necessary part of the calendar.

Consternation

I know this will cause a lot of consternation but I feel it is something that should be considered. Along with amateur riders, all officials should be seen to be professional and registered as such.

If racing goes completely professional, point-to-points must decide how they will operate. Do they still want to retain the Association with hunting or do they want to align themselves closer to the racing industry?

It may be that special races for four- and five-year-olds could be run at certain race courses over point-to-point-sized fences. It should be noted that the National Hunt Juvenile Chase for four-year-olds was run at Cheltenham until 1958.

If a more old fashioned form of point-to-point racing was desired, this could involve cutting the sport off from national horse racing authorities. If this were the case then so be it.

A subsequent proposal follows: With public perception a major problem for the sport there is no question that “the whip” becomes more and more a bone of contention. Though I having been round horses all my life, I appreciate that its use is not all negative. However, eventually it will be banned and so it might well be the right time to take the bit between the teeth and ban it in many races, especially in lower-grade categories.

I appreciate that many other racing jurisdictions will not feel the same way but the starting at the bottom, heading by example will convince others.

I know that some horses react to the whip in different ways to others but eventually breeders will find answers to such problems.

It seems to me that this Covid period gives an opportunity like no other for racing to modernise itself. I have no doubt there are many other facets open to change. I just hope this chance is not wasted.