BIG talking point of the week away from the Curragh was the awkwardness of ITV’s coverage of the Northumberland Vase last Saturday, with the on-air team trying to maximise the feel-good factor of a well-backed Hollie Doyle winner while tiptoeing around the very obvious presence of the gelding’s erstwhile trainer, Tony Martin, at the heart of those celebrations.

Martin, as has been well covered elsewhere has had his training licence suspended for three months because of what we euphemistically refer to as an “adverse finding”, and his horses are now running for his sister, Cathy O’Leary.

It should be noted that Martin is not, euphemistically speaking “warned off Newmarket Heath” and had every right to attend Newcastle and enjoy a celebratory glass of bubbly with connections of Alphonse Le Grande.

Whether he was entitled to give Hollie Doyle her instructions as she admitted after the race is another matter, and one which raises the question of what actually constitutes the role of racehorse trainer.

The IHRB have clarified that: “For the duration of the withdrawal of Mr Martin’s licence, he is not permitted to make entries or act in the capacity of a trainer. The IHRB is liaising with the BHA in relation to Mr Martin’s conduct at a fixture regulated by them on Saturday.

“It is for the BHA to establish whether there has been a rule breach in their jurisdiction, while the IHRB will be examining the conduct in the context of the Irish rules of racing.”

Apologised

There is little point in getting hot under the collar about this incident, for which Martin has since apologised, and it’s grimly amusing that a temporary suspension of a trainer’s licence is a punishment in name only.

At least Gordon Elliott made a decision not to go racing or to point-to-points when he served his high-profile ban a couple of years ago, and that is what was implicitly asked of Tony Martin.

What the BHA and IHRB would like in such situations is that trainers who are given a slap on the wrist don’t show up the punishment for the utter farce it is.

“Don’t make a spectacle of yourself and we can all move on” is the message, and if a trainer keeps his or her head down in such circumstances, then people are less likely to ask whether it’s at all workable to ask someone to desist from acting in the capacity of a trainer.

Pretty meaningless

If, on the other hand, they openly do most of the things that a trainer would be expected to do – arrive with the horses, instruct the jockey, welcome back the winner and celebrate with the owners, then people will perhaps begin to think that the suspension is pretty meaningless.

The fact that Tony Martin embarrassed the authorities on both sides of the Irish Sea is arguably a good thing, as it punctures the complacency regarding the effectiveness of such suspensions and sends a message that the public aren’t satisfied with the current state of affairs.

That doesn’t lead to an easy solution, of course, but it highlights the need for change in an area under increasing scrutiny.

The authorities are responsible not only for strict application of their own rules, but also with public perception of the sport, and can’t keep treating that public as being this naive.

ONE or two horses went into the notebook over the last week or so having caught the eye despite inauspicious runs.

I certainly wouldn’t give up on Trooper Bisdee despite his disappointing showing in the Northumberland Plate, with the combination of a slow start and being rushed up to prominence despite a strong pace combining to ensure he didn’t figure in the finish.

He remains the sort to win more races, particularly back on quick turf, with the Goodwood Handicap an obvious next port of call.

The horse I really wanted to highlight from the Northumberland Plate, however, was the Jack Channon-trained Rathgar who also finished in the ruck having been prominent and appeared not to stay two miles on his first attempt.

A winner at Goodwood in the spring, Rathgar ran really well to be second at Thirsk on his penultimate start, when attempting to give 23lb to the winner and he will be winning more races this summer when reverting to shorter, with 0-85 handicaps still an option.

Rathgar has gained both wins to date at Goodwood, but is fully effective elsewhere, and he’s sure to be well placed by his trainer, who has impressed with the way he’s handled his string since taking over from his father a couple of years ago.

Another Newcastle runner to perform below expectations was Albasheer in the Chipchase Stakes, that effort coming on the back of finishing well held in the Wokingham, but Archie Watson’s sprinter is much better than he could show at Ascot or Gosforth Park, doing far too much against a clear pace bias last weekend having twice been hampered as he tried to make a challenge in the Wokingham.

Tricky ride

He can be a tricky ride, racing freely at times and not amenable to restraint, making Ascot and Newcastle far from ideal, for all he’s won twice at the latter track. He is at his best when speed is at a premium and tops my shortlist for the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood in a few weeks, having run really well in the race last year.

On that occasion, heavy ground placed too much emphasis on stamina but not before Albasheer had shaped well for a long way.

Granted a quicker surface he must go well off what looks a very fair mark having been dropped to 98 on turf (rated 108 on all-weather), bearing in mind he was beaten less than a length in the Ayr Gold Cup last autumn from 2lb higher having won an equally competitive handicap at York’s Ebor meeting from an official mark of 95.