Show goes on despite the dark cloud above
ANOTHER CHELTENHAM Festival has come and gone, but even as an avid fan of the four-day spectacle it’s difficult to concentrate on the highs and lows and thrills and spills in the usual manner.
I’ll readily admit that I enjoyed the meeting, as I always do, but this time was different, with a dark cloud hanging over proceedings as Ireland was coming to grips with the potential devastation that may be caused by Covid-19.
The large gathering at the festival certainly seemed to fly in the face of common sense and, no matter how many hand sanitisers they had in place, it illustrated a blatant disregard for public health.
Horse racing already has an image problem with some that see it as a cruel sport, but last week was a total PR disaster and an own goal of massive proportions that gave those looking in on the Cheltenham bubble even more reason to rile against the horsey set.
No matter how much the racing press try to sell the romantic tale of It Came to Pass springing a surprise to land the St. James’s Place Foxhunter Challenge Cup for the O’Sullivans from Cork, or praise the brilliance of Paul Townend and Willie Mullins for getting Al Boum Photo home in front in the Gold Cup for the second year in succession, for many the meeting left a sour taste in the mouth.
It’s unlikely that people returning from the festival will lead to the catastrophic spike in Covid-19 cases that are predicted by a host of doomsayers on social media, but given the worldwide health battle we have on our hands, tens of thousands huddled together certainly wasn’t a good look for the Sport of Kings, and every extra citizen infected that could have been prevented is one too many.
None of us want to live in a nanny state, but from the videos that emerged of people giving it loads in public houses it’s clear that there are many that need to be protected from their own stupidity.
I’m not going to go down the road of completely ostracising those who travelled over to the Cotswolds, as the crisis has unfolded a lot quicker than many would have anticipated.
If a punter jetted over on Thursday evening or Friday morning to enjoy Gold Cup day they certainly deserve a right royal kick in the arse, but those who travelled earlier in the week can just about be forgiven for not fully grasping the grave nature of the situation.
Horse racing followers by their very nature are fond of a punt and having a sneaky wager is part of their make-up, but gambling with people’s lives is more than a step too far.
Most right-minded folk who travelled to Cheltenham won’t have fecklessly thought ‘I’m healthy so to hell with everyone else’, although there does appear to be some halfwits that have little or no concern for the more vulnerable in our society.
The real blame here lies with the powers-that-be, namely the British Government which seems to be happy to play Russian Roulette with the lives of the elderly.
Talk of building up herd immunity and the like seems to be badly disguised code for some of the public are disposable and mere collateral damage in a war against coronavirus.
However, The British Horseracing Authority didn’t exactly cover itself in glory either as they put money before health and steadfastly refused to show any leadership on the issue.
As the Premier League and English Football League enforced a self-imposed hiatus, horse racing across the water wasn’t shown in a particularly good light on Saturday either as crowds packed sardine-like into Uttoxeter racecourse for their big meeting of the year, with TV presenters almost bragging that racing was the only sporting show in town as fixtures fell like ninepins elsewhere.
On our own shores we quickly took the more pragmatic approach of holding racing behind closed doors until March 29, and longer if necessary, and at the time of writing it looks like they’re belatedly going to follow suit in the U.K.
Given its close ties with the betting industry, horse racing is one sport that can survive without members of the public coming through the turnstiles, although it goes without saying that it too will take a sizeable hit from the measures.
However, the simple fact is that we’re all going to have to work together to get through these trying times and when it looks to the general public like a sport is laughing in the face of their adversity, it can be extremely difficult for them to stomach.
For freelance sports reporters like myself it’s a worrying time, with gates locked to playing fields the length and breadth of the country, but despite having to tighten the belt a notch or two, I’m fully aware that my difficulties are in the ha’penny place in comparison to healthcare workers, who are already at the pin of their collar, and they know that things will only get worse.
As a family, instead of the usual routine of swimming, soccer, G.A.A. and hockey training sessions and games, we now have to amuse ourselves with long walks in pretty isolated woods and practising sporting skills in the garden as we try to ensure the more vunerable in our extended family avoid the virus, but eventually we’ll get back to normality.
We’ve difficult weeks, and most likely, months ahead, but if we all sing off the same hymn sheet we’ll get through this uncertain period much quicker, and the laughter of children on training grounds and raucous roars of over-animated adults from shivering stands will become commonplace again.
You never appreciate what you have until it’s gone, but it won’t be too bad as long as it’s not the loss of a loved one that you’re lamenting.