Thoughts on Arctic Dawn

Arctic Dawn lines up at Kempton this evening in the 6.30pm Maiden, Jack Mitchell will be in the saddle.

Arctic Dawn is a big colt who has done well over the winter. He had one run last season for a bit of experience last season but he should progress well this season. Arctic Dawn has shown promise at home and whatever he achieves today, he is an exciting prospect going forward. He has some pace and should be fine at six furlongs, its possible he may get a bit further but we’ll learn as we go. It’s one of the reasons he starts off early in the year. The draw could have been a little kinder as being widest of all with an inexperienced horse is never ideal.

Alhather sets a solid level for the rest to aim at, she should be suited by this drop back to six furlongs. Ribal has joined a new yard and made a solid start at this much shorter trip on his first start. See You Tonight has an eye catching pedigree and should have learned from debut.

Arctic Dawn runs for owners Gary and Lesley Middlebrook who also bred the colt. He will be led up by James Pulley who cares for him daily at home.

A Note On Sunday Evening Racing

While recognising the importance of running racing commercially, there must also be consideration for participants in scheduling. Currently, it appears to us that commercial interests are prioritised over the people who make the sport happen. Expecting participants to provide horses seven days a week year-round is demanding. Introducing clear breaks could facilitate more flexible rotas in yards. Allocating specific days for jump or flat racing only each week could provide breathing space for those involved to achieve better work-life balance.

Creating rotas in training yards is challenging, not because of the challenges of un-sociable working hours. Many businesses face that challenge successfully. That difficulty is compounded by the fact that plans are not finalised until two days before a horse runs. Even then a variety of scenarios can still result in significant changes to plans. It’s very hard to create a rota to cover all eventualities. The net effect is that it makes it very difficult to offer as much planned down time as people really need sufficiently in advance that they can optimise that time.

One argument that is often advanced is that trainers could choose not to race on certain days. It is worrying that even a BHA Board member who has held a trainers license himself expressed this view. This would be commercial suicide, we are not as financially illiterate as those who run certain racecourses would have you believe. Perhaps, they are ignorant of the realities of running a viable commercial training business. We are in a competitive market place and our primary responsibility, beyond ensuring the welfare of the horses in our care, is to give them every opportunity to win races.

Taking Arctic Dawn for example – there is no race for him over six furlongs that is not on a Sunday until the 18th of March. That race is only open to riders who have had less than 30 winners and at Newcastle, both circumstances not the best for an inexperienced horse from Lambourn. So the next realistic opportunity is actually the 27th of March. To develop him with the best long term interests of the horse and his owners it is illogical not to run on a Sunday.

Short-term commercial gains shouldn’t compromise the long-term sustainability and work-life balance of participants. Decision-makers must prioritise these considerations when developing strategies for the sport.