Love or hate ’em, racing needs ’em

I may have been quick to knock the elegance off recent St Legers but I am quite happy to hold my hands up and admit that last Saturday’s showpiece was a spectacular event, and I’m sure the result proved extremely popular considering a certain L. Dettori did the steering, and a good job he did too.

The chestnut, Conduit, who provided Sir Michael Stoute with his elusive victory in the world’s oldest Classic was a handicap winner on Derby day at Epsom and had gradually improved through the rankings to reach his pinnacle by taking the 1m 6f showpiece on Town Moor. Not before a few hairy moments running up the straight though!

The jubilant scenes in the winner’s enclosure after the race were something that would put a smile on the face of even the most cynical racegoer (and that includes my granddad who still believes racing should be the same as it was in the 1930s).

Horse racing has too often been the subject of bad press, but love him or hate him, the fact the race was won by the world’s most famous jockey in front of a large audience will surely help keep our beloved sport on the right side of the press.

We need people like Dettori representing our game and while it is fair to say he might not always be the smiley, energetic Italian, he knows how, and when, to paint on the smiles, and I’m sure he provided photographers and journalists with plenty of ammunition for their newspapers the next day.

From a gnome-sized individual to a more rounded barrel-kind is John McCririck who again, whether you appreciate his TV rantings or not, is one of racing’s most famous characters and does a fantastic job of promoting our game.

If you were to ask a random member of the public to name a racing gentry I would be fairly sure, "that big fat man with the silly hat" will be a popular suggestion while Mr Dettori will surely feature prominently.

Each may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but while many are quick to crab their characteristics, they do a great job for our sport and I hope they continue to be racing’s box office.

Quiet genius

It is a shame, however, that the efforts of 13-time champion jockey, Tony McCoy are not recognised on a wider scale. Compared to his flat racing counterpart, he is not a household name, which is a shame because his charisma and talent in the saddle is arguably the best we have seen by any rider under both codes.

Perhaps he doesn’t sell himself as well as others, and I would imagine the opening of a new restaurant couldn’t be further from his thoughts.

At present his mind is simply occupied by one thing, and that’s riding winners. Maybe when the pressure is off, McCoy will start to become more of a "personality" (and eventually collect that BBC Sports Personality of the Year award which is long overdue) but for the time being let’s leave him to allow his riding to do the talking.