Ted Walsh rocks!

Ted Walsh is many things. As he proved on RTÉ’s The Restaurant, he is a great cook. He is a great husband, father and neighbour, well liked and respected by one and all. He is an accomplished horse trainer, best know for his successes with Rince Rí, Papillion and Commanche Court, and as a jockey, was champion amateur 11 times. He is a natural wit and pundit.

But one thing Ted Walsh is not, is a politically correct waffler. He is a straight talker who says what he thinks. Whether he is chatting to someone on the street, a stable lad, a rich owner, a talk show host or as a TV commentator himself, Ted is Ted. Just like his cooking there are no airs and graces. Like it or lump it.

This is the man who threatened, live on Channel4, to knock John McCririck* through the window of a commentary box. Who’d blame him? Watching the RTÉ coverage of Fairyhouse yesterday I thought his co-presenter, Robert ‘Mouth full of Marbles’ Hall, was going to suffer the same fate on two occasions. Neighbour, colleague and friend or not, Ted wasn’t taking Hall’s pandering to the powers that be.

Hall made a remark about the number of horses which had been balloted** out. A red rag to a bull. Ted pointed out the flaws of the HRI’s^ balloting system and the lack of joined-up thinking in that authority. There are hundreds of horses that will never see a racetrack. Granted they may get their allocation of 5 bumper^^ runs and any number of point-to-points^^ but that’s not real racing and is a big disappointment for the owners who have invested financially and emotionally.

Meanwhile, another arm of the HRI is investing heavily in promoting racehorse ownership. And doing a great job of it. They have made it easy for everyone to participate through clubs and syndicates. There were 1,500 of these in 2006. In Ted’s opinion they are doing far too good a job. What is the point of the HRI encouraging new owners into the game when they can’t guarantee them being allowed play?

Hall unsuccessfully tried to defend the balloting system on the grounds that it was the only solution. Ted just said it doesn’t work and they need to think of another way.

A trainer was fined €250 for withdrawing his horse at too late a stage. His real crime? He said the ground had become too firm from the third last in. Other trainers had used excuses like stone bruises and, the old chestnut, off feed. Here, Ted pointed out, was a man being fined for his honesty. Hall backed up the stewards saying they declared the going good, the trainers had walked the course that morning and concurred, therefore they had no right to be calling it good-to-firm or firm now.

But what Hall was missing was the simple fact that, while the ground had been watered overnight and was good that morning, the warm day and the breeze had dried it out since. Ted could see this. Even TV viewers like myself could see it. There was dust rising.

For readers with no interest in racing who have managed to get this far, let me draw some parallels with our state institutions.

Like the HRI who encourage more owners and horses into the scene but fail to provide them with a chance to race, our county councils allow housing developments but fail to provide for the backup facilities like schools, water supply and sewage treatment.
Like the stewards who made up their minds that the going was good not firm and would not be told otherwise or re-evaluate their decision, our government have decided the election will be on a Tuesday and will not be moved. This, despite the fact that so many voters who work or study away from home will be denied their constitutional right.

There are too many stewards and HRI-like officials running this country and not enough Teds. Perhaps too many of us are taking it lying down like Hall.

* From Kav’s image bucket.

** Balloting is the process by which horses are selected for a race where the number entered exceeds the number permitted to run. Considered unfair by most owners and trainers. I haven’t aksed the horses. More here if you’re really interested. You will have to be really, really interested to read it though.

^ Horse Racing Ireland. A body charged with the administration and promotion of horseracing in Ireland.

^^ I’m fed up explaining things. Google them. Sorry - just lazy today.