Racing's Panorama

Last night's hour-long Panorama special, 'Racing's Dirty Secrets', looked decidedly thin on new content. After forty minutes I checked my TV schedules, just to make sure I wasn't unwittingly watching another of the Corporation's summer repeats. The BBC claim new evidence has been brought to light concerning Miles Rodgers. Whatever happens, the programme had the air of an extended exercise in mischief-making. In my opinion, a typical ITV production...

Racing notes

In the days following the embarrassing collapse of the race-fixing trial, the City of London Police and the British Horseracing Authority have been scrambling, in a somewhat unseemly fashion, to distance themselves from any ensuing blame. In addition, screeds have been written following the breaking of the news that Fallon failed a drug test in the summer; an interesting perspective was given by Stephen Pollard in The Times' Thunderer column on Monday.

Cheltenham's card this Saturday is starting to look rather attractive, with a fair number of equine stars intending to take up their engagements.

Looking a little further ahead, The Lexus Chase, which is set to be run at Leopardstown on Friday December 28th, could see Denman and The Listener taking each other on. In this week's edition of The Weekender, Nick Mordin puts forward a persuasive case for The Listener who appears well ahead of his rival on Nick's timings.

Evan Williams' yard is under a cloud at the moment but his Enlightenment is worth a second look in the Turftv Novices' Chase at Ludlow tomorrow.

Fallon race-fixing trial collapses

The dramatic collapse of the race-fixing trial at the Old Bailey will look like a Christmas present come early for Kieren Fallon and his co-defendants. The judge has said that the prosecution was never near getting together a credible case, with the evidence of Australian expert Ray Murrihy totally discredited. This outcome ranks as a major embarrassment for the British horseracing establishment who, on July 7th 2006, banned Fallon and two other jockeys from riding in Britain until criminal proceedings were concluded. As you might expect, while Fallon is delighted to be exonerated, he is angry at the way in which he has been treated by the British Horseracing Authority (in contrast to the stance taken by the Irish Turf Club); I wonder if he'll consider making a claim for lost earnings...

Bits and pieces

I haven't followed the ongoing Fallon trial that closely. Still, you can't help but wonder at some of the stuff that creeps out. Apparently England star Michael Owen texted Kieren on a daily basis. What really made me smile was Fallon's explanation (presumably to the police) as to why horses had to be held up: "If you go too fast too early, you'll end up like Paula Radcliffe did in the Olympics."

Latest score - Jamie Spencer 185 - Seb Saunders 183.

Around this time of year I keep an eye out for new racing books which might be of interest as potential Christmas presents. Perhaps I'm getting old and miserable but this year's offerings don't make that much appeal. The Racing Post has compiled a list of 1000 racing quotations and the 500 strangest racing stories, while Dave Nevison's recently published A Bloody Good Winner: Life As A Professional Gambler includes details of his nocturnal exploits according to The Times' Alan Lee. I think I'll give it a miss and find myself a ghost story instead.

Short briefs

The best National for sheer spectacle is the annual Mascot Grand National; this year's renewal was run at Huntingdon racecourse on Sunday. A field of over 100 runners faced the starter, with victory going to Wacky Mackey Bear of Saffron Walden Town. I wonder what the bookmakers' overround was...

The National Hunt season moves up a gear on Saturday; the card at Chepstow is traditionally the BBC's first jumps transmission of the season. In the past Philip Hobbs' operation has targeted this meeting but the stable looks a little off the pace at the moment. By way of contrast, the Twiston-Davies team are in superb form.

Kieren Fallon has been in the news a little over the past few days. It was interesting to see his defence counsel question the impartiality of the detective in charge of the case who has, apparently, been offered a job with the Jockey Club. A slight conflict of interest perhaps...?

I see Vivid Imagination fell three out at Exeter today when looking held. The trip, just short of three miles, together with the stiff track, will not have played to his strengths.

If you're thinking of going racing in the next couple of months, here's a reminder of the John Smith's BOGOF offer which is available at selected courses until the end of December. I'm hoping to get to Aintree in a couple of weeks' time.

Interpreting the texts

Texting is the bane of my life - I hate it. I only do it if I have to, and then I'm slower than everybody else by a factor of ten. It's not just creating the blessed messages I have trouble with, it's making sense of the replies.

It would appear our learned friends in the legal profession have no such problems. On the first day of Fallon's trial they inform us that Fallon's text '6.55 no4 n', sent back in August 2004, indicated that in the 6.55 at Goodwood horse number four was a non-trier.

Well, here's a thing - I've sent a similar text twice in the last eighteen months. On the first occasion I ordered chicken tikka masala with naan from my local takeway at precisely 6.55pm. On the second occasion I placed my mobile in my rear trouser pocket without locking the keypad; I then went and sat on the wretched device.