Girls Aloud by Sally Duckett

On the track we had the continued brilliance of Enable, the mare turning up time after time to win, revealing her top-class brilliance as well as a strength of mind and body that few top athletes – equine or human – can reproduce so consistently. Unfortunately, a little like the World Cup Rugby attempt by the English team, that final challenge to win a record-breaking third Arc did not come off, by just under 2l. English Rugby has to wait another four year to revisit its challenge; with Enable staying in training for 2020 with luck and a fair wind, racing has a second chance in 11 months’ time.

The Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck, unlucky after a strong run in his Breeders’ Cup event, also stays in training, which gives the Derby a chance to make a stronger mark on the form book, maybe a feature which has been lacking over the past few years. With this year’s two 2,000 Guineas winners retiring to stud for 2020, the 2019 Classic form rests on the son of Galileo’s shoulders.

The season did see the emergence of the brilliant Pinatubo, hopefully 2020 will see the Shamardal colt continue to extend his prowess to become a generation-defining influence.

Sadly, a lot of the year’s international sport will be recalled for reasons it does not want to boast about – the injury issues at Santa Anita, the continued widespread doping and medication use by American and US trainers, the recent ABC revelations from Australia regarding the treatment of racehorses once careers are finished, and the earlier discoveries regarding the use of jiggers and electronic equipment by trainers. The whip debate exists everywhere and has intensified again.

Global racing does, as sport, need to stick together – there are so many challenges now to the role of equine sport in society that if we divide we will be conquered. If those in the British or the European sport start producing comments such as “it is not like that here” we’ll be heading down a fast-declining route.

However, it is unfair of racing authorities in jurisdictions that have had welfare or medication issues failing to meet more exacting requirements in other countries to expect unqualified support.

Those with clout in the organisations such as the British Horseracing Authority, HRI and France Galop need to inform those running racing in those countries that have welfare or doping issues that support will be lacking, unless these problems start to be addressed.

Of course, individual countries can not act in a colonial-type manner and enforce their own opinions on different jurisdictions, but if support is required, if we are going to face the wide and substantial challenges to horseracing and bloodstock with a global outlook, then all countries need to be on the same page.

Could this come under the auspices of the International Federation of Horseracing Authority (IFHA)? Could the group start to throw some weight behind a united global front to a unified stance on welfare? The International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering is published by the IFHA and brings together a series of articles, appendices and guidelines setting out recommended best practice in significant areas of racing, including doping, drug and medication guidelines, stud book administration and wagering common to all jurisdictions

Perhaps it is time this was upgraded from best practice to enforceable rulings? And if countries fail to sign up to work towards a common level or ruling, or are found to have horsemen breaking the rules without action from the authorities, horsemen and horses from those nations are suspended from the international sport. T HE ASSOCIATION could act in a similar way to the International Association of Athletics Federations, which formed the Independent Athletics Integrity Unit in 2017 to deal in a more rigorous and transparent way with the huge doping issues in that sport.

Its website writes, “AIU represents a new era in the management of threats to the integrity of sport. Through the formation of the Athletics Integrity Unit, athletics has become the first sport internationally to delegate complete authority for the management of its integrity programs to an independent body. Fully separated from the IAAF, and reporting through its own Board, the Athletics Integrity Unit operates with the level of rigour and transparency expected by the world’s athletes and supporters.”

Words that could equally be applied to horseracing. Even something such as use of the whip needs greater coherence – it is banned in Denmark but has free use in Australia? How can it be argued to the wider world that both approaches are correct?

The Australian rules of racing state that the whip may not be used on more than five occasions prior to the 100m mark of a race and cannot be used in consecutive strides. In the final 100m of a race, a jockey can use the whip at his or her discretion.

Horseracing is an international sport, it needs to be managed as one. sThe same can also be said about the bloodstock industry. Once the much-talked-about review into British auction ring practices appears in the New Year, it is important that any recommendations or sensible options put forward are also considered for implementation on a global scale. Sally Duckett discusses a global approach to equine welfare and a development of the IFHA’s role ...it is unfair of racing authorities in jurisdictions that have had welfare or medication issues failing to meet the more exacting requirements in other countries to expect unqualified support from the global sport “ “