Irish team are in it to win it - together

Aug 31 2008 Joe Punter

THERE has been a lot of breast-beating over Team Coolmore's pacemaker tactics that have reaped rich rewards this season for Aidan O'Brien and Johnny Murtagh.

The latest example was last weekend when Duke Of Marmalade won the Juddmonte International after stable-mate and race "hare" Red Rock Canyon eased off the fence four out to give the Duke a clear passage.

Plenty of people have been kicking up a storm over team tactics they say are in direct breach of the British Horse Racing Authority's rules. Racing is not a team game, they moan. Oh yes it is now, I counter.

What did the critics expect from the most powerful stable in Europe, if not the world?

Red Rock Canyon was always going tomakeit easy for Murtagh on Duke of Marmalade to get through. They are in the same stable and if Colm O'Donoghue had done anything else on the pacemaker he would have got a right bollocking from wee Aidan.

Competing stables know the score as soon as they line up against the Ballydoyle boys and it's interesting none of them has uttered a word.

And with many of the critics being bookies you have to wonder how much of this is sour grapes, given the O'Brien Group 1 winners are invariably short odds and a big loser to them.

Honourable exception would be Paddy Power who, despite having their profits dented by O'Brien, welcomed the competition and closed with "what goes around comes around." Now that's my kind of bookie!

I HAVE every sympathy for small trainers up in arms over the BHA's sensible decision to cut back racing opportunities for horses rated 45 or below.

But it is a long overdue move to sieve out animals that frankly should not be on a racecourse.

Wee Luke Harvey has been championing the dross division's cause, claiming punters would rather have competitive racing even if it involves horses who would struggle to out-speed a sumo wrestler.

Can't give him that. Would you pay to see an amateur footballmatch where you might see a goal or two but would be watching football so poor you might die of terminal boredom?

Me neither!

GOT a racing query? Write to Joe Punter, Sports Desk, Sunday Mail, Glasgow G3 8DA, or email joepunteratsundaymail.co.uk.