SD Races Now column: Why summer Jumps racing should continue despite doubters

Races Now's Stephen Darbyshire (better known as SD) provides some typically forthright opinions on his latest exclusive Odds Now column, centred around the topic of summer jumps racing...

Usual mob out to bash summer jumps

There is a peculiar breed within horse racing that appears every summer with the reliability of a wasp at a barbecue.

The sun comes out, the ground turns good, racegoers dust off their sunglasses and, almost on cue, somebody decides National Hunt racing should be packed away until autumn.

You know the type. Usually armed with a social media account, unwavering certainty and an opinion nobody requested, they’ll solemnly proclaim that “jump racing belongs in winter”, as though they’d been appointed Custodian of the Racing Calendar.

Apparently horses are perfectly capable of jumping fences in April, lose the knack in July and then rediscover it by October.

Who knew?

Last Saturday’s Summer Plate at Market Rasen was the perfect riposte to such nonsense.

The sun shone, the ground was ideal, the crowd was healthy and the atmosphere was everything British racing should aspire to be. Bookmakers were busy, the racing was competitive and people left with smiles on their faces.

Yet, judging by some of the comments beneath the Races Now YouTube coverage, you’d think the meeting had committed some terrible offence.

One contributor confidently declared that “summer jumping contributes very little to the sport.”

Poppycock.

Not just ordinary poppycock either – premium, free-range, award-winning poppycock.

Ask yourself some questions

If summer jumping contributes so little, why do trainers support it?

Why do owners continue to run horses? Why do jockeys and stable staff rely upon it? Why do racecourses continue to attract healthy crowds? Why do local businesses welcome the extra trade? Why has the concept flourished for more than thirty years?

The answer is blindingly obvious. Because it contributes a great deal.

Economically.

Socially.

Sportingly.

Without summer jumping, racecourses such as Market Rasen, Stratford, Cartmel, Newton Abbot, Worcester and Perth would face an uncertain future.

These aren’t merely names in a racecard; they are employers, tourist attractions and an important part of their local communities.

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Turning their nose up?

There also seems to be a curious strain of snobbery surrounding the whole concept of summer jumping.

The latest suggestion is that National Hunt racing should be confined exclusively to the winter months.

Fine. But where does that end?

If July is considered unacceptable, what about June? Or September? Is May too early? Is October too late? Do we gradually compress the programme until somebody decides National Hunt racing should only exist between November and March?

Once you accept the principle that a successful concept should disappear simply because of the month on the calendar, it becomes remarkably difficult to explain where the line should be drawn.

To me, that’s the real danger.

Horse racing already spends enough time defending itself from campaigners who would happily abolish the sport altogether. They don’t want fewer days’ racing; they want no racing at all.

So why would racing begin dismantling parts of itself?

Banning summer jumping feels like the thin end of the wedge. Every concession simply encourages those who want to see racing disappear altogether. If the sport starts arguing that one of its own successful concepts ought to be scrapped, don’t be surprised when others ask what should go next.

Horse racing already faces relentless scrutiny from outside the sport without turning that scrutiny upon itself. We live in an era where the instinctive response to almost every perceived problem is, “ban it.” If somebody dislikes something, the immediate reaction is often to campaign for its abolition rather than accept that others might quite enjoy it.

Racing shouldn’t be infected by that mentality. It should have the confidence to defend concepts that work, not apologise for them.

History deserves respect

It’s also worth remembering that summer jumping isn’t some fashionable novelty.

Until 1993, the jumping season traditionally concluded on the first Saturday in June. The modern summer jumping programme was introduced in 1994 and has now been an established part of the calendar for over thirty years.

Then there’s the effect on racecourses to consider.

Remove summer jumping and you don’t simply alter the calendar. You imperil the future of Market Rasen, Stratford, Cartmel, Newton Abbot, Worcester and Perth.

Take Cartmel. I’ll happily admit I think its admission prices are excessive, and I don’t believe they do the racecourse any favours. But that’s entirely separate from what makes Cartmel exceptional.

Its setting, nestled beside one of England’s prettiest villages, gives it a character and charm found nowhere else in racing. It would be a desperately dull sport if every racecourse looked and felt exactly the same.

The same applies to Stratford, Worcester, Perth, Newton Abbot and Market Rasen. Each has its own identity and loyal following, and summer jumping allows them to showcase it.

The crowds at Market Rasen last Saturday answered the debate far more convincingly than any comment section ever could.

The betting was lively. The atmosphere was superb. The sport looked vibrant. That should be celebrated, not criticised.

Summer jumping contributes enormously to British racing. Anyone insisting otherwise is entitled to their opinion. They are just wrong.

Or, to put it in proper British terms…

Poppycock.