THE seats of the bigwigs in BHA towers must be getting uncomfortably warm. Because water continues to be poured over the coals of the heated racecourse sauna debate.
A toxic row
The row is about to enter its third week – though it feels like three months – and it’s been a pretty toxic one even by racing’s standards. I wouldn’t be as passionate on this subject as my colleague Matt Chapman and was reluctant to slip on my trunks and enter the sweatbox discussion.
A necessary change
But I felt it necessary to address the issue as, I am pleased to announce, I have single-handedly solved the sauna crisis. Before I get into that we need to get one thing straight – something has to change.
Jockeys' struggles
Right now, there isn’t a hotel within walking distance of a racecourse in this country that hasn’t got a line of downtrodden jocks queuing up to use their sauna. And if they’re not trying to wangle their way past eagle-eyed receptionists, they’re driving to the races with the heating on full-blast in an attempt to shed a couple of stubborn pounds.
A safety concern
Racing chiefs argue the use of saunas before going out to ride isn’t safe – but the alternative is surely worse? In my view, the longer this rumbles on, the greater the chance of strike action. We’ll have to see how things unfold.
Shared blame
No doubt, confidence in the embattled BHA leadership is incredibly low. But, as ever, they are an easy target. I reckon the Professional Jockeys’ Association – who engaged in a war of words with the BHA this week – and Racecourse Association should be copping an equal share of the flak.
Useless communication
The PJA top brass has been about as convincing around several key issues, including saunas, as Steve McLaren’s Dutch accent. And, let’s not forget, they infuriated their members this time last year when agreeing to new whip rules (which have since changed multiple times) without carrying out a proper consultation. They’ve decided to rediscover their backbone over the last few days, but as communicators they remain completely and utterly useless.
Money grabbers
And let’s not dress it up – the RCA and a large number of their tracks are money grabbers who rake it in through media rights and eye-watering ticket prices on the turnstiles. I saw Hamilton charging £40 (!) to get through the gate the other week, but let’s not go down that rabbit hole.
A simple solution
Now – are you ready for the solution that will fix the issue overnight? All we need to do is invest in some portable saunas. Duh. Every racecourse could afford one – I had a quick butchers online and found a lovely six-seater sauna on wheels for a little over five bags. The BHA have argued that saunas, if they were ever reintroduced, would need to be supervised by medical professionals in case of emergencies (like what, burnt arse cheeks?). But if you wheel the thing on to racecourse land, officials could be on the scene in no time if someone were to overdo it. There are one or two roly-poly trainers that could probably do with using the facilities as well – not that I’ll be naming any names.
A call for action
It’s a simple solution – then again, I’m a simple soul – but why can’t the sport just be proactive for once rather than waste energy pointing fingers at one another? The longer they wait, the warmer the seats of racing’s top brass are going to get.
Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.sportingexcitement.com/horse-racing/andrew-baldings-strong-team-for-york-ebor-festival/
