A guest author writes...

I was sent the article below by one of my readers, a stalwart of racing (though I suspect he will hate the description) who occasionally adds comments to the blog and regularly sends some to me, a couple of days ago. It wasn't James Given.   Apparently Paul Roy’s days are numbered. If you believe the BHA Chairman that number is between 1,825 and 2,190: answering widespread calls for him to go now, Roy’s rejoinder was, “I’m going to see through the initial stages of the levy replacement which could take five or six years”. They, the calls, were provoked by Roy’s deteriorating ‘form’ which currently reads 052UR. If those figures hide any unseen abilities (or if he hasn’t been ‘off’ lately) he’s chucked in for a handicap. His views carry little weight nowadays. The ‘nought’ was the negative impact Roy has made on the sport, most notably his appointment of the hapless Nic Coward as his chief oppo. Coward went on his way (to the FA, where else?) doubtless taking seriously (while laughing all the way to the bank) his former leader’s valediction that he had “united racing”: not one for irony our BHA boss. It’s rumoured Coward’s replacement is Australian – is racing to be afflicted with the England soccer manager syndrome where perceived lack of home grown talent leads to anyone other than aborigines being hoisted to the upper echelons of authority? The ‘five’ in Roy’s form equates to the £5m shares he bought in Betfair. The ‘2’ came in a two-horse race - his decision to back fellow city-wallah Martin Broughton’s flawed and ultimately rejected bid for the Tote, against that of bookmaker Fred Done. Actually one ought to slip in that unseat (U) here – Roy originally backed the non-starter of a BHA-inspired so-called Tote Foundation to run the unloved arm of British gaming. From whence do these calls for the chairman to leave the stage emanate? Well, there haven’t been any for him to stay (excepting his own). No one would readily give up a sinecure such as he enjoys. He is answerable to no-one and there’s no process to impeach. Regarded as the most powerful man in the world, any American President would be more than willing to risk assassination for such licence and privileges. Roy’s strident demands for a levy of £130-150m, and being obliged to swallow the short commons of £80.8m, ought to have persuaded him to at least consider his position; after all it was the man himself who insisted we, not an independent (sic) BHA Disciplinary Panel, were to judge him on this project. OK we’ve judged; verdict, inept, guilty as charged…next? “I fundamentally disagree” (R for refusal) is Roy’s stock phrase: at least it doesn’t hit the same nerve as his previous fall back position - “British racing is the best in the world”. This overworked phrase has been given a breather as prize money plummets threatening the whole fabric of our sport. If Roy denies saying “prize money doesn’t matter” (my ear trumpet needs tuning if he didn’t) he’s only been a syllable short of “let them eat cake”. Antagonizing everybody who doesn’t kow-tow in his High Holborn HQ, Roy’s form needs updating with another ‘duck egg’ from his latest outing, or at best a share of runners-up prize in another match – this time as outvoted member of the Levy Board in the decision not to pursue exchange users through the courts for levy. All the advice and case history was that such a path would be futile and a debilitating expense. Of course such a project wouldn’t be pursued with Roy’s own money.  Incidentally (almost incidentally) BHA’s acting chief executive Chris Brand defended his boss’s stance over exchanges saying, “Levy yield is in decline as the mechanism (the levy itself) fails to deal with the modern market”. No Mr Brand, it isn’t the mechanism, it’s a combination of the economy (stupid) and changing betting priorities combining to reduce the amount racing can extract from the punter – indeed from any source. What is it about elfin dictators’ susceptibility to accusations of bullying tactics? Bernie Ecclestone is 80 and also above and beyond the reach of mere mortals and public sanction. The head honcho of Formula One racing, despite gaffes such as rearranging the Bahrain Grand Prix in the teeth of that countries’ political ferment, soldiers on. There were visions of Ecclestone substituting a Libyan GP in the calendar, overlooking the fact there are good roads in Afghanistan. (The Indian version will provide a fairytale ending to the season, given that nothing stops traffic in New Delhi). Another five years of Roy, 63, will test our game’s powers of survival to the limit. If anyone’s days look numbered, under the current regime they are racing’s as we know it.