Brian O’Connor: 10 ways racing can improve its reputation in 2022

It’s hard to think any sport endured a harder reputational ride in 2021 than racing. So perhaps some suggestions for a happier 2022 are in order.

1: Rachael Blackmore can hardly have done more already to stem the negativity but as one of the most admired personalities in the country she could fly the flag yet again in relation to one contentious issue - the whip.

The reality of the modern foam-padded ‘bata’ is that it doesn’t hurt if used properly. Even those of us who believe optics alone mean it’s only a matter of time before they’re binned for encouragement purposes agree that the point isn’t pain.

So get racing's most recognisable face onto the Late Late Show, have that epitome of urban media Ryan Tubridy hold his hand out, and let Blackmore go to work. While she's doing that Frankie Dettori could get cracking at Graham Norton too.

Tom Brady, Novak Djokovic, Canelo and Co - make way for Rachael Blackmore

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Irish racing has itself to blame for negative stereotypes

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Irish racing can’t afford to keep shutting the stable door when the horse has bolted

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Something as simple as a high-profile display of what it is rather than what it isn’t could remove some of the heat from an emotive topic.

2: It's over four months since the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) advertised for a new chief executive. If that's because due care and attention is being paid then it's not a problem because this appointment is an important signal of intent.

On the back of an Oireachtas committee report criticising its levels of transparency it will be instructive who is given the task of steering the IHRB into the future.

In the circumstances the time looks ripe to look beyond the usual suspects and examine outside options. There is plenty of expertise within the IHRB ranks to take care of day-to-day practicalities. What’s needed is a fresh outlook at the helm.

3: The pall of suspicion about drugs will continue to hang over 2022. So it's vital that Irish racing does what it says on the tin.

At long last, and after much foot-dragging, the structures are being put in place to present a meaningful deterrent to cheats. All the right sounds are being made about taking the fight to wrongdoers. It’s time to start living up to those words.

Any dread of more negative publicity is misplaced. Lifting up rocks and peering underneath inevitably produces creepy results. But it should be viewed as short-term pain for long-term gain.

4: Apparently the company behind the F1 documentary series Drive To Survive is examining a horseracing version in Britain. The F1 series has been credited with encouraging a brand new audience to the 'brmm-brmm' game which is just what racing is after too.

Judged by the farcical scenes at the end of the latest F1 world championship though, it’s a case of being careful what you wish for. If, in return for access, sporting credibility gets sidelined for entertainment purposes it’s no fair swap.

5: Horse Racing Ireland has upped prizemoney to almost €69 million this year. Never mind that the 'trickle down' economic model has long since been discredited. The default position for racing's ruling body is always more prizemoney.

But it’s interesting to ponder how much trickled through the system on the back of a race like last week’s three-runner Grade One at Leopardstown with its massive purse of €125,000. Those at the top are never going to quibble with more cash. Everyone else is entitled to query the logic.

6: Tracks getting substantial media rights money can plough a little bit of it into providing facilities for female jockeys that at least try to live up to modern expectations.

Much of the coverage in the bullying and harassment case taken by Bryony Frost against Robbie Dunne reflected on cultural aspects of a hitherto male-dominated environment. But on a practical level, a workplace where women deal with Neanderthal behaviour due partly at least to a basic lack of professional amenities simply isn’t on in any day and age.

7: Details that emerged in Freddy Tylicki's successful High Court case for damages after being left paralysed in a fall in 2016 also made for uncomfortable reading.

The quality of evidence given by jockeys in stewards’ enquiries came under focus and underlined how in the vast majority of cases their contributions are largely irrelevant. So, apart from truly exceptional circumstances, when it comes to enquiries riders really can be just seen and not heard.

8: Talking of the steward's room, why not accelerate the inevitable and have only professionals in there. Racing is a €2 billion industry employing thousands which requires huge levels of expertise just to be competitive. Yet on raceday it is largely policed by well-meaning amateurs. That's not good enough and changing it should be regarded as an investment rather than an expense.

9: The euthanising of horses is legitimate when done properly and all other options have been examined and deemed unsuitable. It's an uncomfortable reality that came under focus in a recent Panorama exposé.

It is disingenuous to argue that euthanasia levels aren’t linked to production rates. Self-interest alone means the bloodstock industry has to have a meaningful examination of an issue that is increasingly going to define the sport’s vital social contract.

10: Finally, all of us are effectively lab rats for this information-gathering, pain for profit, frontier justice social media age, voluntarily carrying digital septic-tanks in our pockets and wondering why so many are so unhappy.

The once unattractive trait of attention-seeking is now the ‘look at me’ culture.

Racing is no different. Jockeys in particular are susceptible to abuse. So in 2022, is it simplistic to advise everyone left despondent by this technology to just turn it off? Can we not take the hint from the profiteering Silicon Valley cynics who don’t let their nearest and dearest anywhere near this stuff?

Maybe it will make for one tiny victory for the blockheads. But losing presumes participation. Opting out of the game in 2022 can be a much better and happier result for everyone.