ED CHAMBERLAIN: Let’s marvel at Cantona horses and the joy horses bring as we celebrate the start of National Racehorse Week
- The fear that the Grand National will be defiled by chaotic demonstrators is deep-rooted
- Saturday marks the start of such an important week, National Racehorse Week
- Shaquille shows what a perfect TV racehorse can be, an outsider like Cantona
The time and date are deep in my mind, just like the words that came into my ears. It was Saturday April 15 this year, 4.54pm, when Paul McNamara, my brilliant director at ITV, confirmed that a storm had arrived.
“Ed,” he said. “This is no longer about sports, this is news.”
He was right. The Randox Grand National was postponed by Animal Rising protesters. The situation was chaotic, but in that moment I thought of my hero, Des Lynam, and knew the responsibility I had to remain calm while the horse racing was under fire.
I feared this would be a year when orange paint or orange dust would stain the sport that provides livelihood and enjoyment to millions.
After Aintree there were incidents at Ayr, for the Scottish Grand National, and Epsom on Derby Day. There will always be risks in horse racing, but it is crucial to continue to correct misconceptions and misinformation: 99.8 percent of horses return home safely after racing, receiving love and devotion from everyone associated with them that cannot be adequately explained in words.
Shaquille races at Ascot, he does so many things wrong, but his brilliance keeps him winning
Protesters who tried to stop this year’s horse racing Grand National were attacked
That’s why the next seven days are so important: Today marks the start of National Racehorse Week – an annual celebration of the Thoroughbred and the chance to see just how transformative these majestic animals can be.
I don’t say ‘transformative’ for nothing: jockey Martin Dwyer, who called on his career earlier this year, tells a story about an incident in the courtyard of his father-in-law, William Muir, in the spring when a lady was attending the Lambourn Open Day as an opportunity to protest against animal rights.
Instead of chasing her away, William invited her inside. She was impressed by the care the horses received and their living conditions. During her visit, she became attached to a filly named Shagpyle.
This lady was dead against racing and went to Ascot in May to see Shagpyle make her debut. She was initially denied entry because she was on a watchlist, but William intervened and she was allowed in: her attitude had come full circle. That is the power of the thoroughbred.
Today I’m in Haydock where we’ll see the perfect ITV racehorse in Shaquille in the Sprint Cup. We love him because he does so much wrong, but his genius allows him to keep winning.
Shaquille is an outsider, just like the great Eric Cantona was on a football field
If he were a footballer, he would be Eric Cantona, an outsider who can leave you gasping but then take your breath away. He is a delight for trainer Julie Camacho and her partner, Steve Brown.
Julie and Steve will open the doors to their yard tomorrow as part of National Racehorse Week – you need to apply for tickets to attend and Great British Racing has been inundated with requests – and that attitude is to be commended.
It’s not easy for the stables and I understand the difficulties if the routine is changed, but it was still disappointing to hear that only 24 of Newmarket’s 62 trainers have agreed to allow visitors in during the Sir Henry Cecil Open Weekend later this month.
The protesters and the threat they carry will always exist. So it’s crucial that racing stays on the front foot.
Ed Chamberlin is an ambassador for Sky Bet