The decision to keep the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe draw secret for hours was absurd and left punters out in the cold, according to the Mirror's chief racing correspondent David Yates.
The final field for Europe's middle-distance championship was declared last Thursday morning, but the stalls allocation was kept a closely guarded secret until Thursday evening. Punters finally learned that Diamond Necklace, who finished third to winner Daryz, was on the outside in stall 16, and Benvenuto Cellini was on the inside in one, at just after 7.45pm UK time.
Draw delay criticised
Yates said the scope for skulduggery should be set aside, noting it was to the credit of the draw custodians that there were no suggestions of leaks during the day. However, he argued that interest and betting on one of the world's most important horse races cannot be put into cold storage 72 hours before it is due to be run.
Punters need information as soon as it is available, he said, and it cannot be locked away for hours just for the sake of a swanky Parisian soirée. He added that this was the first time there had been such a hiatus between the release of the declarations and the draw, and it must be the last.
Gambling Commission statistics questioned
Yates also criticised the Gambling Commission, describing it as an unelected body that wields huge power over how people bet. The commission's Young People and Gambling Survey, published last year, found that 7% of those questioned had been prompted to spend money on gambling by advertising.
This statistic, which translates to approximately 200,000 people between 11 and 17 in Britain, has been quoted multiple times in Parliament. However, the commission has admitted respondents could merely be reporting feelings of being prompted, rather than actually gambling. Yates said these figures are being used to reshape and constrain the gambling landscape, but the numbers are built on quicksand.
Yearling sales begin
Autumn means the yearling sales, and the brand leader is Tattersalls Book 1, which begins on Tuesday. Three days of feverish bidding will see the sport's global superpowers locking horns to secure the most-prized young stock.
The 10 top lots at last year's Book 1 sale cost a combined 20,000,000 guineas. So far, they have won £62,333 on the track.
