Back in Roman Times, Caesar’s wife not only had to be virtuous, she had to be seen to be virtuous. It’s all to do with having a high profile – what you do, and how you do it, is just that much more visible to the world than the comings and goings of us lesser mortals.

Things haven’t changed that much these days, especially in racing.

There’s arguably no higher profile in the training ranks than Darren Weir, and those who work in Team Weir not only help to build that profile but share in the spotlight that profile brings with it. So, John Allen is clearly one of the top jumps riders going around and he is one of Darren Weir’s stable riders. Jarrod McLean not only trains horses in his own right, he is Darren Weir’s manager at Weir’s Warrnambool stables. All very cozy, and all very successful.

But last Sunday week, things had the appearance, possibly, of being just that bit too cozy.

I’m making no accusations here, just pointing out facts, and the salient fact is that three of the horses in the Grand National Hurdle at Sandown had close connections with the Weir camp. So close, in fact, that the way the race panned out caused an alarm bell to go off in the Stewards Room about the tactics that may, repeat may, have been used in the race.

Here’s the scenario: Weir trains A Bit Of A Lad, and Allen rode it into second place. McLean trains Cougar Express, the eventual winner, which was ridden by Shane Jackson, a Warrnambool local. Both horses had to race against the previously unbeaten – at least over jumps – Self Sense, ridden by Clayton Douglas. John Allen is 33 years old, and a very experienced Group 1 winning rider. Shane Jackson is 31 years old and has been around the jumps scene for years. Clayton Douglas is 23 years old and a relative newcomer, although successful in some good races.

The issue for all three horses was that they were all tackling the 4,200 metre distance of the Grand National for the first time. It’s an obvious statement, but the reality of jumps racing is that your horse might leap like a stag, but it makes no difference if it can’t run the distance. Running the distance, especially over jumps, is all about managing your horse. It’s about conserving as much energy as you can, for as long as you can. The tactical equation here was all about which of the three horses could be managed best to get the 4,200 metres.

So, in this race we had Self Sense, a noted front-runner, a horse who likes to roll forward, set up a break and control the pace of the race. We had A Bit Of A Lad, a bit dourer, and a horse that generally sits a little off the pace and comes with a run from near the 600-metre mark. We had Cougar Express, who can lead or come from off the pace. It’s easy to imagine the tactics that could have been discussed. Given that Self Sense appeared to be the starter with that little touch of brilliance, and given that he had to give weight to both of the others, the obvious ploy was to make Self Sense “carry the weight”, to put him under pressure to run out the 4,200 metres. John Allen did just that. From the start, Self Sense rolled to the front and he was right on Self Sense’s hammer on A Bit Of A Lad, not letting Self Sense get a comfortable lead, and making sure that he had to work a bit more than I am sure his connections would have liked to stick to his preferred racing pattern of leading the race. Where was Cougar Express? A couple of lengths back, on his own, in the comfort zone, being “sucked” along by the two in front.

And that was the pattern of the race, pretty much until the home turn. And that’s when the bubble burst for Self Sense and A Bit Of A Lad. Too much pressure on Self Sense, and he was gone before the turn. Too much strain for A Bit Of A Lad, as well. He punctured not long after Self Sense. And Cougar Express? He just powered home off a comfortable trip – and won by panels!

So, where’s the problem?

There may not be one, but in the United Kingdom, where team riding is allowed, that race could have been seen to be a classic case of pressuring the favourite with one of the stable runners to set the race up for another of the stable runners. Yes, I know that A Bit Of A Lad and Cougar Express have different trainers, but they are also allied trainers, and one employs the other.

The stewards saw the possibility, as well. They asked the obvious question of John Allen, and they have requested the betting records on the race. The likelihood is that those records will show nothing untoward – I hope that is the case – but if the stewards had not raised the question, they would have been remiss.

Watch the video of Sunday’s race, watch the videos of earlier races for the three horses, and you’ll see why! It’s not enough to be straight; you have to appear to be straight, just like Caesar’s wife. If the stewards had had been advised of the tactics before the race, then there would have been no possibility of any suspicion. That didn’t happen, so there is, unfortunately, a question mark over one of our showpiece jumps races. Not a good look, especially given the current resurgence of jumps racing.

By Rob Young