5 of the most unpopular horse racing opinions

Horse racing is a very divisive sport and that is what makes it great. If we all shared the same view, it wouldn’t be much fun. We love a healthy debate here at myracing.com. Below, we have listed five of the most unpopular horse racing opinions on offer. Make sure you follow us on @myracingtips on Twitter to have your say.

1. Sea The Stars > Frankel

Many don’t like to hear the words “Sea The Stars was greater than Frankel”. They were both incredible horses for different reasons with Frankel hitting the heights constantly as a four-year-old. However, he was raced in a very controlled environment which renders him a little soft. Frankel had one mighty sustained burst of acceleration in him but many will argue Sea The Stars achieved more with something in reserve. He had the ability to quicken at the death which would have done Frankel at the line over 10f. People will argue this until the cows come home but both sides can make a valid case.

2. Ted Walsh should not be on TV

If you live in the UK, you might not see Ted Walsh too much on your screens. But in Ireland, he is the football equivalent to Eamon Dunphy. Ted is not afraid to voice an opinion and in Ireland you can pretty much say what you like. This makes for terrific entertainment for the viewer but it can also rub people up the wrong way. One of his famous quotes was from December 2019: “All them timber hurdles should be all burned together, and have a bonfire. Burn everyone of them, and burn the fellas who made them”.

3. Punters calling someone bent if they lose a bet

There is nothing worse than listening to a punter moan about a jockey or trainer when their bet loses. Many punters out there believe that if they lose a bet, there has been some outside intervention. It could never be the fact that their horse was 100-1, didn’t go on the ground and had form figures of FPP4P6. No, it’s the trainers’ fault or it’s the jockey that was at fault. Ruby Walsh historically came under huge scrutiny every single time he lost a race. On the Flat, Ryan Moore was subject to the same abuse and trolling. If you can’t handle losing a bet, don’t bet.

4. Flat racing is better than the Jumps

This is certainly one of the more unpopular opinions in the UK and Ireland. The Flat lovers out there, and there are many, tend to dislike National Hunt racing and vice versa. We generally see a more polished, well-to-do crowd that support Flat racing, whereas the Jumps is far more traditional. It could be argued that Jumps racing is the real working class sport. There is no better meeting on earth than the Cheltenham Festival. Tens of thousands of people flock there annually from Ireland, the UK and even France. If people prefer watching horses run in a straight line though, that is their choice.

5. The whip should be banned

Racing has faced a lot of public scrutiny about the whip in the last ten years or so. Public perception is hugely important and as a sport, we need to do more to educate the public. As a horse racing lover, I 100-per-cent see the need for the whip in our sport. Not only is it needed as a safety instrument, but how can a jockey straighten or control their horse without one? I would also be in favour of changing the name of the “whip”. Again, perception is key and we don’t want the uneducated public thinking we simply whip our horses. It is an air cushioned stick and rather than pander to people who hate our sport, we need to come up with innovative ideas to move the sport forward.