Frankie comes to tea
On Sunday the Italian ambassador and his wife came to Newmarket to visit the British Racing School and enjoy an afternoon’s racing.
It was a good day for Frankie Dettori who joined us between races for tea. He is such a tremendous engaging character who has personally helped to popularise racing, which is drawing record attendances again.
Now racing in the Newmarket area faces a new threat. Proposals to change the flight paths and stacking arrangements for Stansted airport put at risk the tranquillity of the area. It is bad enough for local people, but breeders of thoroughbred racehorses are up in arms. They fear that the horses will react negatively to the increased noise.
Representations are being made very forcefully. The breeding industry is on something of a knife-edge – the temptations to move to France or Ireland may prove irresistible.
Racing is inextricably interlinked. The breeders, trainers, auctioneers and all the ancillary activities work together in Newmarket, the world headquarters of racing. The departure of one element will impact everything else.
Frankie makes us all cheerful, but underneath we are all pretty worried. The future of this important employer and exporter, a great British success story, is at stake.