Denton Hall News
- 30-Aug-2025: Latest News from Denton Hall Stables the home of Michael Dods Racing
- 23-Aug-2025: Northern Ticker beats Commanche Falls by a head in thrilling finish at York Festival
- 20-Aug-2025: Count Palatine strikes under Sean Kirrane to make it a Carlisle double
- 20-Aug-2025: Taylormade Lad wins his first race at Carlisle for Tg Racing
- 20-Aug-2025: Sanbona gets off the mark for owner Davi Metcalfe at Wolverhampton
- 05-Aug-2025: Langholm scores all-the-way victory at Catterick for Dods Racing Club
- 29-Jul-2025: A dozen winners in July as Homeland strikes at Ripon under Connor Beasley
- 28-Jul-2025: Boy Douglas makes it a double for Connor Beasley and owner Frank Lowe at Ayr
- 28-Jul-2025: Stable's 10th winner in July as Mighty Magnus strikes at Ayr
- 26-Jul-2025: Novamay defies 21lbs rise in the handicap to make it three on the bounce with victory at Windsor
- 21-Jul-2025: Boy Douglas wins for the third time at Ayr
- 19-Jul-2025: King's Crown makes it four for 2025 under Rhys Elliott ride at Doncaster
The worst-laid plans
TRAINER Michael Dods has hit out at race planners at the British Horseracing Association for not giving enough thought to their decisions.
The County Durham trainer says it's high time the issue of inefficient race planning was resolved. His full thoughts are below...
"Racing relies on people – owners, trainers, jockeys, stable staff, and spectators – travelling all over the country. It’s a time-consuming, expensive business, so logistics are all-important.
Why then can’t those responsible for racing planning at the British Horseracing Association (BHA) get their act together and think about the travelling implications for those at the sharp end of the industry?
I sometimes wonder if half of them have ever been out of London or looked at a map because they clearly don’t give much thought to their decisions.
Take next week’s Ayr fixtures as an example. There’s a meeting on Monday, with the first race at 1.45pm and the last race at 5pm. Then, in their wisdom, the BHA has arranged an evening meeting at Ayr the following day, with the first race at 5.05pm and the last race at 8.30pm. Where’s the sense in that?
It’s a three-hour drive from our training base at Denton Hall to Ayr – and obviously considerably longer for those further south. So, the BHA is asking those involved at both meetings to travel to Ayr on Monday morning, then stay overnight and twiddle their thumbs until the Tuesday evening meeting.
It’s a waste of time and resources when rocketing costs mean it’s more important than ever for everyone to focus on maximum efficiency.
Hasn’t it dawned on anyone at the BHA that it would make a lot more sense to do it the other way round? Have the evening meeting on the Monday and the afternoon meeting on the Tuesday? As things stand, jockeys, trainers and owners won’t be setting off home until 9pm at night.
And this isn’t the only example. It’s an issue right through the season and it needs sorting. It’s high time race planners put themselves in the shoes of those travelling round the country and gave a bit more thought to what they’re doing."