Ascot takes its own path again

Ascot has developed a habit of going its own way when it comes to wider industry matters - its one-time position with At The Races while partnering Racecourse Media Group in TurfTV and lukewarm support for the authorised betting partner policy being cases in point.

Its announcement on pool betting did not come as a surprise, but while chief executive Guy Henderson was at pains to say he wished the best to the pool betting project being put together by the majority of Britain's racecourses, and that he expected it to be a success, this will be seen by some within the industry as a snub.

It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall when Johnny Weatherby, Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot, and his brother Roger, the senior steward of the Jockey Club, which is firmly behind the racecourse project, discuss the topic.