Bookmaker sponsorship of jockeys and trainers does not sit well say IHRB

There could be a seismic change to the way bookmakers are allowed to do business with jockeys and trainers in Ireland after the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) revealed it is not comfortable with the current sponsorship situation.

However, Irish Racehorse Trainers Association (IRTA) chief Michael Grassick believes the regulator is largely to blame for the problem, insisting he could never understand in the first instance why bookmakers were allowed to sponsor licence holders in racing.

Grassick was alluding to Richard Forristal’s Thursday column in which the Racing Post editor in Ireland was heavily critical of how Nicky Henderson handled the high-profile scratching of Altior from Saturday’s Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton through his Unibet blog.