A minister, a showman and a Magnier: racing's most influential people in 2018

1 Tracey Crouch

In a sport where prize-money is an ongoing and existential concern - with the viability of racecourses, attractiveness of the sport to owners and livelihoods of trainers, jockeys and stable staff all dependent on its level - it was a crusading politician who proved the most influential figure of 2018.

Tracey Crouch is the former sports minister who was central to the government review into fixed odds betting terminal stakes which led to the decision to cut them from £100 to £2, a move which promises to have painful consequences for the betting industry and racing.

With bookmakers forecasting thousands of shop closures following the FOBT stakes cut, racing industry insiders predicted the cost to racing in lost media rights would be in the region of £40-60m a year. While many in racing are understandably uncomfortable with the sport’s reliance on media rights income linked to the politically toxic FOBTs, the stark reality is racing can ill afford such a financial hit.

Furthermore, when the government announced it would not implement the stakes cut until October 2019, Crouch resigned over the perceived delay, precipitating a hasty climbdown. The cut is now due in April but its impact is being felt even before its implementation, with Arena Racing Company slashing its prize-money contributions for 2019 by £3m.

The long-term implications of the cut are impossible to forecast, but the political decisions of 2018, in which Crouch was the key player, promise to reshape retail betting, influence government gambling policy and profoundly impact racing’s finances for years to come.

2 Frankie Dettori

A natural showman and the most recognisable face of the sport – indeed, the only face of the sport to resonate on a significant level in the wider world – he continues to be a fantastic ambassador for racing, while his association with John Gosden has allowed his career to flourish again in its twilight. With horses like Enable to ride in 2019, there is no prospect of the 48-year-old contemplating retirement.

Dettori’s handling of Enable was a feature of 2018, in particular the combination’s triumph in the Breeders’ Cup Turf when closely attended by Ballydoyle’s massed ranks. And his masterful tactics on Stradivarius in the Long Distance Cup, when he darted up Ryan Moore’s inside, illustrated why the jockey still has no peer in big races.

3 The Coolmore partners

It would take more than a mildly lacklustre year – by their own impossibly high standards – for the Irish syndicate not to feature highly in any such ranking. Beyond the omnipotence of Ballydoyle, John Magnier and the team are in pole position to capitalise on the limited opportunities afforded by Scat Daddy’s male line after the premature death of that extraordinary sire three years ago.

This year Mendelssohn and Sioux Nation joined Scat Daddy’s other sons – Justify, No Nay Never and Caravaggio – on Coolmore’s global stallion roster. Conversely, Coolmore’s increasing propensity to embrace global racing made 2018 more complicated. Mendelssohn (in the US) and US Navy Flag (in Australia) never won in their new homes. Their absence was keenly felt at Ballydoyle.

4 Nick Rust

With politicians taking an increasing interest in equine welfare, Rust and his team responded well to the challenge of safeguarding and amplifying racing’s efforts in this sphere. A BHA chief executive drawn directly from racing’s ranks might have underestimated its importance at a time when society’s relationship with animals is being redefined, but Rust’s immediate action following the death of seven horses at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, commissioning an in-depth analysis and recently-released report, show he is acutely aware of this changing dynamic.

Nick Rust: must revisit the BHA's anti-doping policy in 2019Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Against that, Rust’s efforts were undermined by a succession of avoidable errors and public relations mishaps that reflected poorly on the BHA. Rust’s commitment and commercial acumen will be needed in 2019 as racing’s finances come under pressure. The failure of the BHA’s ‘strict liability’ approach within its anti-doping policy also requires urgent revision.

5 Richard FitzGerald

Racecourse Media Group CEO FitzGerald was central to securing Irish racing’s media rights for the newly branded Racing TV, which officially launches on January 1. Those picture rights mean that Racing TV (formerly Racing UK) will broadcast from 61 tracks in Britain and Ireland, making race clashes inevitable and leading to the biggest shake-up in racing’s broadcast picture since the BBC bowed out in 2012.

Richard FitzGerald (left) with another of the year's most influential, JP McManus (7)Credit: Dan Abraham

The deal provoked criticism from some of Ireland’s biggest professionals who fear their racing will be marginalised. Meanwhile, At The Races has joined Sky’s powerful stable and added Ascot to its roster. Sky has now committed resources to racing like never before. Its rivalry with Racing TV will shape the way racing is broadcast for the foreseeable future.

6 John Gosden

Gosden ends the campaign as champion trainer in Britain for the third time in six years. In the process he enhanced his reputation through his handling of Enable and Roaring Lion, both of whom were out of sorts in early summer. He also honed a champion stayer in Stradivarius – winner of the inaugural Weatherbys Hamilton £1 million bonus – and the champion juvenile in Too Darn Hot.

A characteristic of Gosden’s rise is the way he has assembled the broadest ever collection of influential owners under his Clarehaven Stables roof. He handles his horses with the same assurance that has earned him recognition as the sport’s most eloquent voice.

7 JP McManus

A prodigious influence in Irish racing for decades, McManus’s commitment to ownership has never wavered. He has horses with around 25 trainers in Britain to stand alongside nearly 50 in Ireland who saddled runners for him this year.

McManus’s best horse in Britain in 2018 was Buveur D’Air, who landed his second Champion Hurdle in March. He also closes the year as the leading owner over jumps in Britain, having been represented by more than 500 starters. A renowned philanthropist, he helps to keep several trainers afloat with his policy of spreading his horses around. Jump racing has never known a benefactor like him.

8 Sheikh Mohammed and Godolphin

McManus’s counterpart on the Flat, Sheikh Mohammed and his Godolphin stable, rebounded from some lacklustre seasons to consign the Mahmood Al Zarooni doping scandal to the memory vaults. This was the year when Godolphin’s subsequent reorganisation bore handsome fruit.

Sheikh Mohammed with his Derby winner Masar, one of many big winners in 2018Credit: Mark Cranham

In tandem, the sheikh reignited his passion for horseflesh. He spent more time at the boutique yearling sales than in previous years and reportedly enjoyed his hands-on involvement. He remains the single most important individual within Flat racing, if not quite at the summit in terms of influence in 2018.

9 Denise Coates

Coates’s vast wealth, generated by the family’s bet365 online betting operation, saw the joint-chief executive of bet365 make international headlines this year. Her dividend-fuelled annual salary rose to £265m, three times that earned by Tim Cook for running Apple.

Denise Coates: from a Portakabin to the bookmaking pinnacleCredit: Hugh Routledge

Coates owns more than half of bet365, which she established from a Portakabin 17 years ago, and which majors on sports betting. Along with other betting industry executives, she has a vital role to play in how the industry is perceived by a general public and political class increasingly concerned with problem gambling. Since 2012 the Denise Coates Foundation has donated more than £100m to UK charities. Bet365 were also one of the few betting entities not to join the offshore migration.

10 Michael O'Leary

O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud has become the mainstay of Ireland’s hopes at the Cheltenham Festival. The Ryanair boss celebrated no fewer than seven festival winners in 2018 before he won the Grand National with Tiger Roll, trained by Gordon Elliott, three weeks later.

Michael O'Leary congratulates Davy Russell after his winning Grand National ride on Tiger RollCredit: John Grossick

Gregarious and outspoken, O’Leary’s racing interests are centred in Ireland, where he has been the leading owner for the last four seasons. His string all but matches JP McManus’s in size, although O’Leary does not spread his horses around to anything like the same degree. The two men’s dominance makes it hard for trainers bereft of their patronage, although O’Leary’s huge financial backing is of obvious benefit to Ireland.

11 Willie Mullins

Following Michael O’Leary’s split with Mullins in 2016, the question was whether Ireland’s perennial champion trainer could resist Gordon Elliott, whom O’Leary subsequently patronised. But Mullins has been more successful than ever, both in Ireland and at the Cheltenham Festival. A much faster start from Mullins this season has left Elliott in his wake.

12 Sheikh Fahad

After considerable investment the sheikh unearthed his first genuine champion in 2018, courtesy of Roaring Lion. It is no less than he deserves, having also helped to make a success of Champions Day through the family-owned investment company Qipco. He is becoming increasingly hands-on with his racing and breeding interests.

13 Ruby Walsh

Walsh needs no introduction, although he will be hoping to steer clear of injuries that have dogged his career for the last three years. He remains the biggest name in the jumps weighing room and a horseman par excellence. He can also deliver insightful cameos in his capacity as ambassador and pundit for Racing TV.

14 Alex Frost

Frost is CEO of Alizeti, which owns a 25 per cent share in the Tote (with the option to buy the rest from current owners Betfred) and reached a deal with Britbet, the racecourse-owned enterprise which had planned to launch a rival pool betting operation. Many challenges lie ahead in the quest to revitalise pool betting, but sealing rapprochement between the Tote and Britbet was a major achievement.

15 Brian Kavanagh

Horse Racing Ireland’s chief executive Kavanagh spent much of the year fighting fires while simultaneously compiling a five-year strategic plan, tackling – among other things – stable staff practices, a proposal to double betting tax in Ireland to two per cent and the implications of Brexit.

Look back on the best jumps action of the year in the new edition of the Racing Post Annual. Click here to order or call 01933 304858