The talent drain goes on: drastic moves for Marco Botti and George Baker do not bode well for British racing

It is not always nice to be proved right, especially if your prediction spells trouble for the sport you love. That’s the feeling I get as more British-based trainers look abroad to provide their owners with a chance to make a return on their investment in racing.

Back in June I highlighted the growing ambition of the Gulf nations to stage a co-ordinated racing circuit which made it attractive for horses trained across the northern hemisphere to be based in the Middle East from November through to March.

Where once the United Arab Emirates stood alone, now Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia all offer lucrative race programmes of their own and, by working together through the Gulf Cooperation Council to relax quarantine rules, any trainer who sets up a temporary base in one Gulf nation will now find it far easier to access races anywhere in the region.