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Without doubt, we all have a duty of care, especially when it comes to the welfare of thoroughbred race horses.

In ways I find this article difficult to write because I love horse racing but I want the best for each and every horse. For that reason, I have never felt comfortable with the National Hunt as there will always be horses that fall on the steeplechase or hurdles.

I remember a horse called Clopton. This chestnut gelding run a few times at Great Yarmouth and I bet on him once or twice. Pretty sure he run a gallant race and finished third. To be fair Clopton wasn’t the fastest horse in the world. But he was horse who I loved in a way. He was just another horse, but not to me.

A few years later, I noticed he changed stables and was racing on the National Hunt. I had a very uneasy feeling about this new challenge in life. I followed each and every run checking the results in the Racing Post. Clopton achieved one win in twenty-six starts, when prevailing by a short head at Huntingdon.

I continued to follow his races more hopeful he got home safe than winning (It never bet as it didn’t sit comfortably).

On the 6^th September 1990 I checked the result of the 3:55 Fontwell, the Partnership Selling Hurdle over 2 mile 2 furlongs, jumping nine hurdles. I read the race comments: ‘5^th when pulled up 4^th, dead.’

I felt sick.

Those words seemed so to the point, and without care (not to say the person who wrote them didn’t care it is ‘just’ the terminology the race writers use).

Clopton must have suffered a serious injured and euthanised.

He was just six years old.

I couldn’t help but wonder what that day meant for so many people. His owner, Geoff Hubbard, trainer, Ferdy Murphy, for Mr T J Barry a 7lb apprentice riding him for the first time. What did the stable lad or lass think at the loss of Clopton.

What did the crowd of spectators think?

What was it like to drive the horsebox home leaving Clopton behind?

I hope all went home that day with sorry in their heart or a tear in their eye.

Perhaps they did. Perhaps they didn’t.

Clopton lost his life that day. Perhaps he loved racing. It was what he was born to do. It’s possible he hated every moment.

I was just an objective viewer but someone who cared.

Clopton’s total race earnings on the National Hunt totalled £3,905. He won two races on the Flat at Great Yarmouth which probably totalled to a similar level.

He achieved three wins in his short life.

I’m probably one of few people on this planet to remember Clopton and almost certainly the only one to write a brief synopsis of his life.

You made my day on a sunny day at Yarmouth and I reflected on your life with sadness at Fontwell Park.

God Bless, Clopton.

Many horse racing fans will know of Nick Mordin.

In fact, you may well own one of his many books which have been published over the years.

Here are just a few of the titles:

• Betting for a Living (1992)

• The Winning Look (1994)

• Mordin on Time (1996)

• Winning Without Thinking (2002)

I’m not sure if he has written any books in recent year. They would be well received. However, Mordin has become something of an enigma because he has seemingly disappeared into the abyss of life. By that I mean no one seems to know where he resides and the work he used to do for The Weekender publication must have ceased some twenty years ago.

In fact, a reader asked about his contact details. This inspired a post I wrote on my website Professional Gamblers titled: What Happened to Nick Mordin?

Getting back to the reader, I replied: ‘Sorry, I had no forwarding address.’

‘But what about this call with Nick Mordin?’

Yes, it did happen and wasn’t just a figment of my imagination.

My brother and I have always been interested in two-year-old thoroughbred horse racing and this led my twin brother, Tony, to research the significance of group-entered two-year-olds for a period of five years. It was the first and biggest study in the world. It was cutting edge and the data very revealing.

As avid readers of Nick Mordin’s Systems column in The Weekender publication, my brother decided to contact him about publishing this research.

A few days later, the phone rang, my brother answered, and it was the man himself calling to have a chat about the research and could he have permission to write a post in the forthcoming Weekender.

They chatted for about 30-minutes.

A week or two later, we purchased The Weekender (yes, if memory serves, we had to pay for it out of our own pocket) and saw the title: In a Class of their Own: How to Spot and Back Top-Notch Two-year-olds.

It was a double-page spread and very well received.

It was published on the 14^th May 1995.

A week later, Mordin wrote a follow-up piece with his own thoughts and how the data could be used to make your betting pay.

Great memories.

Even though the original post was published some 28-years ago, it is remembered by many who loved their fix of The Weekender and Nick Mordin’s Systems.

To this day, we still research the significance of group entries as part of our insight to spot top-notch two-year-olds.

It’s not everyday you get a call from the great and good of horse racing and it was a special moment to work with Nick Mordin.

If he is reading this post, I wish him well.

If you are a horse racing fan you may ponder over the going description. It may vary from heavy to hard. Mostly, this is do to the weather (sometimes to do with the fact racecourses water the course throughout the season to keep it in good and safe condition). Those rainy spells can turn the going from good to firm to good to soft quite quickly.

Is it really something that makes the difference between your horse winning and losing?

You bet it is.

Each horse has its ideal going condition. This is probably to do with its anatomy. A trainer once said: ‘That horse should go well on the testing going because it has hooves the size of dinner plates.’

I guess it was said as a fact rather than some weird trainer humour told to people with not enough sense to know better.

The breeding of horses can often indicate the going they will appreciate. Some breeding lines are better on soft going while others are better on faster going. This should be noted if you are interested in betting.

It is worth noting that even artificial race surfaces, which are sand based, have changing going descriptions but, generally, not as extreme as the turf.

Why should you be observant about the going?

The difference between fast or slow going conditions can be significant on the time it takes a horse to run 5 furlongs (let alone a significant distance). In fact, the average time for 5f on good going would be about 1 minute. On soft or heavy going it could well be 7 seconds slower which equates to extra distance run of 100m. For a horse running over a distance of 1m 4f it could equate to 20+ seconds slower, which is the same as running an extra couple of furlongs.

Are there any other factors punters should take into account?

Yes. Nothing is straight forward. The problem being that many punters have questioned how the going description is judged or measured. The GoingStick is poked into the ground and this determines the going description. Unfortunately, it isn’t very scientific and people have complained it isn’t a realistic or accurate assessment. This fact is often noted as the time of the race varies markedly with the GoingStick. Some punters have suggested the going report isn’t at the top of the list of racecourse concerns and misinformation may help bookmakers win more money.

There is no doubt the going description is an important part of horse racing especially for both trainers (who may favour a certain going for their horse) and for punters who need an accurate description to bet on a level playing field (so to speak). If you are betting, it is important you are satisfied the going description is accurate. The only real assessment to appreciate this fact is by noting the time or times of races, which may indicate whether the going is faster or slower than advised. However, this isn’t a fail safe indicator as other variables may be at play for example, the race may be run at a slow pace, head wind or back wind, or track bias. What may seem a simple matter can become quite complex.

Does it really make any difference to a race result?

If your horse is beaten by a nose and the going description isn’t what you expected, you may have reason to complain.