Gary Witheford appointed to improve Turkey's racecourses - especially the starting procedures
Gary Witheford with Turkish stall handlers The Jockey Club of Turkey have appointed Gary Witheford as Official Advisor and he has been contracted for a year to improve the organisation of race meetings so as to attract more international entries. He has a wide brief but will concentrate especially on training racecourse officials and handlers for the start of races.
Gary Witheford, who is based near Burbage, is a well-known and respected figure at many racecourses in Britain and Ireland where he uses his 'horse whisperer' skills to make the loading of horses into starting stalls easier, quicker and safer.
Horse racing and mutual betting flourishes in Turkey under the monopoly regulation of the Jockey Club of Turkey (known as the TJK.) There are nine racecourses - and two of them hold an international meeting each year: eight international races at Ankara's 75th Anniversary Racetrack and seven at Istanbul's Veliefendi Racetrack.
Gary Witheford is working with Turkey's racecourse stewards and starters to make their races safer and so more of an attractive option for overseas trainers. One of the key issues he has been asked to improve is loading of the starting stalls - one of his own specialities.
Gary - centre back row - with a team of Jockey Club of Turkey staffSometimes loading can take up to 20 minutes - with some unorthodox methods including blindfolds which may be improvised from men's sweaters or jackets. The problem is clear: the loaders put the easiest horses in first - and after too long standing in the stalls, they doze off and good horses can then miss the jump out.
There is also a need to speed up the loading so that races can be started on time - and so make it easier to regulate the betting.
There is much to bring overseas horses to Turkey's international races - especially the prize money. Early in September, the Richard Hannon trained and Godolphin owned four-year-old Toormore won the International Topkapi Trophy over a mile at Veliefendi. James Doyle brought him home two and a half lengths ahead of the Turkish horse Perfect Warrior.
The winner took home £209,302 of the £348,837 prize money for this race. The Hannon-trained horse, Shifting Power, was fourth in the field of seven.
A training sessionOn the same card, another Hannon horse Orvar came home a length ahead of the Turkish horse Graystorm to win the six furlong International Trakya Stakes - a race with prize money of £155,039.
This was certainly a worthwhile trip as Toormore had disappointed on his visit to the racecourse the previous year with a poor run - coming third in the same race under Richard Hughes.
With better and safer arrangements at the racecourses in Istanbul and Ankara, more trainers will be encouraged to travel to Turkey for these well funded international races.
You can read more about Gary Witheford and his book on Marlborough News Online
Veliefendi Racecourse, Istanbul