In the second of two features on the state of horse racing in North Yorkshire, STEVE CARROLL examines the biggest threat the sport has ever faced

IT is a sport older than dynasties. But modern living is threatening to cast a huge shadow of doubt over the future of horse racing. A noble tradition, it is in the blood of many families in North Yorkshire. But it is a sport which, under the prestigious and glamorous exterior, hides a secret problem.

In the garden all is rosy. Prize money is stable and attendances are up even though, as the Evening Press reported yesterday, York Racecourse has lost its position of pre-eminence in the North to its rival Chester.

The real problem besetting racing will not rear its head in the next few weeks, or even months. It is years down the line when the sport could fall victim to an ignominious end. Unless action is taken now.

It is all about the difficulties of attracting fresh blood into the Sport of Kings. A generation ago, in a different era, horse racing was an exciting profession for youngsters in North Yorkshire.

At the major training centres in Malton, Norton and Middleton, a steady stream of young talent opted for the gallops as their career.

Many of today's top jockeys started their careers cleaning out stables and taking horses out on the course as young apprentices.

That steady stream is now drying up. The new career opportunities offered by 21st Century technology have overtaken the lures of green fields and big race meetings.

Crucially, youngsters are by-and-large staying on at school after leaving at 16. School-leavers had always been a traditional hunting ground for trainers. Now 90 per cent go on to further education.

It's not a problem unique to North Yorkshire. Indeed the sport's governing body, the British Horse Racing Board, is so concerned by the current state of affairs it is proposing radical action.

But Alan Delmonte, BHB spokesman, said the numbers of stable staff and apprentices in North Yorkshire was "clearly an issue".

"We are in a situation where the demographics of young people in Britain have completely changed," he said.

"Increasingly, fewer numbers of people are leaving school. That has always been a traditional area where racing gets its staff from.

"We are now trying to put in place structures that encourage stable staff recruitment from the local community and to increase the attraction of racing as a career.

"This is an issue that racing has to deal with. It is an exciting career. Racing is well-established in North Yorkshire but it can only hope to actively encourage new people to come into the industry."

It has also become difficult to persuade teenagers that spending their days cleaning stables and mucking out horses is an attractive career. It is not just the prospect of higher education that has made things difficult for trainers to entice young people into horse racing. Size is another pressing factor.

Tom O'Ryan, a former jockey turned horse racing journalist, says young people are simply not built in the same way they were 30 years ago.

Size is important in horse racing. Jockeys need to be small. Jump jockeys weigh an average of ten stones, while for flat jockeys, anything above eight stones is a serious problem.

Tom, who lives in North Yorkshire and is the current horse racing journalist of the year, says kids are just a whole lot bigger now.

"For me, attracting new people into horse racing is the biggest problem in the sport at the moment," he says. "There is higher expectation among youngsters now. If you are not jockey size, youngsters don't want to come just to muck out horses.

"Nature is just different now. If you take girls out of the equation - and they are a saviour at the moment - then it is a problem. How many 16-year-old's do you see now that are less than 10 stones?"

It is not crisis point yet, but Tom believes there is barely a yard in the region that couldn't benefit from taking on some extra youngsters.

Malton trainer Tim Etherington agrees. But Tim, who trains horses during racing's flat and jump seasons, believes there are good people out there - it's the way racing operates that's to blame.

As TV dominates and demand for fixtures grows ever stronger, so do the demands on staff. For those at the coal face, it can be a long day.

Tim says: "It's a very concerning situation. But I still think there are a lot coming through all the time. The problem is that we have more racing than ever before. We need more staff.

"It is a problem of retention of staff. Sometimes I think the racing authorities are missing the point.

"There is more racing, Sunday and evening racing. It is wall to wall racing. You are sending young lads away racing and they are having a long day. It can start at 6.30am and end at 10pm. It is a long day for these lads."

Many of these problems are of horse racing's making. But Tim believes there is light at the end of the tunnel.

"I have some fantastic lads on my staff. I have never had such good staff. I am still quite confident. I think you have to be," he says. "If we all work together, and trainers have got to do a little bit more, then we can make it work."

Racing's future depends on him being right.

Updated: 10:35 Tuesday, February 18, 2003