There is no excitement about the Gold Cup. It looks as if the gold has become somewhat tarnished.
This is the view of former horse racing commentator Mike Goddard, who was one of the voices of the prestigious Barbados Gold Cup for 37 years, sharing the microphone with Dave Barnard, before calling it quits in 2002.
“There is nothing really interesting happening at the Gold Cup – the horses are less than good,” Goddard told MIDWEEK?SPORT while at Kensington Oval on Saturday, the same day of the event.
“With the exception of Patrick Husbands, the jockeys are nothing to shout about and the standard of racing has dropped considerably,” he said.
“Furthermore, it seems as if the rules change every year to suit a few individuals.
“In addition, a race that once belonged to the public of Barbados now seems to belong to one group.”
Goddard, who gave up his association with the Gold Cup in 2002 when he gave his life to Christ, said he is on a different track now.
Having called more Gold Cup races than any other person, he said it was significant that on Gold Cup Day, he was not at the Garrison but at Kensington – not to play cricket, but to help with a school fair.
Goddard said that even though he played such a critical role in the biggest event on the local horse racing calendar, he was not nostalgic.
“It does not bother me,” he said.
Seemingly disillusioned about the race, Goddard said he was not even going to watch it on television since coverage had been poor over the years and the people responsible for broadcasting continued to make the same mistakes every year.
“Last year was a case in point. When the race was well on the way, they were still in the previous year. The race was halfway through before they switched back to the year’s race,” he said.
Goddard’s association with horse racing commentary started in 1965, with him doing all the radio, newspaper and television publicity for the event.
He also wrote horse racing articles for several publications locally and abroad.