Actually, press releases from the Association of Southwest German Racing Clubs do not exactly make for sensational news. But this year a guest speaker, who is often asked for advice in the "high bodies" of German gallop racing because of his knowledge and his more than 80 years of experience, came up with a sentence that caused displeasure in the internal circles. We are talking about Hans-Ludolf Matthiessen, who is quoted in the aforementioned press release with the sentence: "The substructure in horse racing must be preserved, because it must not only be about the big races". The sentence can still be read today on galopponline.de. Sport-Welt followed up with its own text and stated: "The partly lurid statements were at least a little controversial in retrospect."
Hans-Ludolf Matthiessen did nothing else than to speak out the truth that has been known for years and that has still not arrived in the upper echelons of Deutscher Galopp and especially the owners` association. The sport of gallop racing cannot do without group racing. That is a fact. That is why there are also the support measures of the Gasamtsport for such races, which reach up to the upper level of compensation. However, horseracing cannot do without Equalisation IV. That is also a fact. However, there is a lack of any support measures for the racing clubs, which secure their financing precisely with such races, because this is where the most bets are placed. See the four-horse race. But it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide such races with sufficient starters. The underpinning is missing.
Want proof? The first day of racing in the South West is scheduled for next Sunday (2 April). The entry result last week turned out as expected: There will be no large fields. In the good times of racing, at least two races were split on the first race day of the year and in some other races the elimination procedure had to be applied. But for a long time there has not only been a lack of horses, but also of people to prepare such horses for an Equalisation IV. Hans-Ludolf Matthiessen meant nothing else. But it is worse: the underpinnings must not only be preserved, but reclaimed.
