Broughton snubs Premier League role in fear of split loyalties

Former Liverpool overlord Sir Martin Broughton has turned down an approach to become the next Premier League chairman due to his own perceived conflict of interests.
Racehorse owner Broughton, whose fancied runner Taquin Du Seuil failed to make the frame at Cheltenham on Wednesday, was contacted by headhunters Odgers Berndtson about the PL post. He had been seen as a hot favourite.
But Broughton, British Airways’ chairman, told Odgers he felt conflicted by his involvement in his private equity vehicle Sports Investment Partners, which may work in future with the PL.

Other business: Sir Martin Broughton has rejected the role because he fears it will clash with his other interests

Broughton said: ‘It’s a pity because I was interested in the Premier League role. But I wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing the job with my other sports-sector interest.’
And with the in-demand Sir Keith Mills also yet to declare which available sports job would interest him — if any — both the PL and FA are finding filling the chairman’s seat an arduous process.

 

Cheltenham's over-officious security staff, who blocked Zara Phillips from leaving the parade ring, scored a notable big-name Festival double by barring victorious trainer Nicky Henderson from escorting his super horse Sprinter Sacre into the winner’s enclosure.  It needed the intervention of Irish trainer Willie Mullins to convince the jobsworths Henderson was entitled to enter the area.

 

The biggest feud in racing, between owner Clive Smith and trainer Paul Nicholls over the handling of Kauto Star, may well run for as long as the fall-out between Sir Alex Ferguson and racing tycoons JP McManus and John Magnier over Rock Of Gibraltar’s breeding rights.

Centre of the storm: The feud between Clive Smith and Paul Nicholls goes on and on Kauto Star

Smith kept up the vitriol at Cheltenham, calling Nicholls ‘an absolute disgrace who cares about making money rather than horses’. Smith, who took his double Gold Cup-winning horse away from Nicholls to start dressage training, added: ‘It’s up to me what I do with my horse, but Nicholls misled his staff that Kauto was staying with him. I won’t change my opinion of how I was treated by Nicholls. I’ve seen a lot more of Kauto in the last three months.’
Nicholls said: ‘It’s all history, I’ve nothing more to add. Kauto was a wonderful horse.’

 

 

 

Former England rugby captain Mike Tindall will train with his club Gloucester tomorrow morning before rushing to Cheltenham to watch his horse Monbeg Dude run in the Gold Cup. Tindall famously bought the horse for £12,000 at auction when the worse for wear. But he counters: ‘I wasn’t drunk. I’d had a few drinks. I stuck my hand up, and no-one outbid me. People spend their whole lives trying to get a good horse. I’ve been so lucky.’

Thommo treads on toes

Channel 4 have made an official complaint to Cheltenham and Radio 5 Live about their former reporter Derek Thompson appearing in camera shots on the first day of the festival.
Thommo, who was sacked in the C4 revamp along with John McCririck, was interviewing winning connections in his Festival role for  5 Live on territory reserved for television, with C4 insiders believing he was doing it on purpose.
But Thommo said: ‘I didn’t know I couldn’t operate in that area. I knew the Simonsig stable girl so just started chatting to her. Channel 4 should know I’m now being heard by more  listeners than they’ve got viewers.’
Meanwhile, C4 executives, including director of commercial affairs Martin Baker, were remarkably cock-a-hoop about first-day Cheltenham viewing figures being up on last year. But the 1.3million peak was the same as 2012, with the average audience rising from 767,000 to 802,000.

 

Bon viveur Alan Brazil, talkSPORT’s breakfast show host, has gone missing more than once after enjoying himself at his beloved Cheltenham. So Brazil, who arrived at the Festival on Wednesday, will present the programme from the track only on Thursday and Friday, which is seen as damage limitation by the network.

Damage limitation: Alan Brazil is only going to Cheltenham for Thursday and Friday

 

Angus Loughran, the highly popular former betting guru for BBC racing, was utilising his gambling expertise at Cheltenham. When his media duties allowed, he was working with the bookies who take the big bets on the rails for his Preston-based pal JP Doyle.