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Cheltenham Festival
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The Racing Post revealed on Monday that the BHA had written to groups across the sport to seek their views on a proposal to limit the number of horses a trainer could run in Class 1 and 2 handicaps to four. No limits would apply in weight-for-age races, or on how many runners owners could have.
"The BHA are going to run out of feet to shoot themselves in – they just go from crisis to crisis. They are after cutting the Grand National by six runners to appease the unappeasable. That was bad enough, and now to come up with this. They've just shot themselves in the foot again – they can't help themselves. They would be better off getting their own house in order, getting races to fill and be competitive, instead of this carry on.
"Martin Pipe had 57 runners at Cheltenham 20 years ago when he had eight in the Pertemps and nine in the Coral Cup, and there wasn't a word about it. They can't fill races in Britain these days yet this is what they are concentrating on. It's madness."
"The BHA are going to run out of feet to shoot themselves in – they just go from crisis to crisis. They are after cutting the Grand National by six runners to appease the unappeasable. That was bad enough, and now to come up with this. They've just shot themselves in the foot again – they can't help themselves. They would be better off getting their own house in order, getting races to fill and be competitive, instead of this carry on.
"Martin Pipe had 57 runners at Cheltenham 20 years ago when he had eight in the Pertemps and nine in the Coral Cup, and there wasn't a word about it. They can't fill races in Britain these days yet this is what they are concentrating on. It's madness."
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In the summer, the National Trainers Federation (NTF) released statistics showing the number of trainers in Britain had dropped by more than 100 in the last decade. In response, the BHA held meetings with small and medium-sized trainers to allow them to voice their concerns.
Among those to attend the meetings was Newland, who also proposed to senior figures at the BHA in a separate get-together that limits should be placed on Irish-trained horses in lower grade jumps races. Newland, who has diversified to include Flat horses into his operation due to his concerns about British jump racing, said: “I really hope the proposal goes through. It was music to my ears and I would say it’s the same for almost all jumps enthusiasts in this country as well. “The dominance of a handful of stables is not a healthy position for the sport and, to my mind, it is essential this goes through. The unhealthy dominance of Irish horses in UK racing and the idea that you can run ten, 12 or 14 horses in a race – that’s not what racegoers want to see. That’s not competitive or good for the sport. “It’s encouraging that our concerns are being listened to and that there is some brave thinking and actions being taken off the back of it.” |
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........in a week where there were 7 races and just 40 runners at Fontwell Park
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Field sizes are at their lowest since BHA records began in 1995. The average in Britain this year has been 8.17, compared to 9.06 three years ago and more than ten back in 2000.
The drop has been most pronounced in jump races, which have attracted an average of 7.59 runners per contest this year, dropping to 6.6 for chases. On the Flat the 8.49 average breaks down across turf and all-weather at 8.42 and 8.61 respectively. More than 20.5 per cent of races run in Britain this year have had five runners or fewer, up from 14.27 per cent in 2019. |
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Fully agree with this initiative. Why should a trainer run more than 4 in a race?
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I'm also fully aware that there are lots of other issues in racing but agree wholeheartedly with this.
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The reason he should is because he has the horses available and they need a run .
The sport is dying and keeping the races uncompetitive will lead to its gradual decline in the U K. Its absolute madness to bring this in when the sport is shrinking. |
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I fully agree with Irish on this.
It is an attack on two trainers, nothing more. Graded races will be next. |
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Agree with Irish as well…and coming round to his thinking on poison Nicky as well,,,,racing is on its knees and much as I don’t like Frankie’s antics he said a lot of truths last week…the truth hurts sometimes
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