Leading owner Max McNeill splits with retained jockey Adrian Heskin and racing manager

Leading jumps owner Max McNeill has parted company with retained jockey Adrian Heskin and racing manager Iain Turner in a "rationalisation" of his operation.

Heskin has been contracted to ride for McNeill since 2017, the year he won the Grade 1 Sefton Novices' Hurdle at Aintree on The Worlds End for him, and has also won in his family's colours on smart horses such as Threeunderthrufive, Kiltealy Briggs and Keeper Hill in recent seasons.

Turner has spent ten years as racing manager to an owner who is involved in nearly 30 horses, either fully or in partnership with others, spread across several trainers including Paul Nicholls, Alan King, Olly Murphy and Gordon Elliott.

"It's a rationalisation," McNeill said when confirming the news on Tuesday. "It was a difficult decision, Iain and Adrian are very good friends but in current times everybody has to look at their finances.

"For me, racing is a hobby, it's a passion, but it was a pragmatic financial decision. I want to stay in racing for the longer term and perhaps I have to go a couple of steps back to take it forward.

"It will simplify things a bit, with me having more direct contact with the trainers and my daughter Ella can help with some of the admin tasks, she runs Chelsea Thoroughbreds and is doing a bit of stuff for Racing TV as well."

Max McNeill on Adrian Heskin: "I'll still use him but he won't always be first choice"Credit: Edward Whitaker

McNeill suggested that having a retained jockey and racing manager might have encouraged him to buy horses in the past that he shouldn't have done, because of the operation he had in place.

But he added: "It was very much financial with Adrian but also I have to take into account the trainers' views and some of them would prefer to use their own jockeys and you have to take that view into account. That was also part of it. I'll still use Adrian but he won't always be first choice."

McNeill stressed that the move was not a sign of any lesser commitment to racing and said: "We had a great season the season before last, this season was a bit more difficult with one thing and another. We cut down the numbers by eight or nine before last season and every operation does that – Gigginstown used to get rid of 20 or 30 every year.

"You have to look at it pragmatically. We've made a significant investment in young horses and you have to make a decision on pruning the tree a little bit but I'll still be involved in in the region of 28 horses this season.

"I'm fully committed to racing, as I said it's just rationalisation. Everyone is looking at costs, the cost of living's gone up, interests rates haven't helped. You can't carry on the way you are and it was a bloody difficult decision."

Tritonic: switches back to the Flat in Friday's Chester CupCredit: Mark Cranham

Hollie Doyle will be on board's McNeill's useful hurdler Tritonic when he switches back to the Flat in Friday's Tote Chester Cup (3.15) and the owner said: "I'm very excited about him running.

"I've missed out on having a runner by one and by two in the past but he's guaranteed a run and I just hope he gets a good draw.

"It's fantastic to have Hollie on board and his last run at Aintree on ground that wouldn't have suited him was superb – and he was hugely impressive on his last run on the Flat at Goodwood last autumn."

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