'Put on more races for lower-grade horses rather than penalising top yards' - Philip Rothwell on HRI plan for restricted races

Philip Rothwell has praised Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) for its efforts to assist smaller trainers but believes a planned initiative to exclude the top four Irish jumps yards from competing in 60 races next year is not the answer to the yawning gap between the top trainers and those in the middle to lower tiers.

The proposal, scheduled to begin on January 1, would confine the relevant races to trainers who have saddled fewer than 50 winners in the code in either of the previous two seasons, thus excluding Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, Gavin Cromwell and Henry de Bromhead from making entries.

Rothwell finished fifth in terms of winners last season on 42 and would be one of the trainers who would benefit most from the scheme, but he disagrees with "singling out trainers for being successful" and suggests future initiatives should focus on catering for lower-grade horses.