Trainers' boss welcomes HRI initiative that will exclude top four trainers from 60 races in bid to improve participation and competition levels

Horse Racing Ireland has responded to the ongoing contraction of the jumps scene by announcing a new schedule of 60 races that will be confined to trainers who have saddled fewer than 50 winners in the code in either of the previous two seasons.

It is a move that has been welcomed by the chief executive of the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association, Ryan McElligott, who referenced recent HRI industry statistics that illustrated the shrinkage within the industry. In the first six months of 2024, entries collapsed nearly ten per cent and runners by seven per cent with average field sizes down 5.1 per cent to 11.2.

In an effort to alleviate the situation, HRI, following negotiations with the IRTA, has extended and adapted an existing 17-race series to encompass 60 races that will, for this season, be closed off to Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, Henry de Bromhead and Gavin Cromwell. The initiative will commence on January 1 and will include bumpers, maiden hurdles, beginners' chases and handicap hurdles. A total of 1,504 jumps races took place in Ireland in 2023.

IRTA chief executive Ryan McElligott has welcomed the new series of races restricted to smaller trainers Credit: www.healyracing.ie

"National Hunt racing in this country isn't in the best of places," McElligott said on Thursday. "There is a very substantial cohort of trainers who are struggling badly, in terms of whatever metrics you want to use. And I think anything that can be done to help that cohort and reinvigorate it and generate some growth is a good thing.

"The number of confined races, if we can call them that, was about four only two years ago and, following consultation work between both sides, that increased a little over the last 12 months. HRI has been keen to further this initiative, so we've been working with them on that."

HRI is also tweaking handicap ratings bands to increase opportunities for lower-grade horses. The bands will now be in increments of 10lb rather than the current system of 7lb, with the lowest rating band now 0-100. Handicap hurdles will also have their current minimum rating reduced from 80 to 72, which is designed to ensure that every handicap hurdle utilises the full range of weights. It is also expected the volume of such races will increase.

"I think the combination of the initiatives is going to create more opportunities at a level where the horse population is at its largest," McElligott said. "It will give the smaller trainers a chance. The key to making any product compelling on a variety of fronts is competitiveness and having as many participants as possible involved.

"If there are trainers out there who can win a number of these races, it could enable them to get a foothold, grow their business and climb to another level. I would regard that as a big success."

In announcing the changes, HRI's director of racing Jonathan Mullin said: “This series of 60 races has been designed to give trainers the confidence to attract new owners into their yards with the knowledge that there is a programme of races there to support them in that endeavour."

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