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Winners identifying as maidens? Ireland's bizarre new academy hurdles initiative is impossible to fathom
It's hard to see where the demand is coming from for new three-year-old jump races
Horse Racing Ireland announced on Friday the introduction of three-year-old academy hurdles that will begin next autumn. For the past week I've struggled to understand why.
It's not out of some innate predisposition for belligerence – not this time, anyway – and the sport's governing body got its due in this space recently for other programme tweaks. But, from a practical standpoint, where is the evidence any sector of Irish racing needs this intervention, or from where the clamour has come? It's not obvious to me anyway.
Winners of these races, which are due to be run for standard prize-money, will not be recognised as winners in the conventional system, so they will remain eligible to run in bumpers and maiden hurdles.
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Published on inRichard Forristal
Last updated
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