the knee-jerk reaction begins.

​I have complained about the race-programme in Great Britain several times over the years, so though I am taken aback by the domination of Irish horses last week I am not totally surprised, even if I predicted a draw between the two nations. That suggestion was not, sadly, my worst analysis of the week. Flooring Porter was my only redemption.
The main reason Irish trainers were so triumphant last week is that at the present moment their young horses are superior to the young horses trained in this country. The reason they are trained in Ireland and not here, even though the majority are English-owned, is simply down to better levels of prize-money in Ireland compared to Britain and a race programme that is kinder to the championship-type of horse, whether that be hurdler or chaser.
Mullins, de Bromhead, Elliott and others are not better trainers than Nicholls, Henderson, Skelton and others, nor do they have better facilities, they simply ply their trade under an authority that does not hinder their progress towards Cheltenham. Where our trainers are failing, I believe, is that they seem to believe that to prove themselves the equal of Willie Mullins they must go to Cheltenham with fresh horses, i.e. horses that have not run for 3-months or more. Just because this has proved a successful strategy with Al Boum Photo it should not provide supporting evidence that all horses will perform to greater effect if trained for the meeting from home. I believe, in my ignorance, that as Frodon has won all his top races after a competitive run-up, it seemed incongruous for Paul Nicholls to suggests ‘he likes to run fresh’.
I have said this before but I believe it bears repeating: the first half of the season, from October to December, should have a measured pathway towards Kempton at Christmas. The Betfair Chase, if it has a place in the calendar, is misplaced in November. To my mind, trainers would be better served if this race was downgraded and restricted to the previous season’s novice chasers. It also shouldn’t be staged at a racecourse known for heavy ground in late autumn. If it were to be restricted to second-season chasers it would be better suited to Newbury. My other gripe about the Betfair is that it dilutes from the quality of horse in the Ladbroke Trophy, a race that is slowly but surely going the way of the old Whitbread, and to a lesser extent the King George, the race that in this country should be the main focus for the Gold Cup type horse in the first half of the season. Trainers should not have the choice, Betfair or King George, as can be the case.
To help trainers have their horses cherry-ripe for the King George, the season between October and December should be splattered with condition chases, as is the situation to the lead-up to what used to be the Lexus in Ireland. Also, it makes for a better narrative if the Desert Orchid were to be upgraded to Grade I and the Tingle Creek downgraded to a Grade 2. And to make the King George meeting a proper festival the Rendlesham should return to Kempton.
How many Cheltenham Festival winners came out of the Dublin Festival? Into double figures, anyway. If it works for Irish trainers, it has to be replicated here and the easiest way of achieving it would be to develop Trials Day at Cheltenham, which at present is a country mile short of being representative as a trial for the Festival, into a 2-day meeting and staged on the same weekend as the Dublin Racing Festival. If Betfair wanted to stage a proper Cheltenham Gold Cup trial this would be the perfect date in the calendar. What a winter weekend that would be – Leopardstown and Cheltenham staging the same sort of programme on the same days.
Prize-money is the big bug-bear in Britain and being realistic it is not going to change overnight. But prize-money for novice hurdles and novice chases must be the first priority to encourage the big owners to keep horses in training with British trainers. Also, so many of the Cheltenham winners last week originated in the Irish point-to-point field, including the Champion Hurdle winner and point-to-pointing in this country must be seen as a feeder for National Hunt, not as a sphere for older horses to find a home. To this end, I suggest National Hunt trainers should be allowed to run horses in Maiden point-to-points, as happens in Ireland.
People with more brains than me will suggest many other ideas for improving the lot of the British owner and trainer but we have to start with the race programme, prize-money allocation and embracing point-to-points as a feeder for National Hunt. What we must not do is throw the baby out with the bathwater. Horse racing needs every single owner and every single breeder to believe there is a place in this sport for them. Moderate horses must be catered for, not jettisoned in favour of the major owners and the top trainers.
British trainers are every bit as good at their job as their Irish counterparts. Our jockeys, too, lack nothing in skill and dedication. And everything is cyclical; thirty-years ago the Irish were happy to go home from Cheltenham with a single winner. Not that long ago it was only a matter of how many winners Paul Nicholls or Nicky Henderson would have, and people are actually overlooking the fact that the master of Seven Barrows had quite a successful festival with two-winners.