British tracks eager to see 'crazy' ban on low-grade Irish horses lifted

Ayr racecourse said a BHA ban on Irish-trained horses in low-grade races in Britain was "crazy" as fellow tracks Perth and Cartmel believe lifting the restriction would help combat falling field sizes.

The retention of a ban on overseas horses from running in Class 5 and 6 handicaps/classified stakes on the Flat and Class 5 handicaps over jumps in Britain has seen the BHA come under fire from Irish trainers.

Despite having initially been introduced as a Covid-19 measure, the ban is being retained indefinitely. BHA chief operating officer Richard Wayman cited foreign raiders "consistently performing above statistical expectations" in lower tiers as one reason for the restriction.

Ayr clerk of the course Graeme Anderson says overseas challengers have played a key part in sustaining the course's jumps field sizes.

Anderson said: "I think the Irish runners are a great help to us. We don't get so many coming over for the Flat, but our fields would be seriously depleted over jumps if it wasn't for the Irish horses.

"For field sizes everywhere, it doesn't help if you're limiting who can run in what races. I just think it's crazy. They should be welcoming everyone they can. We need the runners."

Perth's chief executive Hazel Peplinski is eager to see all Irish runners return and believes the track has been "caught in the crossfire" of the dispute.

A seven-race card at Perth last month saw two Class 5 handicaps with just five runners. Without Elliott-trained representatives in the final declarations among the other contests, there would have been two match races and one walkover.

Peplinski said: "We at Perth have always been welcoming to everybody and are really grateful to the Irish for supporting us as they do. If we didn't have Gordon over here recently our field sizes would have been even worse. We get rewarded on performance and betting turnover so we want big fields.

"I'm all for free competition. It's a sport. Whoever can bring the horses can win. We should all be entitled to compete. We're here to provide good prize-money and a positive experience. We're supportive of having Irish horses here. Richard Wayman is aware of my views."

Cartmel hosted 21 Irish runners across its meetings in June, described as "terrific" by clerk of the course Anthea Leigh.

Cartmel: popular venue welcomed 21 runners from Ireland in JuneCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

She said: "We've been lucky that in June and July our field sizes have stood up, but August is when you tend to get the smaller fields. That can be a sensitive meeting in terms of numbers and if we were able to have those lower-grade Irish runners we would welcome them."

Horse Racing Ireland's director of racing Jason Morris says an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board bar on overseas-trained Flat handicap runners rated 60 or less may be removed.

The rule was introduced in 2008 when Ireland faced a balloting problem in low-grade Flat handicaps, but it is understood HRI has never received any representations from the BHA or British trainers seeking for it to be removed. There is no similar restriction for jump racing in Ireland, while the BHA exclusion covers both codes.

Morris said: "When the BHA exclusion was retained post-Covid in 2020, HRI said to the BHA that we would have no issue opening up all Irish racing if Britain did likewise.

"We are currently discussing the possible deletion of the 60-rating clause on the Flat with the IHRB. The Irish rule was not referenced in the explanatory blog published by the BHA as being a factor in their decision.

"Even with an expanded programme in Ireland providing for lower-grade handicaps, we still have an overdemand for opportunities and balloting at that level, whereas many British low-grade handicaps have not achieved eight runners during the summer.

"HRI feels it could be a win-win for both jurisdictions if the BHA removed the exclusion."

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