'A drop in the ocean' - Mark Johnston blasts minimum prize-money rises

Record-breaking trainer Mark Johnston on Thursday dismissed the new rises in minimum values as "pitiful" as the war of words following the release of the British 2023 fixture list continued.

The boost to prize-money requirements, agreed by the BHA, Racecourse Association (RCA) and Thoroughbred Group and announced alongside the publication of the list on Wednesday, was described as an attempt to increase competitiveness and halt the flow of horses being sold to race abroad.

Minimum prize-money will be raised for all grades of race and increases range from £50,000 for Group 1s for three-year-olds and older (to a minimum of £250,000) to £700 in Class 6 handicaps (to £5,000). Non-juvenile Class 2 handicaps, which have been in the spotlight lately, must be worth at least £25,000, a rise of £6,000.