'It's swamped with races for horses rated below 100' - Donald McCain frustrated at lack of middle-tier opportunities

Grand National-winning trainer Donald McCain has warned that jump racing in Britain is being reduced to the point where there is little incentive to progress a horse through the handicap tiers.

McCain, who won the National with Ballabriggs in 2011, was speaking to the Racing Post for a major interview in Sunday's paper, in which he talks about rebuilding his yard to again become a true powerhouse of the north, his partnership with champion jockey Brian Hughes and the pressure involved in training racehorses.

One of those pressures is finding races for his horses to run in, which is easier said than done considering the proliferation of races for lower-grade horses in Britain.

"We want to compete and be positive," said McCain of his stable's philosophy. "I probably moan too much but I don't feel like we're doing National Hunt racing a service in this country.

"We've got a yard-full of horses who try their best every day but, because a lot of them fall in that middle sector rated between 100 and 130, I can't even run them. The racecourses don't want them because they're not the good races and they're not the cheap races. I find that frustrating."

He added: "I want to run my horses honestly and fairly but you seem to be penalised for doing that because there are no races in which to run them. The job is swamped with races for horses rated below 100, so there's not an incentive to try to improve your horses unless they are good horses. A lot of the National Hunt horse population is rated below 100 but I think a lot of that is there's no incentive to bring them out of that [division]."

McCain had considered running stable star Minella Drama in Saturday's Grade 1 Betfair Chase but has instead opted for the Grade 2 Nirvana Spa 1965 Chase at Ascot, describing the 2m5f contest as the "ideal scenario" for his Old Roan Chase runner-up.

Read more from Donald McCain in The Big Read, available in Sunday's newspaper or online for Members' Club Ultimate subscribers from 6pm on Saturday. Click here to sign up.

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