Raceday trials at Lingfield next month proving popular

Trainers and owners are being offered the opportunity to trial unraced and raced horses on British racecourses from next month away from the glare of a full raceday.

The initiative is an evolution of the barrier trials that had previously been run at Lingfield by Gary Witheford, with his son Craig launching the new offering with Jake Launchbury, who he co-founded C&J Equine with in 2021.

Barrier trials are commonplace in other countries, notably Australia and Hong Kong, where unraced horses take part in mock races to further their education before running. A similar scheme has also operated successfully in Ireland at Dundalk for unraced two-year-olds and three-year-olds in recent years.

The trials run by C&J Equine are open to horses of all ages, regardless of whether they have run, with groups of eight placed together based on their age. Those riding the horse either have to be licensed jockeys or riders who have previously held a licence.

The first of two trial days is set to take place at Lingfield on March 10, with the second at Southwell on March 24. Two of the three events scheduled for three-year-olds have already been fully booked for the day at Lingfield.

Craig Witheford said: “The raceday trials provide a unique experience for unraced and experienced racehorses, presenting a raceday scenario without the pressure of a competitive race meeting."

Booking a slot costs £145 plus VAT per horse, with video footage of the horse’s trial also sent to connections after the race. More information is available at candjequine.co.uk.

Read these next

'Everyone has such a soft spot for him' - top-class grey Bristol De Mai retired 

Watch: Cheltenham Festival ante-post preview show with Tom Segal and Paul Kealy 

Festival subscription offer | 50% off three months 

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.