Nicholls believes novice cutoff points should be moved to reflect shutdown

Paul Nicholls has suggested the cutoff point for horses losing their novice status should be pushed back to counter key meetings being cancelled due to the shutdown of racing in Britain.

Current BHA rules for the 2019-20 season state a horse can remain a novice as either a hurdler or chaser if they had not won a race of that type before April 28 the previous season. But if they win their first race between March 1 and April 25 in 2020, they can remain a novice until October 31.

Nicholls believes the March 1 date should be moved back in order to provide more opportunities for horses who have missed out, with no jump racing until July 1 and Graded races at meetings such as Aintree and Ayr not being rescheduled.