Horsemen claim Arc tried to 'bounce' them into accepting £5m prize-money deal

Horsemen have accused Arena Racing Company of trying to “bounce” them into a deal that would have provided millions of pounds in prize-money for British racing next year, but one they believed would have damaged the long-term appeal and health of the sport.

An agreement between horsemen and Arc, which the racecourse group’s chief executive Martin Cruddace said would have resulted in £5 million more going into the sport, broke down over the weekend after the National Trainers Federation (NTF) and Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) refused to back the proposal.

Cruddace said racing had put itself “on the road to self-harm” by failing to sign up, but that stance was rejected by NTF and PJA representatives on Tuesday, who instead laid the blame at Arc’s door for providing an unrealistic timetable for reaching a deal.