'It will definitely weaken the top end' - Gulf expansion a concern for Britain

Huge ambition being shown by racing authorities in the Middle East has to be concerning for their counterparts in Britain, according to Group 1-winning trainer Karl Burke, who expects the Gulf region to go from strength to strength in the coming years.

Burke was an interested observer in Saudi Arabia at the weekend when he visited the $20 million Saudi Cup meeting in Riyadh and, along with an already lucrative programme in Dubai and expanding plans in Bahrain, he can easily see the region becoming a racing powerhouse.

"I think they're going to take off," he said from Dubai, where he runs Lord Of The Lodge in the Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint on Saturday. "They are putting the money in to back up what they're trying to do and I think they're here to stay in terms of racehorses."

Burke did not have a runner in Saudi Arabia but was impressed with what he saw on Saturday.

He added: "It's a great track in Saudi and the facilities are excellent for the staff. I've not been to Bahrain yet but the guys who were there said you need a 100-rated horse to be competitive.

"It will be interesting to see what they do with regards prize-money going forward but it's great to have the three nations [Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain] competing against each other and I'm sure there's a place for all three."

Tom Ryan, director of strategy and international racing at the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, last week highlighted his ambition for the Gulf region to become a destination for trainers from as far away as Europe to base horses during the winter, which could easily have a detrimental impact on the competitiveness of racing in Britain.

Karl Burke: 'It will definitely weaken the top end'Credit: Edward Whitaker

Asked if the racing product in Britain is in danger of becoming even weaker over the winter period, Burke said: "I would say it has to. The numbers on the all-weather have already dwindled and I've noticed the amount of three, four and five-runner races this winter.

"The all-weather at home is made up of a lot of average handicaps so those horses aren't going to be coming out here but it will definitely weaken the top end.

"I'm not sure we can bridge the gap to these big days but maybe we can work a programme around them so we have prep races for the good horses coming out here or maybe have something after the meetings have finished."

Another concern is the number of horses being purchased from the sales in Britain to race domestically in Middle Eastern countries but unless prize-money improves, the Middleham trainer does not see much changing.

"I couldn't believe the amount of horses that are there [in Saudi]," he said. "I think there's 3,500 in Riyadh and then they're talking about another place where there's 8,000 horses in training."

On racing in Britain becoming a nursery for jurisdictions such as Saudi Arabia, he added: "Of course it's a concern but it's never going to change unless we invest into our prize-money system. I'm sure the bookmakers are squealing about there being small-runner fields [in Britain] but it's a very simple equation: put more money into it and you'll get more runners which creates more betting revenue."

Upwardly mobile trainer Ado McGuinness, who will field Group 1-winner A Case Of You against Lord Of The Lodge at Meydan on Saturday, is already thinking about a team of runners he could aim at races in the Middle East next winter, claiming it is just as easy to send a horse long haul from his base in Ireland as it is to compete in Britain.

"We were in Doha a couple of weeks ago and finished second," he said. "We had a great trip, they looked after us very well and we brought back some prize-money, which was the most important thing.

"There's great incentive to come out and race. They're not easy, but we've some nice horses rated 100-plus at home and they're always very competitive out here in races. That's why we travel."

Ado McGuinness: 'England is very hard to get to from Ireland with Brexit'Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

He added: "My intention is to get a team of horses for next year and I will definitely do as much of the Middle East as I can. Bahrain has good incentives and I'll definitely go back to Doha again. We've been lucky down there as we were in Saudi last year. If we have a horse capable of going, we will go there as well. The money is amazing."

On the hassle of red-tape and spiralling costs closer to home, he said: "England is very hard to get to from Ireland with Brexit. There's VAT and it's just a bit ridiculous. It's almost doubled your expenses travelling from Ireland, which is wrong really. Hopefully they can get something worked out with racehorses because the amount of paperwork is annoying."

Read more international news:

'What dreams are made of' – Burrows eyes emotional Sheema Classic win with Hukum

'It's healthy competition' – Seemar excited by ambitious plans of Gulf nations

Local runner Emblem Road runs out an 80-1 shock winner of $20 million Saudi Cup

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