Willie Mullins criticises Irish racing's 'extraordinary' new hurdles initiative as a 'sales ploy, nothing else'

Willie Mullins has labelled the new three-year-old academy hurdles as a "sales ploy" ahead of their introduction to the Irish racing calendar this weekend, describing it as "extraordinary" that winners under rules will not be penalised.

The initiative was announced in December and the races will be open to three-year-olds who have not run on the Flat or under National Hunt rules, other than in academy hurdles.

Winners will still be eligible to contest bumpers and maiden hurdles in Ireland, with the new races aimed at encouraging the earlier training of young jump horses. They will offer bonuses and sales incentives.

The opening race at Cork's meeting on Sunday is the first of its type and has received 27 entries, including the Mullins-trained Ronnie's Rascal. The 2m1f Irish Stallion Farms EBF Academy Hurdle carries a prize fund of €11,000.

Horse Racing Ireland announced last week that academy hurdles will take place again in the autumn of next year, and from 2027 will begin in the spring.

Richard Forristal's view:

• Winners identifying as maidens? Ireland's bizarre new academy hurdles initiative is impossible to fathom 

Mullins said: "They have the same rules as point-to-points. I'll probably have a few runners in them but I'm not sure I'm a lover of them. I wouldn't call them academy races as our academy races are our maiden, winners' and novice hurdles.

"These are, to me, a sales ploy, nothing else. It's extraordinary you can have races under rules that don't penalise you and are basically the same as point-to-points. I'm not sure it's a great initiative.

"I don't think it's anything like what they do in France, as you're a winner when you win a race in France. Here, when you win a point-to-point, you're not a winner, yet the rules are the same for these races on the track. For years, we've been trying to protect our racing and betting by having certain rules for racing on the track, and now they've gone totally against it.

"Noel Meade said the same when this came out. We'll see how it pans out, but I think it goes against the whole integrity of racing."

Mullins, meanwhile, hopes that prize-money will see another uplift in the future despite Tuesday's announcement that there will be no change in government funding for HRI in 2026, with the figure remaining at €79.3 million. 

Kttzbuhel (left) and Gaelic Warrior at Willie Mullins's yard on Wednesday, when the trainer spoke about racing and industry mattersCredit: INPHO/Morgan Treacy

"HRI does a good job and I'm sure they lobbied very hard for more money, so hopefully we can see it coming down the line," he said. "I'd love to see more money going into prize-money, particularly the jumping end.

"I think we're racing for Covid-19 levels of prize-money and I'd like to see it going up. Racing gives a great living to rural villages. You take this village [Leighlinbridge] alone and there must be 1,000 people directly benefiting from the racing element.

"Racing is a shop window for the breeding industry – you have Ballyhane Stud with Joe Foley 200 yards away, and Burgage Stud with Victor Connolly; they employ a huge number of people.

"The number of trainers around here between ourselves, Jim Bolger, Shark Hanlon, Tony and Tom Mullins, Pat Fahy and Alan McIntyre . . . it's a huge part of the rural community in Ireland, and to keep that financed, and small villages like ours alive, is something that shouldn't be missed.

"However, we're happy to get what we do get and we'll try to make the most of it."

More from Willie Mullins:

Mullins eyes three in a row: champion trainer plots fresh assault on Britain's top races as he bids for third straight title  

'I'm really looking forward to them' - Kopek Des Bordes, Final Demand and Salvator Mundi headline stunning Willie Mullins novice chase squad 

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