Another National Hunt Chase review is forthcoming - and amateurs deserve better

Change can often be made for change's sake but there is no denying a revision of the race conditions for the National Hunt Chase was a sensible move back in 2019.

The alterations, relating to a reduced race distance and increased qualifying criteria for horses and riders, were announced five months after Le Breuil landed the traditional amateur contest. He was just one of four finishers, with eight fallers, one unseat and five pulled up in the 18-runner contest, and it was hard to disagree with the Racing Post analysis which read: "A race that didn't make for pleasant viewing."

That was three years ago, though, and since then, as we all know, an awful lot has changed – one of the upshots of which is that another look at the qualifying criteria is desperately needed.