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OpinionJames Stevens
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I'm bored of poor Grade 2 races - another area where British jump racing can learn from Ireland
James StevensWest Country correspondent
Deafening Silence (right) wins the Grade 2 Winter Novices' Hurdle at Sandown on Friday
Credit: Mark Cranham
As a jumps purist there is not a lot I envy on the Flat, but a fit-for-purpose race programme is one.
The number of races and lack of runners is all too familiar over jumps, but last weekend had me wondering again why there are no Grade 3 National Hunt races in Britain.
Grade 3s had traditionally been reserved for the bigger handicaps, but they are now Premier Handicaps, meaning no Grade 3 jumps races will be staged in Britain this season.
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Published on inAnother View
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more inAnother View
- Cash injection for top riders is all well and good but it's still a real struggle for the rest
- Working 15-hour days, sleeping in the office and landing a Group 1 - and it still wasn't enough for poor Adam West
- All I want for Christmas is Mr Vango to win the Welsh Grand National for Sara Bradstock
- The stats clearly reveal why Irish handicappers look well treated when they travel over to Britain
- What's been your highlight of the year? It's a good question – and the answers can be very personal