Onus on racecourses in prize-money row as more trainers follow Johnston's ethos

Charlie Johnston was a chip off the old block during his first televised interview since taking the helm at his family's Kingsley Park training fortress in Middleham at the start of the year. Forthright yet measured in his opinions, it could have easily been his father, Mark, sitting there in the Luck On Sunday hot seat.

It was when the topic turned to prize-money that Johnston jnr really opened fire, urging trainers to "vote with their feet" by supporting tracks who are putting up better prize-money and shunning those who are not, pointing to the fact that Johnston Racing had only a handful of runners at Newbury in 2022, where, in his words, "they are holding Grade A racing for Grade D prize-money".

With a bloated fixture list, trainers should not be struggling to find races for their horses and, rather than searching solely for the right race, Johnston suggested his yard is looking for the right race with the right prize-money.