Overhaul of the Graded programme long overdue - and it could be a catalyst for change if big owners need to look for an edge

As a long-time advocate of a Grade 1 cull there was an unfortunate irony to the Racing Post Novice Chase being one of the first to be sacrificed in an overdue revamp. 

For the past decade an overhaul of the Graded schedule and a reduction in the number of fixtures is something I have lobbied for but the resistance was strong. A quick search through my records on Wednesday brought up a column from this very week eight years ago when I lamented "superfluous Grade 1s". There were 34 at the time. Since then, Horse Racing Ireland added three more. It knew better. 

Fixtures have also continued to balloon, this year's hike to 395 taking the growth to an incredible 30 per cent in the space of 20 years. We have lived through an era when more fixtures equated pretty bluntly to more money for racecourses, so we got more fixtures. The new media rights deal that kicked in on Monday is performance-driven, linked to betting revenue and streaming generated. Given the headwinds the betting industry is facing right now, not to mention the European economy, it will be interesting to see if 2025 will be the year we see the fixtures volume go the other way. I wouldn't bet against it.