'They are highlighting the whole thing for the wrong reasons. It's a shooting yourself in the foot job'

The best quotes from the racing world this week . . .

It's sad that the race has come to this. Very, very sad. It's a great race but they have put so many stumbling blocks in the way of horses getting to run in it
Ted Walsh expresses his dismay at the process a horse must now take to qualify for the Grand National

Read the full piece here

I want to see the best against the best and at the moment the Irish have them and they deserve to be in the race. They’re better than us at the moment; we’ve got to pick our arses up
Peter Scudamore issues a rallying call after a mere 31 British-trained horses were entered in the Grand National

Read the full piece here

I've been waiting for this moment for so long and it’s really great to get going again. It's been such a long time since everything happened – it’s a miracle I’m able to ride
Millie Wonnacott speaks on her long battle to return to race-riding after a serious neck injury

Read the full piece here

We bought First Gold and Baracouda around the same time and they were two wonderful horses to get, but Baracouda was a bit special. The time Baracouda was on the scene was a vintage era of staying hurdling
JP McManus's racing manager Frank Berry pays tribute to star hurdler Baracouda after his death at the age of 28

Read the full piece here

It's the equivalent of bringing in new rules for the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the World Cup. They are highlighting the whole thing for the wrong reasons. It's a shooting yourself in the foot job
Willie Mullins blasts the new whip rules which are coming into force on Monday

Read the full piece here

It’s a bit like Brexit; it came in before people realised the ramifications. It isn’t healthy heading into a festival like Cheltenham
Gordon Elliott also weighs in with his concerns on the timing of Britain's new whip rules

Read the full piece here

He's won a Welsh Grand National Trial, a Welsh Grand National and a Classic Chase and is still not qualified – it's disappointing and frustrating
Diamond Racing's Chris Morgan is left deflated that star horse Iwilldoit will not be given the chance to run in this year's Grand National

Read the full piece here

Read these next:

'I'd miss out on all the fun' - Michael Buckley resisting big offers for Constitution Hill  

Tom Marquand avoids serious injury in nasty mid-race unseat as fellow rider picks up 20-meeting ban  

Festival subscription offer | 50% off three months 

It's festival time – get 50% off for three months! Now is the perfect time to subscribe and lock in 50% off your first three months, so you can take advantage of all the great content we've got coming up. To redeem this offer, head to the checkout and enter the code FESTIVAL23 at the payment screen to unlock your discount*. Subscribe now. Available to new subscribers purchasing Members' Club Ultimate Monthly using code FESTIVAL23. First three payments will be charged at £19.98, subscription renews at full monthly price thereafter. Customers wishing to cancel will need to contact us at least seven days before their subscription is due to renew.