Riders praise major Irish tracks and claim Britain's fences are too upright

Two leading jockeys have claimed the fences at Ireland's major chase tracks are generally superior to their British counterparts.

Gold Cup-winning rider Robbie Power believes work should be done to the take-off side of fences at a number of Britain's courses, echoing the view of Harry Skelton, who feels the upright nature of obstacles at some venues makes them trappy and unfair.

Both men were speaking in the wake of Saturday's Betfair Chase fixture, after which Haydock's fences, which had been deemed too high and stiff by a BHA inspector in the days prior to the meeting, were questioned by jockeys.

Punchestown's fences feature a large orange take-off board

"The fences at Leopardstown, Punchestown, Navan and Fairyhouse are by far the best I have ever ridden over. They are superior to those on British racecourses by a long way," said Power.

"In general terms, tracks in Britain could improve their fences by increasing the size of the take-off boards at the plain fences and providing more of an apron.

"When I'm riding to a fence I'm not looking at the top of the fence. I'm always looking at the take-off board – and I think a horse shows more respect to a fence with a bigger board.

"At some British tracks the boards are too low, so much so that at a lot of them, Cheltenham included, the ditches ride better than the plain fences because the ditches have an imposing take-off board and a big apron."

Cheltenham's fences are now built to the maximum permitted 6ft 6in base – mirroring those at Aintree – while prior to the start of last season the course's plain fence take-off boards were increased in size from nine to 12 inches, again the maximum permitted in Britain.

Power, who praised "the beautiful fences" at Exeter and Aintree, added: "When a horse gets in very tight to a fence, especially on good ground when the speed is up, he can buckle over.

"I especially think if the second-last and final fence on Cheltenham's Old course had more of an imposing take-off board, and therefore something to back the horses up a bit, there wouldn't be as many fallers.

"If a fence is designed right and a horse makes a mistake he deserves to fall. However, a fence shouldn't bring a horse down because it's designed wrong."

Harry Skelton feels many British fences are too uprightCredit: Grossick Racing Photography 0771

Skelton, who along with trainer-brother Dan is enjoying an outstanding season, feels some British fences are indeed designed wrong and would like to see them become wider.

"In my opinion, the biggest problem with fences isn't their size or stiffness," said Skelton. "The problem is some tracks have very upright fences. That's what I don't consider to be fair. You can't have a big, stiff fence without any belly on it.

"Fences do differ from track to track. I would sometimes say to Dan that I wouldn't go to a particular racecourse with a first-time-out novice because the fences aren't fair.

"The fences at Punchestown, Fairyhouse and Leopardstown are big but they are fair. They are proper fences and you can't take stupid liabilities with them but they give horses a chance.

"Their take-off boards are so far out that if a horse gets in tight to the bottom he should have enough time to get his front end out, up and over, which will then allow him to jump the fence cleanly.

"A horse should have time to correct himself at a fence but that doesn't happen everywhere. An upright stiff fence draws a horse in to the bottom of the fence, catches him out and becomes a trap because he doesn't have enough time to get his front end up. A lot of tracks are like that."

Skelton added: "For me, Aintree have the best British fences. They're as close as you would get here to those at Fairyhouse, Leopardstown and Punchestown. Horses respect those fences and jump them well. The fences at Newton Abbot are big but they're fair. They have a big belly on them and they jump well.

"The problem with some British tracks is the fences are too upright and the bellies aren't big enough. It's fine with me if racecourses want to have bigger, stiffer fences to provide more of a test of jumping but they should also make them wider.

"The footboard has to be right out, so the horse has the chance to get his front end up. That happens at the top Irish tracks, where all the fences are big and wide."

Barry Geraghty looks back up Cheltenham's Old course after his final-fence departure from Movewiththetimes in the BetVictor Gold CupCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Responding to the claim some British fences are too upright and inferior to those in Ireland, BHA head of media Robin Mounsey said: "The view is that the fences at courses like Leopardstown and Punchestown are certainly conducive for top-quality horses jumping fences at speed, but there is an argument that they are less suitable for horses of a different calibre to jump on a routine basis.

"The fences at many British courses are designed for that broader spectrum of horses and the slightly more upright construction is designed to ensure more respect for the fences and therefore reduce speed and increase safety."

Read The Briefing from 8.30am daily on racingpost.com with all the day's latest going, weather, market moves and non-runner news