Rupert Arnold, chief executive of the National Trainers' Federation said this week: "More racing for less money year on year is unsustainable."


His comments, in the wake of the action taken by trainers who boycotted Yarmouth's Easter Monday meeting in protest at Northern Racing's prize-money contributions to racing, are spot on.

There are too many meetings, the jam is being spread to thinly. It is that simple.
As it was, the meeting, which carried added prize-money of £18,600 - more than £5,000 less than the corresponding fixture in 2007 - was abandoned because of heavy snowfall.

The only surprising thing is that it has taken owners and trainers so long to act over the decreasing levels of prize money. The owners and trainers appear to have found their teeth.


William Haggas insisted the Yarmouth was not a boycott, "just a few of us getting together and doing something, instead of talking about it".
It is hoped that the National Trainers' Federation and Racecourse Owners' Association, together with individual owners and trainers stick together and provide a united front. That way they might start to achieve things.

Their thinking goes:

Without runners, racecourses are not going to attract racegoers.

Without racegoers, racecourses won't keep shareholders happy.


Yet low prize-money levels do not seem to affect Arena Leisure's cards.

They have plenty of low-class races because the demand is there. There are plenty of low-grade horses.

But the bottom line is this: You can't blame the racecourses for the way the system is set up. They, like trainers and owners, have businesses to run and budgets to meet.

**

Water jumps have come in for some heavy criticism recently. Unfortunately we have seen two fatalities in the last four weeks.
Some leading trainers, such as Jonjo O'Neill and Paul Nicholls, have called for them to be demolished and replaced with ordinary fences. 


I disagree.

Towcester's was one of only a few that rode badly, but that has long since been replaced. As long as they are not too deep and have a shallow lip, then they are fine - in fact, they are statistically the safest fences.

There is no reason why courses can't modify them if necessary.
Haydock have introduced coarse, non-slip rubber matting beneath the water, which is uniformly three inches deep. Water jumps are a great spectacle.

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