ELLIOTT SUPPORTS NO LIMIT
GORDON ELLIOTT lauded “the right decision” as the British Horseracing Authority shelved proposals to limit the number of runners a stable can field in major handixcaps – for now.
Elliott hit the headlines when saddling 14 of the 20 horses to take part in the Troytown Handicap Chase at Navan in November, won by Coko Beach.
In response, the BHA last month surveyed opinion among racing stakeholders over prospective plans to limit trainers to four runners in Class 1 or 2 handicaps, including the Grand National.
The master of Cullentra House, who fielded an 11-strong representation in the 2019 National – the world’s most famous steeplechase will have its maximum field size reduced from 40 to 34 in April – blasted the plans as “ridiculous”.
And, on hearing that British racing’s regulator would not “take any immediate action” to restrict the so-called ‘super trainer’ numbers, Elliott (right) said: “Thankfully, they have made the right decision.
“I have a lot of different owners to keep happy and if they want to run their horses in a race, you have to run them.
“I couldn’t see the sense in it, or how it would have worked – it would have been a massive headache.”
But BHA chief operating officer Richard Wayman stressed the matter would remain “under review”.
“Prompted in part by the situation where one trainer saddled 14 of the 20 runners in the Troytown Chase, we gathered opinions regarding potentially imposing a limit on the number of runners one trainer can run in a major handicap,” said Wayman.
“Having considered the feedback, it has been agreed not to take any immediate action, but to keep the issue under review.”