AT the time of going to press, Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins have been responsible for the winners of 339 races in Ireland during the current National Hunt season. In terms of races won, this is just one less than the next 14 trainers on the list combined, all of whom have trained 11 winners of more.

Outside of the top two men, a total of 20 trainers have won 10 or more races, while a total of 44 trainers this season have had six or more winners. There are many ways to interpret statistics, but these numbers alone demonstrate how hard it is to win races here.

That is not a criticism of the successful trainers, rather an illustrative point. The health of the business going forward will be based on many owners, trainers and others participating, and all having access to a slice of the cake. Competition is the name of the game, and any innovation that can increase the competitive nature of racing is to be welcomed.

The announcement from Horse Racing Ireland of various enhancements to the National Hunt programme for next season must be given a warm welcome. They should ease the pain of many by providing opportunities for more people to win races.

There is an argument that we should not encourage mediocrity and that is a criticism that is likely to be voiced in some quarters. However, I would be more inclined to the view that Irish racing is so strong at present that our moderate horses would make the upper tiers in other racing jurisdictions. Providing an opportunity for them to win here is therefore a good thing.

It is also good that an additional 11 mare-only races are being provided due to the increased numbers in training. The numbers that have run since July 2016 is up by 13% thanks to recent programme changes and additions.

There are some encouraging figures to show that Irish racing is far from being on the back foot, but we must keep doing more to ensure we have a viable model for the future.