HORSE Racing Ireland is considering amending the random ballot rules for low-grade flat handicaps to give horses with recent form more protection. At the same time HRI is allowing horses rated well below the published minimum rating of 44 an opportunity to get a run in these races in a bid to retain racehorse owner numbers. The previous policy excluded horses rated below the minimum mark from the system.

Balloting in handicaps for horses rated 40-65 is commonplace. At Fairyhouse on Thursday there were 20 horses denied a run and 14 have been excluded from a similar race at Listowel on Sunday.

All such handicaps are subject to random ballot. At Fairyhouse on Thursday, a horse rated 26 gained a run while two rated 65 were reserves. Jason Morris, HRI’s director of racing, said: “Currently horses entered in a 45-65 handicap are all subject to a random ballot to ensure that there is an even distribution of opportunities to run amongst all horses in this category. Otherwise the lower rated horses would potentially never get a run.

“The horses in the 60s generally have multiple options to run in other races whereas those with lower ratings may have no realistic alternatives. In these lower grade, random ballot handicaps horses which finished in the first two on their last outing are presently exempted from the ballot and we are planning on extending this protection to horses also placed third on their last run also, so as to further favour horses with recent form.”

Morris confirmed that it is no longer HRI policy to bar horses rated below the minimum mark from racing. “We previously had a minimum rating of 44 with any horses being dropped below this level being excluded from racing on the flat in Ireland, but now no horses are being removed given the overall pressure on horse numbers.”

There will be no drop in the total number of flat races programmed despite confirmation this week that Wexford will only stage jump races in future; flat racing is being dropped for safety reasons.

The two remaining flat fixtures scheduled for Wexford this year will be transferred to Gowran Park (July 23rd) and Navan (August 27th), where bigger fields can be accommodated. As a National Hunt-only venue, Wexford will continue to stage its existing annual allocation of 11 fixtures in 2017.

HRI is also open to adding more claiming races to the programme should they increase in popularity. Recent claimers have attracted small fields but a newly-formed campaign group say claiming races can bring new blood into the industry if framed correctly.

A group of 30 owners, trainers, bloodstock agents and industry group representatives gathered in a Kildare hotel this week to form the Irish Racehorse Claiming Association. The general view was that claiming races framed for younger horses and promoted properly to owners would make for competitive racing and attract investment. A further meeting is planned for August.

Jason Morris said: “We had 10 claiming races last year and this number will treble to approximately 30 this year. However, the current average field size at 6.7 is significantly lower than the overall flat average of 10.6. So, at the moment the request for, and programming of, additional races isn’t being reflected in the number of runners competing in them. We hope to see an improvement in field sizes.”