IRISH Thoroughbred Marketing international representative Jeremy Greene has suggested there is room for improvement in the concept of barrier trials, after the final of three fixtures this year was run at Dundalk on Monday.

Greene, a central figure in introducing barrier trials to Irish racing, reported that around 230 horses took part in trials this year, with over 50 stables represented.

However a significant number of trainers have used the trials, which were introduced primarily as a marketing tool for foreign markets to source unraced juveniles, as preparation exercises for their two-year-olds with seemingly little or no intention to sell them on.

“Some horses have changed hands, unraced, after the trials but the figure is now what we would like ideally,” Greene explained. “There is definitely room for improvement there and some tweaks may have to be made to the format to improve that aspect. They are still a work in progress.

“Clearly many trainers are using the trials as prep races and that’s fine because the fixtures are expensive to run and we need to cover costs. To think that there’s dozens of horses that are just for sale unraced isn’t realistic.

“We would just like more of them sold unraced if that were at all possible. Or if they change hands after a run, that’s fine as well. There has to be a realistic take that some of the bigger yards will use them as a prep and that’s fine but to have a healthy balance between the two would be ideal.”

Introduced

Barrier trials were introduced in this country in May 2018 when two trials were run before a normal card at Dundalk. The concept is part and parcel of other big racing jurisdictions, especially Australia and New Zealand, which largely facilitate the demand from Asian markets for unraced horses.

The trials have proven popular with trainers with numerous examples of horses who have benefitted from the experience to prosper on their racecourse debuts.

A Case Of You and Ottoman Emperor are recent examples of cheaply bought horses who have come out of barrier trials to reach high levels on the track.

“We have taken a step forward this summer and hopefully we can improve it next year,” Greene said. “The overall high competitiveness of the trials is beneficial and there have been horses that have come out of the trials to run well in their maidens and subsequently attractted interest.

“ITM would like to thank all the connections who sent horses, the trainers and jockeys that took part for their support. We would also like to thank the Irish EBF for their sponsorship, everyone at Dundalk Stadium for hosting the trials so well, the IHRB for their regulatory assistance, IRIS for the video feed, the stalls handlers, starters, vets, doctors, farriers, Order of Malta and Blue Cross for their contribution.”