Sir - Willie Mullins is unquestionably a great trainer; but like all people that achieve remarkable success it is possible that a touch of self-interest may not be completely alien to his personality. This dreadful thought was suggested to me by his reported response on Wednesday to the news that the first academy hurdle in Ireland had attracted no less than 27 entries.

The point of academy hurdles is a simple one. It is to redress the balance that over the years has given significant advantages to French-bred and raised jumpers, a balance that also gives significant advantages to those able to afford horses raised in France.

The trainer of Galopin Des Champs, Allaho and State Man may well be amongst them, for all were purchased in France after running with significant promise as three-year-olds and four-year-olds, presumably for prices outside the more humble means of most of Mr Mullins’ rivals.

These are people who not only can’t afford to purchase expensive French-bred jumpers, but couldn’t afford to wait during a year of bumpers before any that they buy as two-year-olds or early three-year-olds, and then educate to jump, to race over hurdles. Academy hurdles give these people an opportunity not hitherto available to them.

Thy can buy a young horse and teach it to jump early, just as Tom Costello did many years ago, Then, instead of running in bumpers during their four-year-old career, or waiting for point-to-points from February onwards as four-year-olds, they can now run in academy hurdles.

Point-to-points don’t incur penalties when winners run in novice hurdles, even though these require greater tests of jumping than are needed in novice hurdles; so why should academy hurdles?

They can only be won by young, inexperienced horses; and any advantage in not carrying a penalty only lasts up to the first novice hurdle they win, I would suggest that most point-to-point winners will have far more experience of jumping than will the average academy hurdle winner at the time that they each compete in their first penalty-free novice hurdle.

Academy hurdles, like NH Junior Hurdles in Britain, will greatly help level the playing field on which Irish and British-raided horses compete against French-bred rivals, who race over obstacles much earlier. They thereby gain major advantages that help their later jumps careers, advantages that are not due to the quality of French stallions or mares, or the brilliance of French breeders.

This will give the less wealthy owners that support less prestigious trainers in Ireland and Britain the chance to compete with French-breds rather more than they can at present.

A little more competition for a brilliant trainer such as Willie Mullins from people that cannot afford to buy the most promising French-bred horses is surely nothing to be concerned about. - Yours etc.,

Bryan Mayoh

England