In support of prize money plea

Sir, – I would like to endorse William Flood’s letter published in the August 30th edition of The Irish Field (“Insufficient prize money issue requires urgent attention”, p5).

I believe the minimum net value of a race to a winning owner should equate to six months’ training fees, based on fees charged by averagely successful trainers.

We also need to look at means of rewarding owners that would not involve increased funding. Many owners are business people, who might own hostelries, hotels, construction companies, et cetera, or be service providers. If the racing media could give those business concerns a mention it might - on bigger racedays - prove more valuable to the owner than the value of the race. This would encourage other business owners to become involved in the sport.

The Irish Field, with its The Owner column and numerous photographic opportunities, has stepped up to the mark in this regard. An opportunity to promote their business in addition to providing entertainment would likely encourage others to participate in the sport.

Yours etc.,

Dr T A O’Brien

Ballyegan Stables,

Ballyegan,

Tralee,

Co Kerry

More races for soft ground horses

Sir – I have recently seen again plenty of opinions about the increase of prize money in Irish racing.

However, in my opinion prize money plays a small part for the average owner.

Generally, a racehorse owner knows that they will be very lucky to recoup some of their expenses.

It is far more important to get opportunities to see your horse running in races.

With the autumn approaching and finally some rain for softer ground conditions, there will be a plethora of horses looking to get a run.

Given a limited programme, some owners will be left frustrated as their horses get balloted out.

In particular, the owners of flat horses will again suffer from a rigid racing programme offered by Horse Racing Ireland.

HRI needs to show flexibility with extra meetings and, weather permitting, an extended season into November to accommodate the backlog after a very dry summer.

Yours etc.,

Max Plapp

Mountrice Mill,

Monasterevin,

Co Kildare