IN recent weeks the issue of prize money has once again become a hot topic as the fallout from the dismal efforts of the home team at Cheltenham and in the Grand National at Aintree has led to a myriad of opinions as to where things have gone wrong for jump racing in Britain.

Certainly the low levels of prize money on offer across the Irish Sea are hardly acting as a catalyst for positive growth when it comes to ownership or investment in the sport. However, after last weekend there is a lingering feeling that, on the flat at least, this part of the world is falling short when it comes to prize money and that is a concern for the future.