THE British Horseracing Authority have announced a series of changes affecting the eligibility of horses to run in British hunter chases.

Concerns across the Irish Sea had been raised about the competitiveness of their hunter chase programme throughout the season prompting a review into the current eligibility guidelines.

Following a consultation with a number of stakeholders and the Point-to-Point Authority, two notable changes have been announced in an effort to keep these races competitive throughout the entire season.

From January 1st, once a horse in the care of a licensed trainer has run in a hunter chase, that horse can only run in hunter chases for the remainder of the season. This also applies to horses who are put into the care of a licensed trainer during the course of a season, having already run in a hunter chase that season.

The BHA have also taken the step of removing the previously existing rule which barred horses who had run on the racecourse in November and December from running in the following years hunter chases.

There have been no changes to the hunter chase eligibility based on previous race performances, and licensed trainers can continue to run horses in hunter chases. Eligibility to run in point-to-points is also not affected by the changes.

COMPROMISE

The changes which have been announced aim to find a compromised position between those who fear removing the November and December ban would see an influx of rules horses dipping in an out of hunter chases, and those, particularly within the trainers’ lobby group, who fear that confining horses to hunter chases for the remainder of the season could limit the number of horses from licensed yards running in hunter chases.

The changes will also have implications for Irish-trained horses, but how great that impact is remains to be seen.

Unlike in Britain, where a full trainer’s license is not required to run a horse in a hunter chase or point-to-point bumper, in Ireland all horses which run in a hunter chase have to be under the care of a licensed trainer, something which was raised at last month’s point-to-point handler’s association meeting.

As such, all horses who run in an Irish hunter chase from January 1st will be confined solely to hunter chases in Britain until the end of the British hunter chase season, which typically ends with the Stratford hunter chase fixture in late May or early June.

Last season, Foxrock, who ran in three hunter chases during the spring, was given an entry in the Grand National at Aintree, before eventually taking up an alternative engagement in the Irish equivalent at Fairyhouse.

Had this rule been introduced last January, he would have been ineligible to run at Aintree owing to those runs at Thurles, Leopardstown and Gowran Park.