WILLIE Mullins says he is disappointed by prize money levels in Irish National Hunt racing, believing the sport has not been rewarded as promised for the efforts it makes in terms of facilitating its media rights obligations.

Speaking at a press morning organised by the Irish Racing Writers group this week, Britain and Ireland’s reigning champion trainer was asked what he would like to see politicians deliver for Irish racing in the aftermath of this week’s general election.

“We’re still racing for Covid money, which I find disappointing,” said Mullins.

“We’ve been promised a rise in money, we’ve gone to 48-hour declarations and we have racing now before we come out of second mass on a Sunday. There have been 11.30am starts lately, and I don’t think 35 and 40 minutes between races is good for people. I find it a trial, waiting around all day. Maybe it’s fine for big days.

“They tell us it is all about media [rights], and that, if we do what they say, we’ll have more money, but we’re not seeing it in the jump game. We were promised more of a payoff for what we were doing in return, but we’re not getting it.

“It’s disappointing and hopefully we will get [stronger prize money levels] back, but there are a lot more issues now than what racing is going to get out of a new government.”

Asked if it was a concern that British Saturday prize money levels have improved past Irish racing in some settings, Mullins said: “We’re certainly looking at it, but the big prize money in British National Hunt racing seems to be in handicaps. We still have prize money for better races, but the British prize money compared to what is in France is low.”

Mullins’ criticism follows similar comments made recently by the Association of Irish Racehorse Owners’ chairman David Hyland. Horse Racing Ireland is due to make a statement on prize money levels for 2025 shortly after its board meeting on December 16th.

’Wrecked’ programme

Mullins made it clear that he is also upset with the decision to remove Leopardstown’s Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase over two miles and one furlong from the Christmas programme. He suggested that he may end up taking top novice chasing prospect Ballyburn to Britain over the festive period due to the switch.

“Look at the top two-milers that Ireland was able to produce, because we had the right race in the right time slot. Now the whole thing is just wrecked,” said Mullins.

“That was a fantastic race that fitted lovely. Now, where do the horses go? They’re maybe going to miss out on the Dublin Racing Festival, because if they go to Naas in January [for a newly-upgraded Grade 2 novice chase over two miles], it’s too soon before Leopardstown in February. We might go to England, we’ll see. It’s a big loss for Leopardstown that will impact on the Dublin Racing Festival.

“This is going to lob-side the whole season now for Cheltenham. We probably had the best system going - Leopardstown at Christmas, the Dublin Racing Festival and then Cheltenham - and it yielded so many good horses and winners. I didn’t see the need to lose it.”

Mullins does not feel the upgrade of Limerick’s Faugheen Novice Chase to Grade 1 status in 2018 unbalanced matters, due to “different” types of horses typically being targeted at the Munster prize.

Spring implications

He added: “I don’t know why those changes were made, I’d like to know why. I thought it was working fantastically. It’s a programme that people put together over the last 30 years and now we seem to have someone dismantling that programme. Irish racing has grown with the programme. I’m not sure this is the tweak it needs.

“We’re looking for the programme for our two-milers and thinking we’re going to have to go to England, or miss the Dublin Racing Festival, with the top ones. I think Irish racing might miss out.

“It’s like where people might look at a situation and think that people were idiots 30 years ago. I think maybe those people had more experience than the people who are there now.

“When you have a good programme, put together by people with experience over the years, why should some new people come in and say things must be changed for the sake of change? To me, that’s all it is.”.