“IT’S going to be a better race for the better horses,” was Willie Mullins’ comment to The Irish Field following Thursday’s announcement by the Jockey Club that it was making significant changes to the conditions of the Grand National at Aintree.

From next year, the safety limit for the race will be reduced from 40 runners to 34 and the minimum handicap rating will be raised to 130 from 125. The race will have a standing start and the distance to the first fence will be shortened in an attempt to reduce early speed.

Mullins commented: “I think it’ll make it a better race and, with the tightening of the numbers, it seems that it will be a lot harder to get into the National. With the fences now not as hard as they used to be, I think bringing the fence closer is forward-thinking, I don’t think it’s bad. They were going too fast. That’s a good initiative, I’d be happy with that.”

Very competitive

Dual Grand National-winning trainer Lucinda Russell told The Irish Field: “I don’t think it’s going to change the competitiveness of the race. I think it’s pretty much a forward step. It’s only reducing [field size] by 15%, I think it’s going to make it a very competitive race which is what is should be.

“I mean it’ll be a race that is tighter, I think having 40 horses hurtling towards one fence is always going to be a bit of a danger spot, so if we can reduce down the numbers then I think that’s a good thing.

“It’s a very good example of trying to do something to the image of the race but without changing the race dramatically.”

Another change will see the creation of a Grand National Review Panel, who will assess the suitability of every horse entered to run over the Grand National fences. Horses who have made jumping errors in 50% or more of their last eight races will come under particular scrutiny.

Mullins said: “We’ll see how it works, lots of horses make mistakes but never fall, so that’s one that I imagine is a process that will be looked at from year to year, but at least it’s good that they’re thinking how to make the race safer.”

Gordon Elliott, whose two-time winner Tiger Roll was notorious for making jumping errors but never fell, told The Irish Field: “I’ve no doubt that the powers that be are making these changes for all the right reasons. After last season, it seemed inevitable that there would be further review given the scrutiny that the Grand National found itself under and hopefully these changes will safeguard the race’s future.”

Big conversation

It is also proposed to bring forward the start time of the race, with the aim of ensuring the race is run on the best ground. Ruby Walsh, who twice rode the National winner, said: “We all know what a big conversation climate change is in the world and it’s very hard to keep the whole of the Grand National course on the soft side of good with the race being run later in the afternoon.”

On the topic of a standing start, Walsh said: “With the rolling start, horses tended to bunch towards the inside but with the re-introduction of a standing start they will have to be spread out across the track which will give them more room going towards the first fence.

“The first fence is also going to be closer, so when jockeys look up and see it they are more likely to be in a straight line and they should jump it before they track across the course. The effect of that should hopefully be to create less speed. The slower you go, the safer things are. Horses are competitive and will race each other but these changes should help to slow down both horse and rider.”

Walsh’s father Ted, who trained Papillon to win the race in 2000 and twice saddled Any Second Now to be placed, took a different view.

He told Sky Sports Racing: “The Jockey Club is just slowly giving in, they’re on the back foot. They have to try and appease those people (who criticise the event) in order for a race like the National to continue, it is what it is. This is only another step in the abolition of jump racing as we knew it.”

Of his son’s differing views, Walsh added: “I don’t know what anybody else thinks, that’s my opinion on it. Ruby’s of a different generation, he’s 30 years or more younger than me and he has his own opinions and I respect him for it.

“I’m 73 and I probably won’t live to see the next 20 years, but I’d say in 20 years time you might have no English National and you might have no jump racing in England.”