Four jumps trainers - Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, Henry de Bromhead and Gavin Cromwell - are said to be considering legal action over a move by Horse Racing Ireland to schedule 60 races for trainers that have saddled less than 50 winners in either of the previous two seasons.
Such a move would exclude the aforementioned trainers from this race schedule.
The initiative is supported by the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association.
The scheme will include bumpers, maiden hurdles, beginners' chases and handicap hurdles. A total of 1,504 jump races took place in Ireland in 2023.
It is also set to incorporate a series of 17 races which identifies opportunities for trainers with defined levels of success over previous seasons.
The Racing Post reports that a letter was sent to Horse Racing Ireland earlier this week to inform them of an intention to initiate legal proceedings over the initiative.
Mullins saddled 257 National Hunt winners in Ireland last season as he was crowned champion trainer for the 17th consecutive year. He was also crowned British champion trainer, becoming the first Irish handler to do so in 70 years.
Meanwhile, Elliott had 207 Irish National Hunt winners, with de Bromhead coming third with 89 and Cromwell had 72.
Speaking when the race schedule initiative was announced on July 25, Jonathan Mullin, HRI’s Director of Racing, commented: "This series of 60 races has been designed by the HRI Programmes Committee to give trainers the confidence to attract new owners into their yards with the knowledge that there is a programme of races there to support them in that endeavour.
"There are already a small number of races in the calendar that provide this function, and this series is a step up in quantity which is intended to deliver a body of races substantial enough for trainers to encourage owners into their business and plan campaigns for those horses."
For the latest Waterford News and Sport, tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand.
