‘A lot of
British yards did not have a good season’Irish handicapper believes British may stay on back footIreland’s recent dominance of National Hunt racing was underlined once again on Tuesday when the official ratings for 2020-21 revealed that six of the top eight chasers last season, and nine of the top 12 hurdlers, were from
Irish stables. While there was agreement among the handicappers that Ireland’s current superiority is overwhelming, however, there was a difference of opinion on how long it is likely to endure.
Irish-trained runners swept through the Cheltenham Festival in March, winning a record 23 of the 28 races including a dozen of the 14 Grade One events, despite making up just 40% of the starters.