Lizzie Kelly: I’d cull the Kim Muir to make way for the new Cheltenham Festival race

I’m surprised that the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) have left the debate open on what race to cull at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival – having announced that a mare’s chase will be introduced in two years time.

They’ve obviously taken on board the views of the industry and what is good for the English and Irish breeders, but having to cull another race to make room for it has left a bit of a vacuum now.

If you look at it logically though, the Kim Muir Challenge Cup on the Thursday could be the one to go.

There are three amateur riders’ races at the Festival now with the Kim Muir Challenge Cup, Foxhunter’s Chase (after the Gold Cup on the Friday) and the National Hunt Challenge Cup on the opening day. It used to be that no professional trainer could have a runner in the Foxhunters Chase, but that changed. So, with the Kim Muir you’ve effectively got two Foxhunter Chases now.

The amateur riders won’t like the idea, but there’s three races now restricted to them, while there’s only one race for conditionals jockeys. Will the authorities really tinker with any of the other races for the professionals?

Obviously, I don’t want to see any of the handicap chases culled as that’s where my successes have come on Sirah Du Lac in the Brown Advisory and Merriebelle Stable Plate last March and aboard Coo Star Sivola in the Ultima Handicap in 2018.

Apart from that, most young horses would be over-faced going into graded company at the Festival but could be good enough to win big handicaps.

Mind you, I don’t have too many happy memories of the Fred Winter having picked ‘wrong’ between stablemates Diable de Sivola and eventual winner Flying Tiger in 2018.

Quality Control

One of the big controversies of last season’s Festival has been addressed however in the shortening of the National Hunt Challenge Cup on the opening day. It’s gone from 4m to 3m 6f and the number of jumps reduced to 23 from 25.

I never rode in the race as an amateur, but what struck me was that there was no ‘quality control’ before in it, like the Foxhunters Chase at Aintree for example.

That has been addressed now but the amateur jockeys were made scapegoats last season and left hung out to dry.

We have some of the best amateur jockeys in a generation riding in these races like Patrick Mullins, Derek O’Connor, Jamie Codd and William Biddick.

They know exactly what they’re doing and are not pi**ing about in a point-to-point.

For the BHA to say they were responsible for bringing racing into disrepute for doing their best was absurd.

I was delighted that Declan Lavery (who finished third on Jerrysback) won his appeal against a 10-day ban.
It caused such controversy, so the BHA were forced to act and the changes they’ve made now reflect this.

The amateur jockeys must have ridden 20 times on the track and have recorded at least five winners over fences, while the horses must now also have proven their ability to jump soundly and stay the distance as they’ll have a minimum rating of 120 and run in a minimum of two chases and have finished in the top four over an extended 2m 7f.

That should make a big difference.

Don’t make me Cross

I’d be gutted if they got rid of the Cross-Country Chase though. It’s a niche race, has a rich history and is a great spectacle to watch especially if you’re at Cheltenham and go to the inside track just to watch it. Just look at dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll for the last two years winning the Cross-Country first!

Do we really want to end the kind of drama and not allow older horses to win quality races and prolong their careers? I don’t.

Anyway, I’m sure there’ll be more debate when the decision is announced.

Exciting times

I’m due to start back riding next month as the jumps horses have started to come in. I haven’t ridden much during the summer and with getting married and everything, I’ve managed to re-charge the batteries a bit.

I don’t know how the likes of UK champion jumps jockey Richard Johnson keeps going all year round.

We were still busy during the summer, breaking in the young horses. Between Nick (Williams’) yard and mum’s, we’ll have more than 40 horses in training which is the most we’ve ever had in. We’ve a lot of young horses too going down the novice hurdle and novice chase route.

It’s always exciting to see how good they turn out to be.