Ben Pauling feels the British trainers need to rise to the challenge to spark renewed interest in the Cheltenham Festival.
Just this week it was reported that the Jockey Club were considering moving the meeting to run from Wednesday to Saturday rather than Tuesday to Friday as they seek ways to arrest sliding crowds.
Pauling is open to that idea but doesn't feel the current set-up is the problem.
“I think we all need to settle down a bit and do what’s right for the sport overall. It’s still going to be four fabulous days of sport, it’s still going to be the showpiece of our sport and hopefully will always be that," he told .
“I don’t think its as broken as a lot of people make out either. I think a lot of the problems are that people aren’t as excited about the racing as they were because there’s a real strong team from Closutton every year and sometimes I think it can be a little tedious for the general public to see horses form the same yard taking each other on.
“The Irish seem very strong but once the British trainers come back stronger and better than they have been in previous years, and I feel we are making a bit of a comeback, that will bring renewed enthusiasm to the Festival again.
“There are lot of us trying. Nicky (Henderson) and Paul (Nicholls) have flown the flag, Philip Hobbs, Nigel Twiston-Davies have also flown the flag for many years for the British trainers and there is a younger group coming through now.
“Dan (Skelton) has made a good fist of it and Olly (Murphy) had a brilliant year last year. There are lot of others who have the ability to make waves in the industry and it’s up to us to really take the baton, run with it, and put up a fight.”
More from Sporting Life
- Free bets
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at and .
