3 minute read

Tom George is having to re-organise Saint Are's path to the Randox Health Grand National because of a change to the rules regarding hunter chases.

George had planned to run Saint Are in those races as part of his preparation for another crack at the world's most famous steeplechase, in which he was second in 2015 and third last season.

However, George was rocked to discover that from next year the British Horseracing Authority has decreed that horses with licensed trainers will not be allowed to switch to other races in the same season should they take part in a hunter chase.

"He's in great form and I'm thrilled with him, but I'm very disappointed the BHA has changed the rules on hunter chasing. It's ridiculous," said the Slad trainer.

"He was placed in the Grand National last season and we'd mapped our campaign out to bring him out in January time, run him in a couple of hunter chases and aim him back at the National.

"That's what our plan has been and then they drop it on us that you're not allowed to do that any more. If you run in a hunter chase, you can't run back in a handicap chase.

"It's just very frustrating. Otherwise we'd have had him running now. He's only just come into full work as we'd been planning on running him in January. We are just building his work up.

"We're going to have to change our whole tack on it and I don't know what route we are going to take with him now.

"Obviously he loves Aintree and has been placed in two Nationals. It's all about getting him back for the National.

"It's not fair on the horse. If they were going to bring this rule in, they should have done so in May time.

"We wanted to keep it as easy as we could for him. He hasn't won a race for two years and he loves the National.

"What they should have done was have dozens of hunter chases that you couldn't run in from licensed yards and just have, say four, for such horses.

"What route we're going to take now, I'm not sure. We're going to have to scratch our heads a bit."