Fiona Williams – breeder of Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner Cicero’s Gift
“One thing that gets on my wick is the business of ‘fashionable’ stallions. It’s like piranha fish feasting at Tattersalls for first-season sires’ stock, while other stallions that are doing well get completely overlooked and effectively binned. It’s dragging the breed down.
Mares are lumped in on huge books with these new stallions and there’s much excitement at the sale with a buying frenzy – yet of those stallions, I think nine out of ten are going to be rubbish!
Last year I had two nicely bred Territories yearlings – but the sales house didn’t want to take either. It was only when Lazzat won his Group 1 [in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Royal Ascot] that we were accepted for the sale.
Territories had done no wrong, with Classic-placed horses and top sprinters, and he was a proven stallion that could get you anything. Then he was sold. As a small breeder, it feels like the rug’s been pulled from under you. I just think the fashion thing at the sales is toxic.
The other thing I’d like to see is the authorities ban the use of the whip, which I know is controversial.
I’d love to see whips carried but only used for safety down the neck if a horse is hanging badly. I believe the standard of riding would only improve as a result – jockeys would have to concentrate on riding a finish rather than relying on the whip.
Of course, you are going to get some horses that aren’t very genuine and those horses are not going to win races, so they won’t be bred from. It can only be good for the breed in the long term, too.
Years ago, I went on an amateur jockeys’ course at the British Racing School, and I remember being told that many horses will stop and curl up if hit with a whip – remember Frankie Dettori and Swain at the Breeders’ Cup?
The whip is something that should be looked at from a PTSD point of view – I’d like to see horses’ mental health taken into consideration.”
Ian Gosden – owner of Champion Hurdle and Fighting Fifth heroine Golden Ace
“I’d like to see UK point-to-point racing become more prominent. It annoys the hell out of me that a horse wins an Irish point and it’s suddenly worth £150,000. Really? It doesn’t make any sense to me, although I understand that’s where everybody goes. Why can’t we develop our own point-to-point and breeding channels? Then at least the money stays in this country, and hopefully so will the stallions. There needs to be some extra financial support in this sector.
Having spent a lot of money on Irish horses, I got very little for it and decided not to do it any longer, and either breed my own or buy foals or three-year-olds. I’ve now got three mares having started breeding in 2020.
The Great British Bonus is fabulous – I want to win one, but the downside is it takes a long time! We’ve got some nice horses coming through. Would I want to see one of mine going over hurdles at three? Probably not. I think the horses need more time – they aren’t fully grown and I think they’re more prone to injury. That’s just my view.
I’d like to see more investment at grassroots level. I’ve made the point before that if there was £100,000 missing from the Grand National first prize, and that was divvied round, would anybody notice? It could make a massive difference at grassroots level. Otherwise, it becomes an elite sport because unless you have the sort of money that the key players have got, you don’t get involved. If your barrier to entry is £100,000 or £150,000 before you even start, you’ve got to have a few pennies in the bank because nine times out of ten, you haven’t a clue what you’re getting for your
money. That’s crazy money if you’re thinking of getting involved.
One of my horses took home £2,200 for its first win, of which 20 per cent goes to the jockey and trainer. It doesn’t even pay for one month’s training. How many times do I expect that horse to win in a year? Maybe twice if I’m lucky or three times if I’m very lucky and he’s progressive. But why continue if you’re winning once a year and collecting under £2,000? You need to clear at least one month’s costs [per win], especially when my vet’s bill could be £3,000 in a month. That’s what I paid to get Golden Ace fully checked out after she had that disaster at Wetherby.
Golden Ace is the horse of my life – and it’s taken me 20 years to find her!”
Richard Hughes – Group 1 winning trainer
There was a lot of time spent on the racing tax – and rightly so. I think everyone did a great job. Now we need to look after the people who are left in the game.
In my view, there should be no maiden worth less than £10,000 to the winner. I see runners in the paddock at Newbury and there’s probably £10 million worth of horses walking round the ring, yet they’re racing for four grand. That’s embarrassing. In every sport – if you’re a bad snooker player, or bad darts player, or bad golfer – it’ll nearly cost you to stay on the tour. I don’t know why we should be putting extra money into 0-55 races. They’re at the bottom end and if you want to carry on to win your race, carry on, but that’s the lowest end and in all sports at that level, you don’t get much back.
If you play for Manchester United or Gillingham, you know the difference in wages.
It’s the middle tier that needs extra support, for horses rated 75-95. At that level, you should be able to win a race and keep it in training. That’s why the horses-in-training sale was a bloodbath. I sold a horse rated 85 – there was one bid at £10,000. The handicapper had him and that meant he was struggling. But if I could tell the owners he would win 15 or 20 grand when he comes down to a goodish mark, it would nearly pay for his training fees. Everyone’s losing at the moment.
I’ve pleaded with the BHA to get sellers and claimers back in this country. They fob you off by saying there won’t be enough runners, yet every day I’m watching jump races with three runners. I’m not having that.
It costs money to get horses to the sales and often you won’t get a bid. It’s a dessert. If we have a horse that keeps getting placed and the handicapper doesn’t drop him, and the owner says they’d like to move on, if I could put him in a seller so the owner can have their day in the sun, enjoy a winner and get seven or eight grand for their horse, lovely – then someone else can buy it and train it in this country. We need races to trade horses: they worked for hundreds of years. But the racecourses don’t want them. Every horse reaches their mark at some point.
We see sales companies talking about breaking records every week – and I don’t really see them putting a whole lot back into the game. I tell my owners how it is; they can carry on if they want to keep trying to win three grand, but that’s the reality.
Grace Muir MBE – founder and CEO of charity HEROS
“In 2026, I want to see racing demonstrate a genuine, measurable commitment to the horses at the heart of the sport – not just token gestures. Simply allocating funds to aftercare is lip service. Welfare must be embedded in every stage of the industry, from breeding to retirement, with full transparency and accountability.
Breeding practices need careful monitoring to protect the integrity of the thoroughbred breed and prevent overproduction. Aftercare should not be an optional extra; it must be a core responsibility, supported by clear structures and reporting. Racing must stop hiding behind PR and start showing the public – and itself – that it values horses beyond their racing careers.
This is not about ticking boxes. It’s about creating a culture where welfare is non-negotiable, visible, and prioritised. Until racing embraces this fully, it will continue to fall short of what is required
ethically and what the public increasingly expects.”
