Willie Mullins calls for big prize-money hike

Willie Mullins has warned that national hunt racing is “at a crossroads” unless prize-money for the top races is increased significantly.

The Closutton genius believes that too much of racing’s revenue in general is swallowed up by the gaming industry and should instead be redirected to make it more viable for the chief protagonists – owners, trainers and jockeys – to thrive.

To that end, he believes that authorities in Britain and Ireland should not be worrying about the drop in owners and trainers in recent years, arguing that the current number is a return to normality after the excesses of the Celtic Tiger.