Robbie "Puppy" Power believes Richard Newland’s comments on banning Irish runners are ridiculous and thinks that English racing would collapse if Irish horses weren’t allowed to run in the UK.
Horse racing is dominated by the Irish in the modern era, and for some, it is uncomfortable viewing. Solutions on how to reverse the Irish dominance trend have been put forth, but none have been more ridiculous than an opinion put forward by Dr. Richard Newland.
This month, Newland said, "One option would be to not allow Irish-trained runners in the UK and make them non-eligible for the majority of our races.
"For a while, we might have to reduce the number of races in the UK so that the field sizes go up.
"If they make Irish-trained horses ineligible, the bigger UK owners would return to having their horses trained by UK trainers, and the trend would start reversing."
This comment has angered many in Ireland, with many dismissing it as a joke and nothing more.
Power is of the same thought process and believes that the comments made by Newland look like an April Fool's joke. He also believes that English racing would destroy itself if it were allowed to happen.
Power, speaking to BoyleSports, which offers the latest Irish Grand National betting, said, "I honestly don’t think Richard Newland’s quotes deserve to be commented on; they were some of the most ridiculous things I have read. If someone was putting that out on April Fool’s Day as a joke, then maybe.
"It would absolutely destroy English racing if Irish horses weren’t allowed to run over there.
"I thought what Ben Pauling said was that everyone is getting away from Irish domination—it is not Irish domination, it is Willie Mullins domination. The English had to deal with it at Cheltenham, just as we have to deal with it at home every day of the week.
"There is nothing we can do; we have to accept it. Full credit to Willie and his team; he has a great bunch of owners around him, and it is up to us to compete with him the best we can and get as many good owners as we can to recruit the right horses."
RTÉ Two will be showing live coverage of the Irish Grand National on Easter Monday at 2:30 pm.
