'Once you’re on the lower scale it is an absolute hardship' - Paddy Flood on Alice Haynes English racing took a shock to the system last week as trainer Alice Haynes admitted it was not financially viable to train horses anymore and spoke of her sadness in giving up a career in which she was deemed to have made a success. In her mid-30s, she has trained over 200 winners, including more than 50 winners in each of her last three seasons. Speaking on the Irish Angle Podcast this week Emma Nagle, Johnny Ward and Paddy Flood spoke about the difficulties of training racehorses due to rising costs. Emma Nagle She just couldn’t make it financially viable, which is really worrying for young trainers trying to break through both here and in the UK. The financial model just doesn’t seem to be working for people starting from nothing. She is obviously a very talented trainer, but she hasn’t been able to make it pay. It must be a worry. No one’s entitled to make a living from training, but the fact that someone who’s trained 200 winners in four or five years can’t make it pay… that has to be a huge worry. There needs to be more support for trainers. Other jurisdictions have systems like transport allowances when travelling certain distances, which aren’t in place here. It was a shock announcement, and maybe it will send a message to those higher up that trainers need more help. She is obviously a very talented trainer, and she will likely be very successful in whatever she does next, as she made racing work well in her few years training. Paddy Flood It is a worry and it’s not just a worry in England. It’s a worry here too. In Ireland, the number of horses going to the top four stables is huge. Any nice horse that’s out there is bought by one of those top fours and if they don’t go to them, they’re going to England. Based on her statistics, she was doing very well as a trainer. There are so many young trainers in Ireland that people haven’t heard of. I’ve seen them come through the academy doing their licence assessment and you’re just kind of shaking your head going, ‘How are you going to make this money?' Some of them are going to work themselves into the ground because they can’t afford to hire staff. It will be 24/7 for them. Some people might be built for that, but I’d be worried about people’s mental health who are struggling with money, working and working with absolutely no light at the end of the tunnel. That girl is probably able to give up and do something else. A lot of these lads here aren’t, and they’re just struggling away because it’s all they know and there’s no help for that sort of fella. As much as it can be a glamorous sport, once you’re on the lower scale it is an absolute hardship - if you’re not selling horses abroad or doing something on the side. Johnny Ward I think the point Paddy makes about the mental health of the trainers is important because if it’s day after day, year after year, you’re really struggling. This isn’t about getting a good racehorse - this is about making ends meet. As much as Ger Lyons would make the point that nobody’s entitled to a living in racing, and that’s fair enough, it’s still really difficult. Prices keep going up and inflation is a massive issue. Trainers, especially in rural Ireland, are not necessarily open about being mentally overwhelmed. Mental health has been really to the fore with some of the tragedies we’ve seen in Britain in the stables in recent months. Watch the Irish Angle in Full
