Chambers: credit scheme won't lead to more Ricci horses in the UK

The Training Fees Credit Scheme (TFCS) is a BHA initiative designed to boost British jump racing and sees owners of horses winning Grade One spring festival races earning a £20,000 credit, and runners-up get £10,000, which can only be redeemed toward training fees with licensed British trainers for horses new to Britain. 

The Riccis picked up a number of those credits this spring, thanks mainly to the success of Gaelic Warrior in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the victory of Lossiemouth in the Champion Hurdle, but they cannot be used with their primary trainer Willie Mullins as he is based in Ireland. 

Speaking on an Anglo-Irish Jumps Classifications media call, Chambers explained: “We have horses in training in England with Venetia [Williams], and with Nicky Henderson.  

“We have a nice flat horse with Alan King, who's coming back from an injury. So having runners in England is not new. I've lived here for 20 odd years, Rich has lived here for a long, long time and Susannah is British.  

“Whether we would choose to have more horses in training in the UK would not be influenced by the training scheme credit that the BHA have brought in. 

“I understand the merits and what they are trying to achieve - and this is purely a personal opinion, I'm not speaking for either Rich or Susannah - but it doesn't sit well with me that other trainers could benefit off of the success of Willie Mullins and the horses that he trained to victory.  

“It's one thing if it's an owner that puts a horse with that trainer who is UK based who delivered that success. But it doesn't sit very well with me in terms of whether it would be utilised or not. And nor do I think that it would sway Rich's view of having another national hunt horse in training in the UK.”