Racing: Rising against morning racing

SATURDAY morning racing, which has been pencilled in for next year, drew a terse response from trainers and jockeys yesterday. The experiment is aimed at plugging a gap for betting shops at a time when punters are passing through, but will disrupt the working lives of professionals in the industry.

"If this is being run to put money in the bookmakers' satchels, then they should put something back into racing in return," the trainer Norma Macauley said. "Why should we put ourselves out just for their benefit?"

Her fellow trainer Bill O'Gorman said: "It just doesn't make sense. As it is we have to be up at 6.30am to go racing - so for this it would mean a 3.30am start. And which owners are going to want to be at the track at 10.30?"