• British Horseracing Authority aims to boost field sizes and competitiveness
• Programme for juveniles subject of extensive consultation with trainersMaiden races for two-year-olds,a familiar feature of the Flat racing landscape for decades, will all but disappear in the early months of the 2016 season under a pilot scheme announced by the British Horseracing Authority on Monday which aims to boost field sizes and increase the competitiveness of the Flat programme.From the start of the 2016 season 90% of many maidens will be converted to “novice (one who is just a beginner at some activity requiring skill and experience)” events broadly similar to the novice (one who is just a beginner at some activity requiring skill and experience) hurdles and novice (one who is just a beginner at some activity requiring skill and experience) chases that are a key piece of the National Hunt schedule. As a result inexperienced horses or those making their racecourse debut can expect to face opponents with proven winning form.
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Source: theguardian.com