Mr. Mark Flanagan:

They are comparable animals when they are purebred but defined classes are needed for these horses. They are not going to be Derby or Oaks horses. There is going to be a niche market for them and classes have to be provided. We cannot say we are going to build a track and take these people off the road; we have to provide classes for them, whether that be amateur class or whatever, and then prize money.

France is self-sufficient. All the money that France generates towards prize money is from betting. The French Government does not provide any money. It is the same all over Europe. In France, money is given to the sport horse. A percentage of the money that the thoroughbred and trotting organisations, which are in partnership with the PMU, receive goes to the sport horse.

Obviously, more money would go to elite horses. That is the case in all sports. However, allowances have to be made for a lower class of horses. We are not going into it with our eyes closed; we understand that. There is always going to be a lower class of horse and there has to have classes for them.