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Lack of funds brings an end to jump racing's Order of Merit • Money better spent on raceday prizes, say officials• 'British Jumps Championship' planned for next yearJump racing's Order of Merit was finally killed off by a terse press release yesterday, only four days before the Old Roan Chase at Aintree, which had become the 70-race series' established starting point. The unsponsored competition, a victim of the sport's reduced income, will not be missed by punters, racegoers or bookmakers but certainly made a difference to the lives of those lucky enough to end the season at the top of the leaderboard."It was fantastic to win it," said Steve Gollings, the small-time Lincolnshire trainer whose modestly talented Royal Shakespeare improbably racked up more points than any other horse in the 2005-06 season. "We're a small yard and that's what the Order of Merit was about. Fundamentally, it gave every yard in the country a chance to win it. I'm very sad to hear this."The total prize fund at the time was £300,000 and Gollings said that Royal Shakespeare's groom was able to put down a deposit on her first house with her share of it. "I'll tell you why else I'm sad about this," he added. "I've got the best team of jumpers I've probably ever had and I've got half a dozen that are capable of competing in those races."Last year, the British Horseracing Authority passed the Order of Merit to its commercial arm, Racing Enterprises Limited, at which point the prize fund was reduced to £100,000, half of which came from the participating racecourses. REL and the tracks have decided that that money would now be better spent on shoring up raceday prize money, which has come under pressure as the sport's income has declined.Royal Shakespeare aside, the Order of Merit generally functioned as an unnecessary coronation for horses who had won more meaningful honours on the track. The winners included Inglis Drever, Voy Por Ustedes and Kauto Star, twice.Bookmakers shed no tears at the news. "For us, it was never a competition that particularly galvanised betting interest for punters," said David Williams of Ladbrokes. "I remember we were asked to offer betting on it and the brutal truth is that we found there was absolutely no interest. It didn't ever set the Thames on fire. It was harmless enough but not very exciting."But the Order of Merit has been credited with increasing the number of runners in its 70 races, which would normally boost betting turnover. In the season before it began, only half of those races had eight or more runners, but that figure rose to 74% within four years."I'm not entirely convinced that the Order of Merit is solely responsible for those figures," Williams said. "I suppose the litmus test will be if that number now falls much below 74%, in which case we'll have to do something about it. But I don't think it's as simple as one and one makes two.""This year is a bit of a hairshirt year and not one in which we felt we could offer the Order of Merit," said Rod Street, the chief executive of REL. He added that his team would work on a replacement for next season, to be called the British Jumps Championship. He said it was unlikely to feature prize money in its first season but would collect the winter's key races in "a branded framework"."Over time, we want to make more and more of that series and look at ways of making it as compelling as it can be."Horse racingChris Cookguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |