Johnston slams the Derby format

Epsom's Derby is "the most extreme and ridiculous example" of why British racing has got its prize money and entry structure completely wrong, outspoken trainer Mark Johnston claimed today.

The Middleham handler accused racecourses of relying too heavily on owners' entry fees to boost the perceived value of their top races. He argued that the Derby has long lost its status as the most wanted trophy in the sport because it no longer represents value for money - or attracts the best horses.

So, three-year-old colt Fight Your Corner - the horse Johnston described as "the one that everybody at my Kingsley House Stables is most excited about" - will instead be aimed at the French equivalent, the Prix Du Jockey-Club, which is worth less but is cheaper to enter.

"If you'd said to me 10 years ago I'd have a potential Derby horse and not run him in the race, I'd have said you were mad," said Johnston. "The Derby was the race all trainers most wanted to win. Sadly, that's no longer the case." Johnston's stinging words come soon after racing's chiefs at the British Horseracing Board announced measures to move back the closing dates for entries for all British Group One races to no more than nine weeks before running in an attempt to improve the quality of entries.

The theory is the closer to a race entries close, the more chance horses will have to prove themselves worth an engagement.

But the Derby, Oaks (Epsom's equivalent for fillies) and two-year-old Group Ones were excluded from these changes.

"Epsom says the Derby is worth £1.2 million but actually it's only worth about half that because the rest is made up of owners' money paid in entry fees," said Johnston

"The Guineas are the main trials for the Derby and Oaks, but the entry stages come before these races are run.

"This is no accident, but only yards like that of Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle can afford to blanketenter his horses. Trainers like me can't. The race suffers, as reflected by the stallion value of past winners that has gone through the floor."