GAG said: “If the programme works as it should to keep good mares in training, then the best mares should beat the best geldings 50% of the time which is pretty much what is happening now.”
This makes complete sense to me, and I think possibly some people are seeing mares winning as a problem that needs fixing, when it is nothing of the sort. However, mares winning the Champion Hurdle 50% of the time does start to feel unfair when they also have their own championship hurdle race that their male counterparts cannot contest.
I’d be very much in favour of moving the mares’ hurdle to elsewhere in the calendar, or downgrading it so that the best mares have to run in open company.