Racing is in crisis - Middleham trainer Mark Johnston

Johnston is one of the country's leading flat trainers

North Yorkshire trainer Mark Johnston has said a huge increase in racing fixtures is damaging the industry.

Johnston has enjoyed great success in flat racing, training thousands of winners at his Middleham yard.

But he told BBC Radio York: "In the last five years we have almost doubled the number of flat race fixtures.

"Frankly, there's too much racing, there is too much bad racing and it is hardly surprising that we are boring the audience."

He added: "It is in serious financial crisis and it has got nothing to do with the numbers going or whether the population is ageing.

We'd be better concentrating on a little bit more quality and a little bit less quantity

Mark Johnston

"It is the case that we are principally providing a training service and our profits are largely dependent on the numbers we have and so you would say the more expansion the better," Johnston said.

"But we're getting to a stage where we're spreading the cake so thinly that the audience are being bored and, most importantly to us, the customers are getting bored and put off.

"They're not happy about racing for so little money. We'd be better concentrating on a little bit more quality and a little bit less quantity."

Johnston said there are ways of moving the sport forward and it has to start with the way it is marketed.

"We have to educate people about the sport. We see football as the most popular spectator sport. It's simple, people understand it, they're attracted by the stars at the high level. That gives them an interest in the sport and a reason to watch it at all levels.

"We have to do the same in racing. We have to get people passionate about the sport.

"We tend to market it purely as a betting industry. The two industries are mutually dependent but you have to market the sport as a sport. We should concentrate on that first and let the betting follow."