Breeders Forum Chairman John Marriott has responded to the view, reported earlier, that he would not be entering runners in the British Bred Derby, which he believed was due to be held at Newcastle.

He states: “Try reporting facts. I would like you to point out the bit in the racing post where it states that the British bred Derby will be at Newcastle. I was interviewed on RPGTV on Tuesday and stated that the Derby would definitely be run but that the venue was still to be decided.

“I told Rab that we hadn’t decided and that the MAIN PROBLEM was trying to get as much exposure without Sky TV. This meant that RPGTV was the preferred option. I have been in various discussions trying to sort this but with the 2 factions it is proving to be difficult.

“Rab obviously (and yourself) did not read the Racing Post article properly which was in fact a plea from Jimmy Fenwick for a British bred race (any race) to be held at Newcastle.”