Richard Fahey has defended York racecourse in the face of mounting criticism over the condition of the ground during the Ebor meeting last week.
Middleham trainer Mark Johnston is among those to have spoken out, saying in his blog on his website that he thought the ground was "atrocious". But Fahey, who has been leading trainer on the Knavesmire for the past few seasons, reported all his runners returned with a clean bill of health.
Fahey, who ended the meeting with one winner and four seconds, said: "Nearly all mine ran well at York and every single one of them returned perfectly sound. That certainly wasn't the case at Royal Ascot when three of mine returned with fractures. I don't know what all the fuss has been about, I honestly don't."
The handler went on: "I have no problem whatsoever in running my horses at York, it's one of the fairest tracks in the country and last week the ground was just about perfect."
Speaking on www.markjohnstonracing.com, Johnston said: "I thought the ground at York was atrocious and, from the correspondence I have received over the last few days, it would seem that I am not the only one.
"It is surely wrong, on a 'grade one' track, in August, rain or no rain, to have horses running all over the track in search of the better ground.
"It is not just York that has a problem, although it is particularly bad there, and it seems to stem from the time when BHA instructions were changed to allow clerks of courses to aim for good to firm ground rather than, under the old instructions, to water to promote grass growth but not to alter the going."
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