Coolmore Stud boss John Magnier last night lashed out at the Turf Club's opposition to the Government's offer of cash for amalgamation, labelling them 'a handful of amateurs'.
Often referred to as the most powerful and influential figure in Irish racing, Magnier is a member of the Irish Horseracing Authority who want to merge with the Turf Club and the Racecourses Association in return for the betting tax being put back into racing.
Magnier said last night: 'Unless everyone wakes up, and then stands up, a handful of amateurs, and by that I mean people who do not rely on this business for their living, are going to cost professional trainers, jockeys, breeders, agents, stable staff and a mass of others their livlihoods.
'To be blunter still, there is a very small minority refusing to co-exist with Government and never before have the decisions of so very few amateurs affected so many professionals.'
Magnier, who along with Michael Tabor is also the dominant owner in Irish racing, urged industry leaders to sieze the moment or 'let ourselves open to the rightful scorn of our grandchildren.'
He declared: 'There are two Ministers, Charlie McCreevy and Joe Walsh, who have offered to set up racing's finances in perpetuity. It's never happened before and who's to say the opportunity will ever be there to grasp again. We are being given this extraordinary lifeline. Why are we not saying yes to it?
He added: 'Make no mistake, I am not against our world respected amateur stewards. No one is, but they are in danger of pricing themselves out of the market i.e. the cure could be worse than the disease.'
Magnier was speaking at Leopardstown where he received a Hall of Fame award from the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' organisation.
