The Turf Club has emphasised the need for co-operation from everybody in racing if the new overnight nomination of riders is to work properly. At a demonstration of the new system in Dublin yesterday, the keeper of the match book, Cahir O'Sullivan detailed the Turf Club's determination to make it work but he warned: "ONOR won't work if people don't co-operate and try to abuse it. However, we are determined it will work and whatever steps we can take to stop it failing will be taken."

The new system, which requires trainers to nominate a jockey for their horse 24 hours beforehand, is to officially begin for the Thurles fixture on January 6th but had raised some contention with the Trainers Association.

O'Sullivan confirmed that agreement had been reached with the trainers last Thursday and expressed his satisfaction with the entries at Clonmel last Monday when all bar five of the 81 runners were entered on the new system.

"Many people don't like change but we feel that this will be better for everyone. There was scepticism in the UK when this was introduced but within a very short time it was working very well. I'm confident it will be the same here," he said.

One interesting statistic to emerge was that 87 per cent of horses run in races open to professional flat jockeys last season were ridden by only 13 individual jockeys while over the jumps, 50 per cent were ridden by just nine professionals, four of whom are based in the UK.

"I hesitate to use the phrase idiot proof but the new system is very customer friendly and I'm confident it will be stewarded with common sense. If people abuse it however, they must expect to be penalised," O'Sullivan added.