Leading jumps trainer Chris Hyland is preparing for the worst even if authorities allow the sport to continue this winter.The Racing Victoria Limited (RVL) Board will meet on Wednesday after which it is expected to announce the fate of jumps racing.Hyland said the five jumpers in his Cranbourne stables would be sent back to their owners in NSW and Queensland if jumps racing is banned."I don't know what is going to happen but I have prepared my clients for the worst," Hyland said."If it goes ahea

Leading jumps trainer Chris Hyland is preparing for the worst even if authorities allow the sport to continue this winter.

The Racing Victoria Limited (RVL) Board will meet on Wednesday after which it is expected to announce the fate of jumps racing.

Hyland said the five jumpers in his Cranbourne stables would be sent back to their owners in NSW and Queensland if jumps racing is banned.

"I don't know what is going to happen but I have prepared my clients for the worst," Hyland said.

"If it goes ahead I'll give it 100 per cent with the five horses I have. I'll go on with the existing horses that I've got, but I won't be buying any more jumpers at this stage because of the uncertainty of it.

"I'll have a quarter of my business go out the door. It will set me back.

"Over the last couple of years there has just been no security there. I've got two young kids and you don't need the stress of wondering whether it is going to go on or not.

"Jumping has been great to me and I love it but I've found it very embarrassing telling my owners to invest in jumps racing having been given an undertaking that jumps racing would be on this season."

Racing Victoria suspended jumps racing last Thursday after the deaths of three jumpers over the last two days of the Warrnambool three-day May carnival.

Hyland said the interruption to the season has already affected the horses that haven't raced over the jumps as they have to pass three hurdle trials to qualify for a start.

They would not become qualified until mid-June and by then most of the season would be over.

Hyland said continuing scrutiny of jumps racing was another factor in the demise of the sport.

"They'll (animal rights activists) be looking at every incident that happens. Things will go wrong which is inevitable," he said.

"It doesn't matter what you do to the jumps, you will not convince them that it's right."

Brett Scott, who works as Australian stable foreman for respected New Zealand jumps trainer John Wheeler, was one of 24 jumps jockeys who met at Moe on Sunday.

They agreed to make a seven-point submission on the rest of the season to the RVL board.

Their recommendations included having steeplechase racing only; flag or strand starts rather than barrier starts; and longer races.

"It seems to me the animal rights activists have more than just jumps racing on their agenda," Scott said.

"I don't think they'll stop there if RVL does away with jumps racing."

Scott believes they will then target flat racing.