RENOWNED New Zealand horseman John Wheeler took time out from preparing Tedriffic for Saturday's Queensland Cup to put some perspective on the furore surrounding jumps racing in Victoria.

"I think there has been an overreaction, to be fair," Wheeler said in regard to the unwanted headlines created when only four of 13 horses finished last Saturday's Grand National Hurdle at Flemington.

"We had a similar situation in New Zealand on Saturday and no one batted an eyelid.

"People in Australia have become very urban, they don't realise what goes on in the real world.

"The odd death in a hurdle race, while it is not pleasant, is one of those things you cop."

The introduction of smaller fences with nylon brushes was ushered in down south with safety in mind, but Wheeler says it has a detrimental impact.

"I've always been opposed to the speed of the race here," Wheeler said. "They've encouraged speed, speed, speed. It has discouraged teaching horses to jump properly, they are taught now to run through the hurdles.

"A lot of these so-called hurdlers don't even jump now, they gallop and hope to get over them because they [the jumps] are so small."

Wheeler said opinions "are like bums, everyone has got one", but the man who trained Crafty Dancer to win the Grand National Steeple six years ago and prepared seven Great Eastern Steeplechase winners at Oakbank, reckons thicker fences are the way to go.

"Not necessarily bigger fences but fences that are more substantial," Wheeler said. "Watch a hurdle race, a horse won't set itself for a hurdle but it will for a steeplechase, there is more brush, slightly bigger and more robust, that's the key."

Wheeler says horses "love to jump" and you can teach a galloper to leap. "When you first start them, if the rider falls off, they'll jump as many as you want them to jump if other horses are going round with them," he said.

"They get an adrenaline rush from it, they enjoy it, I'd say nine out of 10 are in that category.

"Quite often you'll see in a race, if one loses a rider, they'll finish the race and jump every fence."

Wheeler prepares upwards of 20 jumpers a year. "I teach my horses over relatively small jumps so when they get to a bigger jump they get a bigger rush," he said.

"I don't think we've had a rider fall off or a horse fall this year. It is speed that does it in a race, the breakneck speed, the horse gets out of its comfort zone and that's when they get into trouble, they can't correct themselves."

And Wheeler knows a jumping career can extend a thoroughbred's life, for the alternative may well be showjumping, hunting, a recreational horse and "others, they go to the knackers yard".

Tedriffic is a fair way off retirement. Wheeler has given the five-year-old four starts in Brisbane this winter and the latest was a fourth in last Saturday's Caloundra Cup. "The winner was too good, but he probably should have run second or third," Wheeler said of his charge. "He had the run of the race, it was a super ride until about the 500 [metres] when he couldn't get out, he only saw clear space over the last 150."

Jason Taylor has retained the ride on Tedriffic, and Wheeler is confident the horse is ready to peak.

"The Caloundra Cup and Queensland Cup were the main targets, the two races I targeted right from day one," Wheeler said.

"He came over here with only a couple of runs under his belt and he needed two or three runs to reach his best.

It doesn't look that strong a race on Saturday and my horse will run the two miles, he has been trained for it."