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A trainer who said he was "not impressed" by the prize money hike for the Constitution Hill race could take him on.

Among the 32 horses entered for the SBK Road To Cheltenham Novice Stakes over 1m 4f at Southwell on Friday is the Charlie Johnston-trained Tide Lines.

The unraced daughter of Sea The Moon features in the list alongside contenders from the stables of Willie Mullins (Daddy Long Legs), Dan Skelton (Gambino), Paul Nicholls (Nardaran) and Fergal O’Brien (Tripoli Flyer), with a maximum field of 14 runners permitted.

In the February edition of The Kingsley Klarion, Johnston's monthly magazine, he said he was frustrated by racing professionals competing for "derisory" funds when it is business as usual.

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The Constitution Hill race is backed by SBK and will be the joint most valuable British novice ever run on the all-weather, as part of a Friday Night Live fixture, which is aimed at a younger audience.

Johnston wrote: "Like everyone else, I'm fascinated to see if Constitution Hill makes his Flat debut at Southwell on February 20 as part of their Friday Night Live card. It's hard to see how his performance in what amounts to a glorified bumper will guide connections as to whether/how he might perform in the Champion Hurdle.

“If he runs, he should definitely attract more viewers, but what annoys me, however, is that trainers who support racing on the all-weather circuit throughout the winter have to watch their horses compete for derisory prize-money on a daily basis, yet the prospect of including Constitution Hill has seen the race brought forward from another Southwell card and, remarkably, the addition of £40,000 in prize-money, making the race the joint most valuable novice race to be run on the all-weather in Britain.

"I'm not impressed."

Around 2,000 people are expected to watch the action unfold at Southwell. Oisin Murphy has been lined up for the ride on Constitution Hill, the 2023 Champion Hurdle hero switching to the level after several falls over jumps.

However the five-time champion jockey might be in demand as his regular employer Andrew Balding has given Jupiter Ammon, the highest-rated horse in the list, the option.

Constitution Hill is 4-1 with William Hill for the Champion Hurdle and his handler Nicky Henderson is yet to decide on his participation.