With the future of jumps racing under threat in New Zealand, Myers says he has to speak out.
"We can't afford to lose jumps racing, it is too important to the overall industry," Myers told the Herald yesterday.
"There are a huge number of top trainers, jockeys, trackwork riders and horse breakers who get into racing because of, or through, jumps racing. If we let jumps racing fade away those people are lost to the industry and then who is going to work all the horses?
"These are highly-skilled people who help keep the whole industry going and already we were bringing a lot of people in from other countries to help keep racing going and that is now getting harder or impossible to do.
"If we let jumps racing die it will have a terrible effect on the industry. It will make it harder or even impossible to get and keep staff.
"It is crucial. Unless we keep these people who are in the game because of jumps racing we are going to be racing twice a week because there will be nobody to train the horses."
Myers says star jumpers such as The Cossack, winner of Wednesday's Grand National Hurdles, and Tallyho Twinkletoe provide special moments in New Zealand racing and a point of difference.
He hopes that continues tomorrow when Tallyho Twinkletoe is a remarkable $1.40 to win the Grand National even carrying the 70kg topweight. If victorious he will give rider Shaun Phelan the coveted Great Northern double.
Myers knows Tallyho Twinkletoe is special, rating him up with former warhorse Sea King.
"He has got a big motor and he had an accident when he was young that meant he was given lots of time to mature.
"Then he was given a good grounding around the sports days and jumping events by Jo [Rathbone, part-owner]."
There is another, somewhat less heroic, reason Tallyho Twinkletoe is so good, measuring his fences efficiently even ploughing through the mud carrying 71kg winning the lead-up race last Saturday.
"He is a very spooky horse," explains Myers. "Around the stable if he spots a piece of clover being blown the wrong way by the wind he will shy away from it.
"But because he has that nature it makes him a really good jumper. He looks after himself at the fences, makes sure he gets his legs up and out of the way because he is quite nervy."
Myers also has Mandalay and The Rolling Stone in the Grand National and suggests Mandalay is not without a chance but Tallyho Twinkletoe is in another class.
"He is just a very good horse and while he has got a lot of weight I think he will be fine.
"It is great to have horses like him racing. He is 11, and a lot of these jumpers are older horses. Where would they go without it?"
Kevin Myers
Job: Thoroughbred trainer
Career wins in NZ: 1307, with 51 black type victories.
Career stakes in NZ: $19,197,632
Highlights: $1 million Kelt Capital 2004 (Balmuse); NZ Derby 2008 (C'est La Guerre), Auckland Cup 2011 (Titch). Numerous major jumping races here and in Australia.
This weekend: Has Tallyho Twinkletoe as $1.40 favourite to win the Grand National Steeplechase at Riccarton tomorrow.
Dislikes: Talking to the media.
