Inaugural Sunday evening card attracts 203 entries - but trainers raise concerns over staffing

Wolverhampton's Sunday evening card has attracted a bumper 203 entries, but some trainers have expressed concerns about staffing the fixture.

The meeting is the first of six Sunday evening all-weather cards announced as part of the 2024 fixture list, with the seven-race card offering £145,000 in prize-money. All the races at Class 4 or below are being run for at least three times the relevant minimum value.

The prospect of evening racing on Sundays has long been an issue of contention, especially among stable staff, but it was agreed by the BHA's commercial committee that six fixtures would run as a trial from January 7 to March 10.  

Trainer Charlie Fellowes could be represented in the Class 4 7f handicap (7.30) by Smoky Mountain, who would be competing for a first-place prize worth 2.7 times what he ran for in the same grade over course and distance two weeks ago.

"The prize-money is great, it's what we all want," said Fellowes. "Smoky Mountain was very unlucky not to win last time and you'd be mad not to run. Normally for a 0-78 he has no chance of winning that kind of prize-money."

While Fellowes was happy with the better prize-money on offer, he spoke openly about how racing on a Sunday evening would detract from important time spent with his young family.

"There's two sides to everything," he said. "As amazing as the prize-money is, it's another moment of our week when we are racing, and with all the respect in the world to my owners, I don't want to be racing on a Sunday evening.

"I have a one-year-old and a three-year-old and I don't get to spend as much time as I would like with them as it is, and Sunday has always been a day when I can spend some time with them and watch them grow up.

"Now, I've entered two horses this weekend, so not only are you worried beforehand because you need to speak to the jockey and make sure the horse travelled okay, but if they disappoint you have to speak to an upset owner and, trust me, you're put in a bad mood.

"So on a day when I'm not supposed to be racing I'm in a foul mood when I'm meant to be spending some quality time with my family, and you can't help it when you live the life that we do and put 120 per cent into our work because you care. It impacts your mental health.

"Everybody knows that in this country the prize-money is not brilliant and we should all be doing everything we can to increase the prize-money, but there has to be a line at what expense we'll do that for."

Charlie Fellowes: raised staffing concerns along with Mick Appleby Credit: Edward Whitaker

Stable staff will be given a bonus payment of £150 for attending the Sunday evening meetings but require an extra half a day off earlier in the week, something Fellowes said is hard to find as his staff pool is "incredibly stretched".

“I have no idea how I’m going to staff it, I need volunteers,” Fellowes added. “They're already working incredibly long hours. We've a stretched workforce as it is - this is only going to stretch it even more.”  

Seven-time all-weather champion trainer Mick Appleby has nine entries and described the meeting as "a good opportunity for prize-money", but echoed the staffing concerns of Fellowes.

"They already work hard enough and long enough hours without having to go out on a Sunday evening," he said. "Personally I wouldn't run on a Sunday night, but it all depends on what the owners want to do."

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