Flat racing hit by more dismal field sizes as trainers warn of worse to come

More dismal field sizes are in evidence on Friday, when more than half of the races have attracted fewer than six runners following a similarly sparse Thursday, and trainers James Tate and Charlie Fellowes believe things could soon get even worse.

Summer jumping has been scrutinised in recent weeks after record-low field sizes in June, when 28.26 per cent of jump races featured five runners or fewer, yet the latest issues are very much related to the Flat.

Six fixtures at Newbury, Haydock, Nottingham, Newmarket, Hamilton and Pontefract on Friday are due to average just 7.05 runners per race. Newbury fares best with an average field size of 8.38, yet Nottingham and Newmarket have attracted an average of six and 5.86 runners respectively.

More than half of the 41 races in Britain on Friday have attracted fewer than six runners, a key metric for measuring the sport's health and one which equates to a failed race, while just 11 of the 41 feature more than eight runners to trigger three each-way places for punters.

Thursday's average field size was even worse at 6.74 runners across five meetings, while Saturday's average is 7.45 runners across eight meetings and 55 races. Only 12 of Saturday's races have attracted double-figure fields, while no race has more than seven runners at Haydock where just 33 compete across six contests.

Worse could follow, as Newmarket trainers Tate and Fellowes suggested unprecedented high temperatures set to hit Britain from Sunday to Tuesday could lead to plenty of handlers not wanting to risk travelling their horses.

Tate said: "Travelling and running horses in the type of heat they are forecasting is never ideal. I've made entries, but I don't think they'll run. Half the time it's in the hope that the forecast will change and they will get thunderstorms."

James Tate: 'I've made entries, but I don't think they'll run'Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Fellowes has taken an even stronger stance and has not entered runners for Monday or Tuesday. Ayr, Windsor and Beverley are due to host Flat cards on Monday, while Musselburgh, Chelmsford and Wolverhampton race on Tuesday.

He said: "I haven't even made any entries for Monday and Tuesday of next week as even travelling horses in the heat that is forecast is unsuitable. Many of mine are soft-ground horses anyway so we'll have to sit tight."

Good to firm features in the going description at five of Friday's six meetings in Britain, with Newbury described as good on watered ground.

Tate, a qualified vet, also questioned trainers putting red hoods on their runners to go to post in the ongoing heatwave.

The red hood is a common sight at racecourses as runners handle the preliminaries and head to the post, but Tate says he has seen numerous instances at racecourses in recent days of horses getting very warm in the headgear and then failing to run up to form.

He said: "We have a three-year-old filly, Floral Splendour, to run in the last at Haydock on Friday and she will be wearing a red hood to post, but only because the temperature is forecast to be 19C.

"I've been racing a couple of times this week when those runners wearing red hoods have overheated by the time they got to post, which is no surprise as it's like wearing a balaclava on your head in hot weather which is something we'd never do."

Friday runners and riders

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