Inflated race programme and declining horse population behind Shergar Cup Classic not attracting full field says Ascot chief

Ascot blamed the bloated racing programme alongside Britain's declining horse population as the reasons behind the Shergar Cup Classic (3.55) failing to attract a full field of ten after final declarations for Saturday's Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup day. 

The 1m4f Class 3 handicap was open to horses rated up to 95 and worth £80,000, but just eight horses were declared – two less than its maximum field size of ten and with no reserve runners. Full fields of ten were declared for the other five races, but the Shergar Cup Stayers (2.10) has no reserves, while the Challenge (2.45) has one reserve.

The BHA announced on Wednesday more than £5 million will be pumped into British prize-money to try to reverse the alarming trend of declining racehorse numbers. Ascot believes the latter has impacted this year's unique team-based competition.

Nick Smith, Ascot's director of racing and public affairs, said: "It's never ideal for the Shergar Cup fields to fall below ten given the unique nature of the event. Ultimately, though, it's a symptom of the inflated race programme and the reduction in horse numbers.

"Across the six-race programme, 41 per cent of horses had multiple entries and it was 39 per cent in the Classic. Some of these were double entries in Shergar Cup races, but the wider issue is the rise in alternative options. The result is that we're short of reserves in some races and two short in the Classic on a card framed to provide significant reward for mid-tier level horses."

Shergar Cup: fields for Saturday's races have been confirmedCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Ascot hopes it can attract more horses to be declared in years to come if the issues are addressed, with five of the Shergar Cup races worth £80,000, while the Shergar Cup Mile (4.30) is worth £100,000. There are no owner entry fees for all the contests.

Smith said: "In an ideal world, and I think it's quite possible that this will happen with more centralised authority vested in the BHA going forward, there would be a completely balanced programme, focused on making sure that races at festivals and on Saturdays are protected so delivering more competitive and betting-friendly races in prime time, usually these days, on ITV1.

"Under the circumstances we're actually quite pleased that the races are almost complete, but you should really be balloting out on a maximum-field handicap of ten runners worth £80,000 plus.

"We're looking forward to a great day with some terrific riders, some making their British debuts. We're very grateful for the support the event gets from all the participants, especially owners, who allow the riders to wear the team colours."

The Shergar Cup is made up of four teams of three jockeys each representing Europe, Asia, Rest of the World and Great Britain and Ireland. Points are awarded to the first five finishers.

If there is a non-runner in the Challenge or the Stayers, four points will be awarded both to the team and jockey missing out as there are no reserves.

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