Kempton walkover becomes third in five days as track joins Sandown and Newbury in losing race

Kempton became the third track in five days to be hit by a walkover when One Big Bang was declared a non-runner in the 3m beginners' chase (12.30).

The absence of the James Owen-trained Pertemps Final fifth with a vet's certificate after pulling off a shoe handed the race to Secret Trix from the Olly Murphy stable and continued a worrying trend that has blighted to the start of the season.

On Sunday, there was broad sympathy from members of the racing community involved as Sandown started its first jumps meeting of the season with a walkover, although such sentiments were not universally shared by those in the grandstands.

Seven races became six after Salver was declared a non-runner in the opening 1m7½f novice chase, with Gary and Josh Moore taking out their Grade 2-winning hurdler due to the going – good, good to firm in places on the chase course after selective watering.

The dry period has had a particularly pointed effect on novice chases and followed a similar situation at Newbury on Thursday when the defection of Sixmilebridge left Josh The Boss — who had been beaten by Go West in a match race at Warwick on Tuesday — as the only participant.

All four of those races, which yielded a total of five runners competing for £68,500 of prize-money, were part of the 'chasing excellence' initiative revealed in tweaks made to the programme by the BHA in September. Exeter's novice contest on Friday attracted four runners.

The walkover at Kempton was the fifth in 2025, following Percy Shelley at Ludlow last month and Yealand at Haydock in March.

• BHA announces raft of programme changes including limiting those eligible for Grade 1 novice and juvenile races 

Doyen Quest won a four-runner 'chasing excellence' novice chase at Exeter on FridayCredit: Getty Images

The BHA’s head of racing and betting Tom Byrne acknowledged at the time that the alterations, which involved the removal of a significant number of novice handicap chases in favour of beginner and novice chases, “may well result in some smaller field sizes for these contests in the short-term”.

On Sunday, Jamie Snowden's Admiral Stewart had travelled to Sandown but was not required to raise a trot to claim the first prize.

The trainer was philosophical, saying: "The BHA has put on all of these novice chases, which is a relatively new initiative on the back of the novice handicaps they had last year.

"They're very important for young horses to learn their trade over fences, so I don't think the BHA should get too carried away and concerned about the lack of field sizes and walkovers. It's not the races that are the problem, it's just the weather."

Snowden said the issue was replicated at home, adding: "We're coming into mid-November and we haven't worked horses on grass in Lambourn; usually we're on grass in mid-October. There's going to be a backlog of horses wanting soft ground."

Jamie Snowden: 'It's not the races that are the problem, it's just the weather'Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Gary Moore had sparked Sunday's walkover by withdrawing Salver, but was among the winners later in the card. He said: "He's just a younger horse and I felt he's very much soft ground-dependent. The fences come quickly down the back and the ground is usually quicker. First time over fences, I couldn't take a chance on that."

Adding his sympathy for clerks of the course, Moore said: "They've got the worst job in the world, haven't they? If they water and it rains, they're in trouble, if they don't water, the same."

Sandown's clerk of the course Andrew Cooper said: "The walkover race had nine entries and, on the ground it would have been most years, I think it would have been a nice race.

"It's a legacy of the summer, we've been watering this course for one code or another since April and are still going. It's been one of those years. Whether we're getting more of those years is another matter, but the last comparable year for this was 2022 in terms of a dry build-up. The last couple of years it hasn't been an issue." 

Richard Wayman, the BHA's director of racing, said on Sunday: "The chasing excellence programme of races has been designed as an investment in the future of sport, providing the opportunity for young chasers to develop in suitable races and help fulfil their potential. We believe strongly in the importance of this programme and that we will ultimately see the benefits of these races in the years to come.

“As with any initiative, we are closely monitoring the races involved and it is clearly unfortunate that the launch of the programme has coincided with a prolonged spell of dry weather resulting in quick ground throughout much of the country. 

"While these races should be judged on the longer-term results rather than field sizes, something we will consider for the future is whether a more agile approach could be taken to this programme."

Some racegoers feeling short-changed

After the walkover at Sandown, there were only seven runners combined in the other two chases, with one of the hurdles attracting only four starters.

On-the-day badges cost £35 for the Premier enclosure, while general admission was £25 and several spectators who had bought tickets admitted feeling short-changed.

Tom Holmes, who had come on a family outing, said: "We paid beforehand and if we hadn't done, we wouldn't have come today, you can't get a refund. Some tracks can't water, but you'd imagine they can here. We missed the first two races on purpose, so it's affected our day. Still, we'll make the most of it."

The action at Sandown was reduced to mostly small-field affairsCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Regular racegoer Giles Paul said: "I was surprised that there were such small fields having looked at the entries, where there were plenty, and I booked a ticket on the basis that there'd be some good racing. It's £35 on the door to come into the Premier and I think that's a hell of a lot for what they've put on."

Read these next:

'It's nobody's fault when you're trying to battle with nature' - Newbury's opening race declared a walkover 

New walkover rule 'a lot more sensible' says James Owen as he collects prize at Ludlow 

Walkover from home - BHA changes rule to bring end to sole runner having to be ridden past the winning post at the course 

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