Racecourses bemoan drop in field sizes for jump races as situation claimed to be 'unsustainable'

More than a quarter of jump races this spring have been impacted by small fields following a challenging dry spell, according to BHA statistics.

A total of 27.89 per cent of races between April 1 and May 11 were contested by six or fewer runners, the second-highest figure for two decades after 31.18 per cent in 2022. The average field size over jumps for the same period was 7.82 runners, the lowest return since 7.71 in 2022 and down from 9.46 runners last year.

Following a dry March, the Met Office recorded a mean temperature of 9.6C last month, making it the third warmest April since records began in 1884, while UK rainfall was just 56 per cent of its typical total. There has been a similarly dry start to May, contributing to small field sizes.