Student raceday partly credited as Wincanton's Kingwell Hurdle attendance rises despite missing out on Premier spotlight

The new era of Premier racing meant Wincanton's meeting on Saturday may have played second fiddle to higher-profile fixtures at Ascot and Haydock, but officials at the track felt the day, the feature of which was the Grade 2 Jennings Bet Kingwell Hurdle, was a success.

Premier racing was introduced last month and 170 meetings are scheduled in Britain in 2024 to showcase the best of the sport and improve its fortunes with better prize-money and greater fan engagement.

Wincanton's card did not fall under that banner and only the Kingwell, which can act as a Champion Hurdle trial and was won by the talented Nemean Lion, was broadcast on ITV's main channel alongside the action at Ascot and Haydock.

However, Blaithin Murphy, general manager at the Jockey Club-owned course, reported a healthy crowd was boosted by nearly 1,000 students.

"We had a good crowd," she said on Sunday morning. "We had Invades, which is the student partnership that the Jockey Club works with, so we had around 900 of them, and then our sponsors Jennings Bet brought around 375 of their customers from local shops. 

"On top of our general admission, it was a well-supported day. I haven't got a total figure, but I think we got to about 3,000."

Nemean Lion (right): won the feature race the Kingwell Hurdle at WincantonCredit: Edward Whitaker

The Kingwell Hurdle card last attracted an attendance in excess of 3,000 in 2018, with 2,490 spectators at the fixture last year.

Some student racedays are frowned upon, but Murphy, the younger sister of three-time champion Flat jockey Oisin, added: "I think it's important the Invades do get to see better racing. They were in the stands all day and really added to the atmosphere, cheering on all the horses. The students were from Bath and Bournemouth and do recognise good racing when they see it.

"They have their own music tent, which they have an afterparty in. Perhaps student racedays can jar with regular racegoers, but it's not as if masses of students arrive for every fixture and they can attract people who might never come racing, and I don't think we're in a position to turn that away."

As for how Wincanton slotted in on Saturday, Murphy said: "Only the Kingwell was on ITV, but we have our Premier days as well, so we'll get our time. 

"I think it's a good model that everyone gets to share. I was happy with the Kingwell and we had an Irish runner in Colonel Mustard, and it's always positive when you see horses travelling for a race like that. It makes you feel like you're doing the right thing.

"It was [clerk of the course] Dan Cooper's last day as he's joining Haydock, which is a great move for him. We're glad to welcome Tom Ryall, who looks after Nottingham and Warwick. It's nice to have someone from the Jockey Club group coming in."

Read these next:

'He has a million options going forward' - Nemean Lion roars home in Kingwell Hurdle 

Student racedays are the perfect platform for prospective racing fans - they are opportunities not to be missed 

We support Premier racing at Musselburgh - but there's a long way to go to get it right 

The Front Runner is our unmissable email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, the reigning Racing Writer of the Year, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday. Not a Members' Club Ultimate subscriber? Click here to join today and also receive our Ultimate Daily emails plus our full range of fantastic website and newspaper content