Field sizes receive December boost - but sport warned about any complacency

British racing’s historically low field sizes received a boost in the final month of 2022 as the number of runners edged up compared to the previous year, but the sport’s leaders have been warned by the group representing punters that they should not be misled by the rise.

While 2022 represented a nadir for field sizes in Britain with the lowest average number of runners since BHA records began in 1995, the year ended with some encouragement as runner levels in December surpassed the monthly figures of the previous year for the only time, with the average race attracting 9.46 horses compared to 9.34 in 2021.

Field sizes for the festive period between December 26 and January 1 were particularly buoyant, albeit they followed on from a succession of cancellations caused by the freezing weather before Christmas. Of the 50 fixtures scheduled to take place in Britain between December 7-19, 26 were called off with 21 of those being jumps meetings.