Increase in 'failed races' as poor field sizes continue for third month in a row

The poor field sizes afflicting British racing have continued for a third month, with fewer horses competing against each other than in previous years and more races failing the BHA's key performance metric of having at least six runners.

Analysis of BHA data showed October maintained the troubling trend of historically low runner rates, while the recent increase in the number of so-called failed races, those attracting five runners or fewer, also continued to plague the sport.

As reported last month, the average runners per race between August 1 and September 30 had plummeted to 8.4 according to statistics published by the BHA, the lowest figure for the period since records began in 1995.