'It's criminal' - Goodwood chief on failure to act over falling field sizes

Goodwood boss Adam Waterworth hit out on Sunday at the lack of action to sharpen up a British Flat racing programme beset by shrunken field sizes, a growing problem epitomised by the meagre 12 runners who contested Saturday's Stewards' Cup consolation race.

In an otherwise successful Glorious meeting lit up by performances from the likes of Kyprios, Nashwa and Baaeed, the small field for the £50,000 Stewards' Sprint Handicap, for horses eliminated from the Stewards’ Cup, renewed concerns about an overabundance of races for horses rated between 80 and 100.

Proposals put to the BHA last week by a group of industry heavyweights including former BHB chairman Peter Savill called for a cull of races in that bracket.