How many British runners will we see at the Dublin Racing Festival?

There are just five British-based entries for the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown next month despite eight Grade 1 races and more than €2 million in prize-money as the decline in overseas challengers for Irish jumps races continues.

There were four British representatives at last year's festival and only one of the quartet failed to bring prize-money home – with Knocknanuss an early faller in the Irish Arkle. La Bague Au Roi won the Flogas Novice Chase while Saint Calvados was third in the Dublin Chase and Duke Of Navan filled the same spot in the Goffs Handicap Chase.

The number of British-trained runners at the Dublin Racing Festival is a sign of the changing times as there were 152 British-trained runners over jumps in Ireland in 1989 but that number fell to just 82 in 2019. That is a 46 per cent decrease in 30 years.