Kelso hits out at trainers after 37 runners declared for Saturday's card

Kelso's managing director has hit out at trainers after just 37 runners were declared for the track's meeting even though it is the most valuable in Britain on Saturday.

Jonathan Garratt described himself as "appalled" at the turnout, adding the independently run track would reconsider how much prize-money it offered in future.

Kelso's seven-race card – worth £163,011 – features a Grade 2 novice hurdle and a Listed chase, along with three other races with pots of over £10,000.

Garratt's words come amid protests within the industry against low prize-money offered at tracks run by Arena Racing Company, with an orchestrated boycott by trainers causing a walkover at Sedgefield on Sunday.

Speaking on Friday, Garratt said: "I'm absolutely appalled, quite frankly, as we know trainers wanted going on the soft side of good and the track is in perfect condition.

"We have put up over £163,000 in prize-money this Saturday – higher than the other two main meetings at Newbury and Doncaster – yet we haven't got the runners.

"It's simple, if owners and trainers don't follow where the money is then we'll need to have a rethink and discuss the matter at board level. It's nearly impossible to justify the amount of prize-money on offer with the number of runners we've ended up with for this meeting."

The Listed Belhaven Brewery Premier Chase, valued at £60,000, has five runners and the Edinburgh Gin Premier Kelso Novices' Hurdle, worth £50,000, has just six.

Garratt said: "We'll have little option but to think long and hard about whether Kelso, which is the eighth-highest contributor to prize-money of any jumping course in Britain, can continue to put up these levels of prize-money.

"We have another meeting on Saturday, March 23, with £168,000 on offer, with a £50,000 handicap chase and a couple of handicap hurdles both worth £40,000. It'll be interesting to see how many runners we get for that card."

The National Hunt trainers' committee of the National Trainers Federation described the cause of the lack of runners at Kelso as “multi-faceted” and said trainers would do “all that is possible” to address the issue of small fields.

A statement said: “Trainers would like to state categorically that Kelso’s commitment to prize-money is outstanding. The feature races have been well supported in terms of quality, if not quantity, which is the norm for these conditions races, especially taking into account their proximity to the Cheltenham Festival. It's the shoulder races that are of more concern and need addressing.

"Part of the issue is down to race planning. For example, the three-mile 0-135 novice handicap chase is the fourth race with similar conditions in the last 16 days in the far north, and this must be reviewed. It has also been an extraordinary winter for National Hunt racing, with courses needing to water in February owing to the unusually dry weather, and this too will have had a serious impact on field sizes.”

Saturday's British jumps meetings

Kelso 37 declarations for seven races on £163,011 card
Doncaster 47 declarations for seven races on £152,549 card
Newbury 84 declarations for seven races on £148,513 card

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