It's one of the finest tracks in Britain - so why are some of the fields at York's Ebor meeting so poor?

Read the thoughts of Maddy Playle every week in the Racing Post Weekender. The Weekender is out every Wednesday and is available in all good newsagents, or you can subscribe here.

The Ebor meeting is considered a great bastion of British racing, so why are many of the fields in the Group races at York this week so poor?

The Juddmonte International is set to live up to its name with Japanese and French representation, but it’s a great shame it has attracted only six runners, with just two places for each-way purposes. It is regrettable when a Group 1 field doesn't have at least eight runners (and therefore three places for each-way), not least a race rated the best in the world last year. 

The preceding Great Voltigeur isn’t much to shout about either, with the dual Derby hero Lambourn set to face a maximum of six vastly inferior rivals. Three of those are Ballydoyle stablemates, and a similar concentration of power can be seen in Thursday’s Yorkshire Oaks.

Minnie Hauk looks set to face three rivals, with her biggest danger Estrange in need of rain to take her chance. Garden Of Eden and Qilin Queen have a mountain to climb on form if they are to pose a threat. 

There were two supplementary entries for the meeting's newest Group 1, the 7f City of York Stakes, with the Sussex Stakes winner Qirat a classy edition, but just 13 remained in contention at the five-day stage. 

Minnie Hauk (right): set to go off at prohibitive odds for Thursday's Yorkshire OaksCredit: Patrick McCann

I’m unconvinced any blame can fall at York’s feet for this, as the level of prize-money on offer is exceptional and the track always appears to offer a top-class experience for trainers and owners. Indeed, the fact such a fate can befall one of the finest tracks in the country perhaps shows how deep in troubled waters the sport is. 

Instead, the timing of some of the races may have a part to play. Many potential City of York runners also had the option of the Prix Jacques le Marois over a mile at Deauville on Sunday, while another French Group 1, the Prix Maurice de Gheest over just half a furlong shorter, is just 13 days before. 

Perhaps most alarming is the proximity of last Saturday's feature, the Hungerford Stakes, a Group 2 run over the same trip as the City of York.

The issue seems to be a lack of supply, and the data certainly backs up this impression.

British foal crop numbers are forecasted to fall by as much as 25 per cent by 2026 from 2022 numbers according to modelling by the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA), which would have catastrophic consequences for the sport.

Combine that with the increased commercial focus on precocious speed and it spells disaster for the long-term health of the breed. 

While the Group 1 Nunthorpe over five furlongs is the saving grace of Ebor week, with three supplementary entries adding substantial spice to an open affair, it is hard to be encouraged by the state of British sprinters. This season has seen handicappers American Affair and Jm Jungle capture headline events at Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood, while nine-year-old gelding Khaadem winning the 2023 and 2024 editions of the QEII Jubilee Stakes at the  royal meeting paints an equally bleak picture. 

From a punting and storytelling perspective, it is magnificent to have so many runners in sprints and has helped provide some refreshing narratives to the season, but the fact British runners could barely raise a gallop in this year's Jubilee against the French and Japanese raiders Lazzat and Satono Reve is a cause for concern.

With Derby winners being gelded and regularly dismissed as jumps sires upon entering the breeding sheds, surely it is no surprise the chickens are coming home to roost. The warning signs are already flashing, and drastic action must surely be taken to safeguard the future of the breed.

• 'He's massively underrated at 25-1 for the Ebor' - why this horse can win at York this week 

Looking forward to Cloud returning

As the exploits of American Affair, Jm Jungle and Saturday's Hungerford winner More Thunder have proved, this season has been a mighty one for handicappers stepping up in class.

While those are all sprinters, there is potential for it to happen in the mile division too and one of the horses I'm most looking forward to seeing this autumn is the excellent Royal Hunt Cup winner My Cloud. 

My Cloud: Royal Hunt Cup could take the step up to Group 1 company in the autumnCredit: Edward Whitaker

Palace Pier's half-brother overcame a world of trouble to land that competitive event, and the form has worked out nicely since with Fox Legacy winning two valuable contests, Ebt's Guard enjoying success at the Shergar Cup meeting and of course Qirat's strike in the Sussex Stakes. 

The four-year-old was robbed of the opportunity to test his mettle in the Group 2 Summer Mile in July due to a bad scope, and the fact he wasn't confirmed for Sunday's Celebration Mile at Goodwood suggests we won't see him again just yet, but he was recently entered in the QEII on Champions Day. Hopefully he'll be worth the wait.

Read more:

Only four declared for Yorkshire Oaks as Minnie Hauk heads Aidan O'Brien challenge with Whirl out 

Delacroix returns to top of Juddmonte International market after sole Aidan O'Brien runner catches bookies 'a bit by surprise' 

'He's massively underrated at 25-1 for the Ebor' - why this horse can win at York this week 

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