'Should we even carry on?' - racegoers' day spoilt by walkover and withdrawals

Racegoers at Ascot were due to see Constitution Hill, Edwardstone and L'Homme Presse, but instead missed out on seeing any of the Cheltenham Festival-winning trio – and even had to watch a walkover.

Quick ground was the reason all three were declared non-runners, with the absence of Constitution Hill undoubtedly the biggest disappointment.

Drying conditions also led to the 3m novice handicap chase being a walkover with four runners coming out in the morning, leaving Milan Bridge to collect the £8,169 first prize.

Just 30 horses featured across seven races on a day when the cheapest ticket available on Saturday morning was £25 in the Queen Anne Enclosure.

Tim McBennett, from Rochester, Kent, said: "For a meeting like this on a Saturday, it's disappointing. Everyone appreciates horse welfare and the fact that these horses have bigger targets later in the season, but a meeting like this at Ascot deserves better runners.

"I assume that every effort has been made by the racecourse, but more has to be done at these big Saturday meetings because a big crowd here has been left disappointed."

The feeling was shared by Chris Knapp, from Bristol. He said: "I find it disappointing. I'm an Ascot member but I didn't book my friend's ticket until last night because I was waiting to see what was going to run and if anything was going to be pulled out. It turns out that the three horses I came to see aren't running.

"Constitution Hill is a big horse, so I can understand why they decided not to run. I'm looking forward to going to Newbury next week, but I'll wait until Thursday and see what looks likely to run.

"When as many horses have come out as has happened today, should you even carry on with the meeting?"

This fixture attracted a juggernaut clash between Cyrname and Altior in the 1965 Chase three years ago, but the 11-year-old Coole Cody won a match with Saint Calvados this season. However, some still enjoyed their day at the races, despite missing the presence of racing's big guns.

Goshen profited from Constitution Hill's absence to land the Coral HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

"I wasn't surprised," said Vicky Standing, who lives near Wincanton. "They have to think about the horses. We're not punters and we're not betting, but I can appreciate how disappointing it is for them.

"But it must also be difficult for the racecourse to manage. It won't spoil my day. It's always great to be here."

'It's got to be the most embarrassing day's racing ever'

Paul Kealy, the Racing Post's longstanding frontline tipster, was watching Saturday's racing unfold alongside punters and fellow racing enthusiasts in south London, all anticipating an entertaining afternoon of high-class sport and the opportunity for some betting action.

Instead, the atmosphere was one of frustration turning to exasperation as Ascot's fields were gradually depleted, carefully planned bets placed during the week became void and single-figure fields became single-runner fields.

"It's got to be the most embarrassing day's racing ever," Kealy said, echoing the thoughts of his fellow enthusiasts. "There were a lot of questions being asked by punters: 'How accurate is the going description?' 'Why wait until the whole crowd has arrived and paid their entrance money before pulling out big-name horses?' 'Would the same trainers run these horses on that ground if it was the Cheltenham Festival?'

"Nicky Henderson called it 'beautiful ground' yesterday and we all know Ascot dries quickly and that we've had a dry summer, but if they're putting water on 'beautiful ground' overnight why wasn't that enough to run? After all, Constitution Hill smashed the track record on fast ground at Cheltenham in March.

"And if you look at Edwardstone's record, when he won at Warwick in February on good to soft, his jockey Tom Cannon jumped off and said 'he loves that ground; it's the quickest he's been on for a while'."

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