'It's disappointing' - another Cheltenham blow with only 47 declared on Sunday

Cheltenham's clerk of the course Simon Claisse is disappointed in the turnout for the final day of the November meeting as it became the latest track to be plagued by small fields in British jump racing, with just 47 horses declared across Sunday's card.

Nearly half of those could contest the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle (2.55) with a maximum field of 20 declared, leaving only one other race with more than six runners on the six-race card with eight declared for the concluding Listed 2m bumper.

A maximum of four will go to post in the Shloer Chase (2.20), including last year's winner and Queen Mother Champion Chase heroine Put The Kettle On, while for the second year running six horses have been declared for the 3m3½f Grade 3 handicap chase on the card (1.45) having had as many as 17 runners contest the race in 2015 and 2016.

Cheltenham Sunday card and betting

The corresponding day last season had 55 horses declared to run on the card, but 13 non-runners – with 12 due to the ground – meant only 42 horses took part on the final day of the three-day meeting.

Claisse believes there is nothing more his team could have done to attract runners this year having had to water following the Showcase meeting last month, with the ground described as good, good to soft in places when the fixture kicked off on Friday.

He said: "Only trainers could say why the fields are as they are. It's disappointing, but clearly this is ground we have had to irrigate because we haven't really had any rain for two weeks. If that is putting them off then that's out of our hands.

"As we walked the track with the stewards this morning, we were saying that the ground is on the easy side of good and one would expect everything to be running on it in March. However, it's been an unusually dry November."

Cheltenham clerk of the course and director of racing Simon ClaisseCredit: Edward Whitaker

The proliferation of small fields has already proved a problem for Cheltenham this week, with Grade 1-winning novice hurdler My Drogo taking on just one rival in a match race on his chase debut on Friday afternoon, and despite admitting they are needed, his trainer Dan Skelton believes they are "not good for anybody".

Speaking on the Racing Post's What A Shout, he said: "They've been there for a long time and they are consistently small fields.

"People don't want to take on those highly rated horses in those smaller races, but if you don't go for them you don't get the experience.

"It's a fact of racing, you need to have some of these now and again. It's not great when it happens and as a trainer I don't want to see it because it's not good for anybody."

I Like To Move It (right): faces just three rivals in the Supreme Trial on Sunday afternoonCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Recent course-and-distance winner I Like To Move It faces three rivals in the Grade 2 Supreme Trial (3.30), but his trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies insists field sizes will improve when the weather worsens.

"Field sizes will absolutely change through the season. It has been quite difficult as we've normally had them running much sooner than we have been doing so far this year," he said. "If we keep patient it'll come back around. It's been extraordinary weather."

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