Super Saturday set to stay as July Cup attendance rises

'Super Saturday' seems here to stay after Newmarket's managing director Amy Starkey said the opportunity to take the July Cup off the congested weekend programme was "moving away from us".

A window of opportunity to adjust a schedule on which a feast of high-quality racing from Newmarket, York and Ascot, plus Chester, compete on one afternoon had been held ajar by Jockey Club Racecourses in the right commercial circumstances.

But after the three-day July meeting ended with another rise in attendance and ITV main-channel coverage of its climax, it now appears shut.

Harry Angel and Adam Kirby return to a warm reception after winning the July CupCredit: Mark Cranham

The meeting moved from a Wednesday-Friday to Thursday-Saturday programme in 2011, having been Tuesday-Thursday until 2005, adding the July and Bunbury Cups to a day on which York's John Smith's Cup was the traditional highlight.

That created a feast of racing that has annually challenged – and at times frustrated and annoyed – racing professionals, bookmakers and punters.

ITV showed ten races from three meetings in a three-and-a-half-hour show that had the July Cup as its headline race. Newmarket's attendance of 15,487 was up four per cent on last year, and total attendance for the three-day meeting was 41,926, a five per cent rise and the highest since it moved slot.

Starkey said: "The Darley July Cup is such an amazing race and for the maximum number of people to see it on a Saturday, whether on course, ITV, RUK or internationally, it's starting to be more difficult to consider moving it back to a midweek slot.

Amy Starkey: hard to see July Cup moving back to a midweek slotCredit: Edward Whitaker

"We've always maintained that, in the right set of commercial circumstances, we would look at it, but I see that as moving away from us."

Ascot's director of racing Nick Smith said: "We had 19,000 people and two races on ITV1. It suits everybody. It wouldn't be ideal every weekend, but once or twice a year it can do no harm."

There remains less appetite among trainer's, who have to solve the logistical challenges set by so much racing at the same time.

Ralph Beckett and Richard Fahey sent runners to six different meetings, and Beckett said: "I hate to say it, but we appear to have got used to it. It's become accepted this is the way it is, although that doesn't mean I agree with it.

"I didn't have any runners at all Tuesday or Wednesday this week and then we had 17 on Friday and Saturday. We're well staffed so can cope, but I'd guess it suits larger outfits because they have the infrastructure to cope.

'It's a great shame'

"There's a paucity of competitive racing midweek and I don't think that sells the sport well. Racing Monday to Wednesday is a turn-off now. How is that good for any of us?"

He added: "It's a great shame everything is shoved into the weekend and I think it's sad we've got used to it. I don't think it's going to change."

William Haggas said: "I don't like it. I think it's unnecessary to have three big cards on the same day. Two I can understand – one in the north, one in the south – but with Chester as well, the Irish Oaks, and Bastille Day the day before in France, it's very hard to find the right jockeys."

He continued: "There's a view it gives the less well known jockeys a chance to ride a good horse in a good race, and I accept that, but it's pretty hard for trainers.

William Haggas: 'I don't like it. I think it's unnecessary to have three big cards on the same day'Credit: Edward Whitaker

"It's become the fashion to put everything into weekend cards, and the racing midweek is drab. Racing midweek when it's Ascot, Cheltenham or Goodwood is fantastic.

"I don't know why they want to put so much into this Saturday when they're competing with the Ladies' Final at Wimbledon, the Test Match at Trent Bridge, qualifying for the British Grand Prix and everything else."

Neither does it suit the betting industry.

Sky Bet's Michael Shinners said: "It's clearly a fantastic day of racing. However, with the slight delays that were bound to happen certain races did run into one another, which affected turnover.

"If there's an appetite to have all those big meetings on one day we'd certainly support one of them being a twilight and starting at 4.45pm."

Coral spokesman Dave Stevens added: "We'd prefer to see some of Saturday's feast moved, ideally to boost next Saturday's relative famine.

"There is only a finite amount of punters' cash to go around, and races like the Bunbury Cup and John Smith's Cup are unlikely to be punching their weight in betting terms on such a busy day."

David Stevens: 'We'd prefer to see some of Saturday's feast moved'Credit: Edward Whitaker

Chester still drew an attendance of 26,000, but chief executive Richard Thomas said: "It's difficult to see anybody moving.

"Newmarket were there last, but I don't suppose they'll move. And the Jockey Club [which owns Newmarket] has such a large proportion of the fixtures it's very hard for the independent courses to move."

JULY MEETING CROWDS

Year Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Total

2017 17,471, 8,962, 15,487 41,926
2016 16,640 8,297 14,896 39,833
2015 14,944 7,531 14,608 37,083
2014 16,478 7,330 12,044 35,852
2013 16,200 7,974 12,011 36,185
2012 16,105 7,064 10,902 34,071
2011 16,623 7,233 10,736 34,592
2010* 6,715 15,895 9,609 32,219
2009 5,590 14,234 8,950 28,774
2008 5,000 14,629 9,029 28,658
2007 8,983 15,102 10,971 35,056
2006 14,512 8,832 10,350 33,694
2005** 14,476 8,943 10,670 34,089

*Last year as Wednesday-Friday
**Last year as Tuesday-Thursday