'You can't value mediocrity' - Snowden wary of quick fix to small-field crisis

British field sizes in March hit record lows for the month as the malaise that has dogged the sport showed no signs of slackening.

Nearly a third of jumps races attracted five runners or fewer in a slump reflected in numbers at last month's Cheltenham Festival, which had its poorest fields this century bar the meeting behind closed doors in 2021.

For the first time in ten years, no jumps fixtures were lost in total or part during the month, which contributed to the dire numbers according to Jamie Snowden, a member of the National Trainers Federation’s jump committee, but the trainer warned the industry against quick fixes to the issue of small fields such as dividing low-grade races as it would be “pandering to mediocrity”.