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'Massive issue' - leading bookmaker warns of the damaging effect of small-field chases on ITV
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'Massive issue' - leading bookmaker warns of the damaging effect of small-field chases on ITV
Jump racing may be the sport's more popular discipline, but one major bookmaker has warned the small chase fields being generated for prime ITV races are a "massive issue". Saturday's four-runner Ascot Chase was the 14th consecutive Grade 1 chase in Britain to be staged without the eight runners required to pay three places on each-way bets in a run that stretches back to last season's Gold Cup. ITV lead presenter Ed Chamberlin referenced this figure in Saturday’s broadcast. While smaller fields at the highest level may come as no surprise, it is an issue which has blighted ITV racing's coverage since the jumps returned in earnest in October, with 56 per cent (58 of the 103) of all chases shown free-to-air in that time consisting of seven runners or less. Over hurdles the numbers are more positive, with 64 per cent (49 of 76) of all races on ITV since October – and 73 per cent of Grade 1s (eight of the 11) run since last year's Gold Cup – attracting eight or more runners. This is in large part thanks to the 100 per cent contribution by the five novice and one juvenile Grade 1 hurdles, with just two of the five open Grade 1s (40 per cent) meeting the key metric. For comparison, 78 per cent of Flat races (393 of 502) broadcast by ITV in 2023 had eight or more runners. "ITV racing is the shop window, we would all love to see more horses running against each other more often, but it is a massive issue everyone involved is aware of and trying to come up with a solution," said Coral spokesperson David Stevens. "We know for a fact the highest turnover races are on ITV, terrestrial TV coverage is a massive driver of betting turnover, but it isn't just a case of small fields bad, big fields good, it depends on the make-up of the race. "Races need to be competitive. You can get brilliant five-runner races that are 2-1 the field and eight-runner races with a 1-5 shot, so how competitive the race is is a massively important factor in terms of driving betting turnover. "Unfortunately there is no golden bullet to solve it. How do you drive competition, that’s the question. How do you drive these horses to run against each other more often? "It's an issue made more difficult by the concentration of good horses in certain yards, and a lot of those are in Ireland as well. It's an incredibly complex issue, but the entire industry would benefit if more horses ran against each other more often. However, ITV presenter, Gold Cup-winning jockey and racing syndicate manager Mick Fitzgerald does not view small fields as a major problem. He said: "Bigger fields are good for the sport, and they do generate more income from betting turnover, but Arkle is the greatest jumps horse of all time and in some of those Gold Cups there were only four or five runners. Does that mean he was ordinary and the sport was in decline? "This is not a new thing, it's always been the case. Owning a Pic D'Orhy is the aim of the game, but if you make it so he can only run three times a season against the very best around and never win, is that fair? He's a 162 horse, but he'll never win a Gold Cup, Champion Chase or Ryanair. There need to be races he can win. "The great clashes – such as Shishkin and Energumene – are made by a few horses, not loads of horses, and that's where this argument is flawed – and if you're one of those horses it isn't really your problem." He added: "The negativity around small fields is wrong. I'm not saying you shouldn't alter the programme book to make it more competitive and I agree they need to tighten it up a little, but was yesterday's race not a good race? Did anyone know beforehand how it was going to pan out? We don't need a complete overhaul." |
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I had my biggest bet on Saturday in the 4 runner race at Ascot, there are some small fields with good bets in them but the problem is that the bookies only want losers. Look how hard they are pushing build a bet ect.
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Thank you, booster.
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Not at all, sparrow.
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Didn't they raise the minimum rating a horse could enter these chases years ago ??
A lowly rated horse used to make up the numbers and the money it got for 6th 7th was nearly equal to winning a lowly rated race , Just Don't be within 10-15L of those ahead (hcap mark) |