The ladbrokes.com South Croxton Handicap, due to take place at Leicester on Friday, has been abandoned due to no runners being declared at the 48-hour stage.
The 0-85 mile-and-a-half handicap had seven original entries but none of the trainers took up the option to run in the Class Four event. It was only just over two weeks ago that Leicester staged a walkover due to the ongoing row over prize money between the Horseman's Group and racecourses.
On that occasion Harry Dunlop's Saint Helena had to canter down to the furlong pole and back to pick up the £6,000 on offer. As a result of the abandonment, the opening ladbrokes.com Walcote Maiden Stakes has been divided to ensure a six-race card.
Leicester`s clerk of the course Jimmy Stevenson said: "I can only assume it`s down to the tariff again. I have nothing to do with prize money levels so I can`t really comment on it. It`s faster ground for this time of year but funnily enough we`ve got more runners than Doncaster on the same day so we`ve got no issue with the ground here."
According to the tariff set out by the Horseman's Group, a Class Four handicap on a Friday should not be run for less than £7,000 and only £5,000 was up for grabs.
William Jarvis had entered Bouggatti but said: "I'm not running purely because the race falls some way below tariff. I like Leicester, the facilities are good, they`ve made a big effort on the stable lads accommodation but they`ve got to wise up. Other racecourses have raised their game and so should Leicester. This is the second time it`s happened this year."
Responding to the abandonment, Racehorse Owners Association president Paul Dixon said: "Leicester is a cash-rich, profitable racecourse which has just paid a record dividend. It can therefore be expected to pay prize money up to the level of the tariff.
"The abandoned race is an inevitable consequence of the tariff system working. Increasingly, owners and trainers are taking note of tariff levels and acting accordingly. It is why 75% of races on the Flat are now meeting tariff and why this percentage continues to increase.
"It is also noticeable that Doncaster has very few declarations for Friday and none of their races meet tariff. Compare this with Goodwood on Saturday where all their races meet or exceed tariff and have attracted a stack of entries. The attitude Leicester has adopted is going to become more and more of an issue for them. It's how competition works."
Posts
