Racing problems need to be urgently addressed

There were only 30 runners in Ascot's seven-race card on Saturday. The biggest field was eight in a £5,000 bumper. There were 53 runners on the Haydock card. In Punchestown, there were 77 runners competing for a modest €127,00. Irish racing is still vibrant in terms of runners. However, the game is in decline in Britain. The attendance at the Derby is nothing to boast about. It is acceptable for the games at Leopardstown and the Curragh to draw less than 25, 000 people. Most of the ‘crowds’ at midweek fixtures on flat or jumps can be measured in the low hundreds.