The Beginner’s Chase at Ludlow has prize money of £17,500 but with only four horses running, and no each way betting, it won’t be much of a spectacle
Newbury’s long history and high profile will mean that it is the first stop for many punters this morning, but with prize money under scrutiny following Arena Racing Company’s £3m cut to its contribution in 2019, it is only fair to point out that Ludlow’s card this afternoon is the most valuable of the day, with a guaranteed £100k up for grabs.
The bulk of the cash is concentrated on three events: two handicap chases worth £26k and £25k, and a beginners’ chase with £17,500 on offer, and in the case of the latter contest, the track could be forgiven for wondering why they bother. Five runners were declared overnight and the field is now down to four after the outsider Scartare was scratched this morning, so there will be no each-way betting and, in all likelihood, nothing like the spectacle that fans might expect with that much money at stake.
Written by Greg Wood
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2018/dec/19/talking-horses-17500-on-offer-four-horses-running-pity-poor-ludlow under the title “Talking Horses: £17,500 on offer, four horses running – pity poor Ludlow”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
