A BOYCOTT staged by several high-profile North Yorkshire trainers of Wetherby Racecourse’s Tuesday meeting has been described as “very disappointing” by chief executive Jonjo Sanderson.

It has been reported that West Witton handler Ferdy Murphy, along with Norton’s Malcolm Jefferson, and Great Habton’s Tim Easterby, have refused to make entries in protest at prize money levels.

The fixture pot, for a seven-race card, falls £9,478 below tariffs set by the Horsemen’s Group, with Murphy branding the deficit a “disgrace” in the Racing Post.

But Sanderson, who revealed he had been contacted by none of the trainers who are said to be protesting, said the affair smacked of “double standards”.

He now believes Tuesday’s card is likely to see several three or four runner fields after average entries fell from 160 to 170 to 102 for next week’s meeting.

While trainers are concerned industry-wide about prize money levels, some of the country’s leading handlers are represented at Newbury today for the re-arranged Totesport Trophy Hurdle.

The re-scheduling of the race, caused after last Saturday’s meeting was abandoned when two horses were electrocuted in the parade ring, has seen its value reduced from £120,000 to £60,000.

Trainers also ignored the tariff when nine originally entered the Aon Chase, also at Newbury and due to be re-staged today, despite the race’s prize money falling nearly £20,000 below the Horsemen’s Group’s target for a Grade 2 Chase.

The Horsemen’s Group, which represents owners, trainers, jockeys, breeders and stable staff, have set a tariff which aims to fix minimum acceptable level of prize money for every race in Britain.

Of the boycott, Sanderson said: “It is very disappointing really given that the leader of the Horseman’s Group, Alan Morcombe, sent me an email ten days ago saying they were not actively encouraging trainers to boycott races.

“We have structured our prize money over the entire season. We have put lots of money into the races that are highlights and that means we have race meetings that are lower in value – like Tuesday’s.

“We don’t look at it (prize money) on a race-day by race-day basis. We are very pessimistic with our budget and we might break even (this year). To lose our Christmas meeting, for the second year in a row, obviously has a massive effect.

“There are plenty of northern trainers entered on Tuesday and, if one decides not to come, it is an opportunity for someone else.

“If we didn’t have the Charlie Hall Chase we would spread our money out across our meetings and would be way up on the tariff. We have a balanced race programme and that leads to peaks and troughs.”

Sanderson added of the boycott plans, in the light of reduced prize funds at Newbury: “This is very selective and smacks of double standards. For races that are significant to these trainers in terms of preparation for Cheltenham, on balance the tariffs are not being hit.”

He argued that fewer runners will have a worsening impact on the meeting’s levy yield and said: “We should be working together to try to get prize funds up to what we want them to be.”