LINGFIELD HIT BY PRIZE ROW

THE all-weather Flat meeting at Lingfield tomorrow will be severely disrupted as talks re- start this morning in an attempt to settle the prize-money row between jockeys, owners, trainers and Arena Racecourse Company.

Only 19 horses were declared for the six races, three of which will be two- horse matches, at the ARC-owned course.

Two of those declarations have already been pulled out, while trainer Nick Littmoden looks like he will have to withdraw one of his two entries because he cannot find an available jockey.

Only five jockeys have made themselves available to ride at Lingfield and one of them, Mirko Sanna, who has spent time riding in South Korea and the US and has been booked for two rides, will be having his first mounts in Britain.

There have also been walkovers at Lingfield and Sedgefield when only one horse was declared to run.

Horsemen are objecting to low prize money and cuts by ARC in anticipation of falling media rights income, as betting shops close following the government’s decision to cut the maximum stake on controversial fixed odds betting terminals from £100 to £2.