Yarmouth racecourse has been caught in the middle of a row between trainers and the sport's funding chiefs.

A number of trainers, including several from of Newmarket's big yards, pulled out of the Easter Monday meeting after racing's Levy Board cut prize money.

Just 34 runners were registered for the day's six races before heavy snow caused the meeting to be cancelled.

Yarmouth has suffered a 43.6% reduction in prize money since dropping to the foot of the board's merit table.

A total of 83 horses had originally been declared for the meeting but when total prize money of only �18,600 was declared, �5,000 down on the same meeting last year, some of the bigger stables from Newmarket withdrew.

The Newmarket trainers wouldn't be running their big guns at this time of year so it wasn't really a meeting for them to get involved in Great Yarmouth clerk of the course Charlie Moore

The so-called boycott had left Norfolk trainer Christine Dunnett with the only runner in the day's final race, the toteplacepot Maiden Stakes - Southwark Newsboy.

Her decision not to withdraw had been criticised by many from Newmarket, but she received support from Yarmouth's clerk of the course Charlie Moore.

"She and one or two other small trainers were put under a certain amount of pressure," he told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"This was a race meeting that didn't have huge prize money. It was for some of the more lowly-graded horses that are ready to run.

"The Newmarket trainers wouldn't be running their big guns at this time of year, so it wasn't really a meeting for them to get involved in."

It is a terrible start to the season for the course, but Moore is hopeful things will be different for their next meeting in April.

"The track was in very good condition until the snow," he said. "I'm hopeful it will be in equally good condition on 28 April when there's �45,000 prize money on."