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And if you want atmosphere try 150,000 screaming Deep Impact home from before the turn in the Japan Cup. That put Cheltenham into perspective all right..
All heavy metal fans, (and Spinal Tap enthusiasts), will know that the Japanese are, perhaps, the most enthusiastic people on Earth.
Anyone who has ever spun the classic Judas Priest live album, “Unleashed in the East” will bear testament to the volume of an excited Japanese audience in full rapture.
And for loyalty beyong the call of duty, the The Impact’s away firm for the match at Longchamp takes some beating.
But I would argue that all this doesn’t make them a particularly discerning audience. Unlike, say, the Cheltenham racegoer in March.
And if you want atmosphere try 150,000 screaming Deep Impact home from before the turn in the Japan Cup. That put Cheltenham into perspective all right..
Moonee Valley for atmosphere and the Cox Plate. It’s like a velodrome it’s that small
but the roar from the crowd as Sunline turned for home (and any other well liked horse for that matter) has to be experienced it’s sensational! Has to be Cheltenham surely. But not the most comfortable by a long way and I know people that simply wont go again
On balance, for the visitor, I would put Goodwood top.
I think Cheltenham is the most overrated experience of any sport. I find the atmosphere is akin to being in a packed betting shop.
I would like someone to explain what a "festival" is and why there are more and more of them now – couldn’t just be hyperbole could it?Incidentally, I can’t quantify "best" in this context, but if Cheltenham is the most overrated experience, then Doncaster’s St. Leger meeting, IMO, is easily the most underrated.
I think Cheltenham is the most overrated experience of any sport. I find the atmosphere is akin to being in a packed betting shop.
I would like someone to explain what a "festival" is and why there are more and more of them now – couldn’t just be hyperbole could it?Incidentally, I can’t quantify "best" in this context, but if Cheltenham is the most overrated experience, then Doncaster’s St. Leger meeting, IMO, is easily the most underrated.
Cheltenham overrated experience of any sport – I’ve heard it all now
Welsh Wizard, I know this is just your opinion, but would you like to give some reasons as to why you think the Cheltenham experience is overrated. I’ve both been to Cheltenham and watched it from the armchair, and no other meeting comes close to getting me as excited as Cheltenham – you must go in some great betting shops if they are akin to Cheltenham.
My first post on this thread was to say if you did a poll of about 10,000 people, my opinion would be that Cheltenham would get more votes than all the other meetings put together. Just reading what has been said on the 20 or so replies here, I think Cheltenham has probably got more votes that the others put together.
Mike
Eh??? Helloooo???!!!!! Knock, knock???!!!!
There is only one Festival. Third week of March, in Gloucestershire. End of discussion.
[/b]i really love royal ascot! it’s so classy and rememerable
i would love to go to dubai and witness the dubai world cup but that wont be for some time anyway lol
the ebor meeting isn’t the best in the world for me but it’s still top class and i can see why thomo said that
cheltenham clearly the best for the jumps though all the wayYork is good…but you do tend to get a lot of northerners there
LOL, Clive. When I went to Epsom last year, imagine my surprise when I found myself surrounded by chirpy cockneys.
And then, in the evening, I was once again immersed in a sea of pie, mash, shiny suits, gold chains, dodgy motors and cheeky humour at the Greyhound Derby. You could have blown me down with a feather.
The Lingfield Winter Derby meeting gets my vote. For some reason, I feel like going out for a kebab.
I’ve not really been to many "festivals" – just Goodwood and York. Both were great fun, and York had an excellent atmosphere.
I abhor the over-use of the word "festival" as well, as I still think of Cheltenham, although it’s not the same as it was when it was three compact days.
Cheltenham, followed by Aintree, then Royal Ascot. Real "festivals" have plenty of top-notch racing crammed into a small number of days. IMO, day-long race meetings like DWC or BC don’t count, although those, and Arc Day, are my favourite one-day meetings.
The problem with July Meeting, Goodwood and Leger meeting is that they are full of handicaps/nurseries etc which constitute the mediocre for me, and therefore don’t qualify as a "festival". End of.
Most of them aren’t "festivals" anyway, just race meetings. Unfortunately, renaming them in this way gives the racecourse executives the excuse to hold a "Ladies’ Day" of which on present trends there will soon be three or four a week.
I see the Tralee version gets under way on Tuesday. It must be a festival because the Post says so.
Tralee doesn’t need a Ladies Day because the whole week is about the Rose of Tralee festival
runandskip – Cheltenham must have been pretty quiet in 2001 – sorry couldn’t resist
Cheltenham for me but I was at York for all three days last week and it did seem particularly special this year. What a reception Authorized was given when Frankie cantered him back past the stands. Really made the hairs on your neck stand up and you just don’t expect that sort of thing on the flat where modest applause is the norm even after Group 1 races.
Doncaster is too long for me, I thought it was much better as a 2-day meeting when transferred to York last year.
I’m no lover of jump racing – the sport , for the most part, bores me – but would have to go with Cheltenham simply because of the sense of anticipation the meeting generates.
Flat racing is at a bit of a disadavantage here, imo, because there isn’t any one festival that holds an equal degree of importance as Cheltenham ,so the same levels of expectancy aren’t , generally, as prevalent.
but the roar from the crowd as Sunline turned for home (and any other well liked horse for that matter) has to be experienced it’s sensational! 
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