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Article from Greg Wood today arguing the case for a four day festival from Wednesday to Saturday, but with the current Thursday card moved to Saturday, leaving the Gold Cup on Friday.
Here’s the link –
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/20 … m-festival
Since he argues that the Saturday would attract a partly new audience, perhaps we could load that card with all the lesser races that have been added over the years. Here’s my picture of an ideal Saturday Day Four program :
1:30 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap
2:05 David Nicholson Mares Hurdle
2:45 Ryanair Chase
3:20 Jewson Novice Handicap Chase
4:00 Cross Country Chase
4:40 Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
5:20 Festival Bumper
That would allow the World Hurdle to revert to being run alongside either the Champion Hurdle or Champion Chase, and thus return it to the Old Course where it would once again become a proper test of stamina.
And the original three day festival would re-emerge from Wednesday to Friday to be enjoyed by traditionalists.
Dream on …….
AP
If this year’s Gold Cup were held on a Saturday, wouldn’t the Kauto Star/Denman clash have a chance of grabbing the attention of a broader public?
The 1964 Cheltenham Gold Cup, at which Arkle defeated Mill House for the first time, was held on Saturday 7 March. Sean Magee (
Arkle: The Story of the World’s Greatest Steeplechaser
) writes: "This shift allowed a much larger television audience to witness the great race than would have been the case had the usual schedule been continued, and undoubtedly contributed to the size and fervour of the nascent Arkle fan club."
Racing can’t compete with Football and ‘general life’ on a Saturday afternoon. Sorry.
It’s fine where it is. Can we have The Derby moved back to a Wednesday, too?
Racing can’t compete with Football and ‘general life’ on a Saturday afternoon. Sorry.
It’s fine where it is. Can we have The Derby moved back to a Wednesday, too?
No other sport can compete with football on a Saturday on a regular basis
However, the Grand National competes just as well as anything else.
No reason why the Gold Cup can’t do so as well.
It ain’t broke……….. so don’t fix it.
Some interesting thoughts from Brian O’Connor on the topic – http://www.irishracing.com/blog/blog/2010/03/08/less-is-really-more/#more-70
Im not keen on the idea.
The atmosphere at Cheltenham is special, no doubt in my mind it’s because genuine race goers are happy to book days off work in the week to experience for most the highlight meeting of the season. Moving a day to a Saturday could possibly attracted morons more interested in the booze than the horse’s.
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
I understand Nathan’s concerns about the possible ‘undesirables’ that a Saturday fixture may tempt. However, I’m just a little confused by what ‘racing’ is trying to do.
Football’s biggest game in the world is held on a Sunday.
The Olympics hosts the men’s 100 metre final on a Saturday/Sunday – irrespective of the host nation.
Wimbledon finals – Saturday and Sunday.
Boxing world titles – Saturday / Sunday
Rugby Union World Cup – Saturday/SundayCheltenham….four week days.
I loved being allowed to go when I was younger. My Dad loved racing and would allow me one day off at each Festival to go with him. First attended in 1984, blah blah blah
Yet, I still get the idea that too many in racing (not necessarily those who are still in favour of the three days on this forum) seem to view the public as uninvited guests into their private little party. It’s almost as if there are some within the game who have an approach of ‘ohhhh, crikey, do we have to let the bloody buggers come and watch us at work.’
For those who are allowed to book time off for Cheltenham then I’m extremely envious of you. From a purely selfish perspective I’d love a three day festival over a Bank Holiday Weekend, but then I’ve not ridden any winners, trained any horses, mucked-out, ridden a horse-box etc etc
1:30 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap
2:05 David Nicholson Mares Hurdle
2:45 Ryanair Chase
3:20 Jewson Novice Handicap Chase
4:00 Cross Country Chase
4:40 Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
5:20 Festival Bumper
Cheltenham’s version of the old Ascot Heath Meeting then
The Ryanair is the only one of the above races I feel is worthy of ‘Festival’ status and personally I’d like to see it run on Gold Cup day in the Cathcart slot – GC, Foxhunters, Ryanair, Grand Annual – once more we’d have that heady succession of four consecutive chases I used to like so much
I’m sure Ben would revel in the unravelling of a huge field Open handicap chase so maybe move one of them from their traditional weekday slots to 2.45 Saturday
Like you say…dream on
Rather more likely we’ll end up with a five-day festival akin to the now watered-down Royal Meeting
good races that they are,anything run after the gold cup has always been an anti-climax so not having the gold cup on the last day would be a disaster as would the four day festival have been if the gold cup stayed on the thursday.
I don’t think the festival should run into Saturday but equally I’m tired of hearing this.:
Racing can’t compete with Football and ‘general life’ on a Saturday afternoon. Sorry.
Believe it or not, lots of people don’t like football.
"It ain’t broke so don’t fix it"
If every board of management in the land operated their business based on this premise there would be a lot more of them in administration.
Sometimes change is necessary and I remember thinking when I got into racing about 7-8 years ago why do they have their big meetings on weekdays? I still don’t understand now and although it hasn’t stopped me watching I think I am an exception.
Well hang on a minuit.
70,000 plus cram into Aintree on Grand National Day and the Six Nations Rugby are always Sell Outs and the are comepeting with Football.
The Gold Cup is better on a Friday but should be one of those Britain stops to watch events given how prestigious the race is.
A Saturday Gold Cup would also mean the Midlands National would suffer unless that got moved to Cheltenham to have a Festival National.
In general i have nothing wrong with the Gold Cup being raced on a Saturday but also it is a move which really does not need to happen.
Why are the big meetings on weekdays rather than Saturday – well up to about forty years ago, it made no difference. Saturday was a working day for most of the population. I can remember my father working a five and a half day week as a civil servant in the 50’s and early 60’s. He certainly didn’t finish early enough to go racing.
And if a civil servant was working on a Saturday, you can guess that very few jobs had moved to the five day week we’re used to.
Nowadays, I’d guess that the strongest argument against a switch to Saturdays, at least for the courses, would be the fact that corporate business is much less for weekend meetings – and in the last ten to twenty years, that’s the thing that has driven the courses financially.
Clearly that might not be such a strong factor now with the decline in corporate business, which is perhaps why Cheltenham would make the change.
Of course, there’s plenty of corporate boxes at Premiership football, Six Nations rugby, etc, but if racing moves to Saturday, those events become direct competition – not just in terms of customers, but the agents that act as the middlemen, the likes of Chris Coley, Burton (ex rugby, can’t remember his first name). They can’t be at Cheltenham and the Emirates or Twickenham on the same day.
AP
The Bumper is one of my favourite races at the meeting. Last year through Dunguib it provided the biggest talking point of the meeting. Wednesday is an excellent day for future reference and should not be tampered with – personally I think Tuesday to Friday is fine.
If you want to move a poor race to a Saturday try the Foxhunters as it is pitiful quality. I know there used be more than one hunter chase at the Festival but these days there isn’t enough quality to sustain one. The best option would be to move it and make it the centrepiece of an all hunter chase card.
Saturday was a working day for most of the population. I can remember my father working a five and a half day week as a civil servant in the 50’s and early 60’s. He certainly didn’t finish early enough to go racing.
Daresay that’s why football traditionally kicked-off at 3.00pm, when in midwinter it would have made sense to put it back to 2.00pm thereby doing away with the need for a floodlit second half
8-12 or 9-1 earning a crust, wash-and brush-up (possibly), off to the footie, pub in the evening, ‘the day of rest’ Sunday, another week’s crust earning starts 8.00am Monday
Plenty of farmworkers still work a five-and-a-half day week though the four hours on Saturday are paid at overtime rates now
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