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“You of all people would gain the most out of a visit to the Cheltenham Festival. It’s so far removed from what you would be used to. An atmosphere exploding with passion and excitement”.
I visited on Gold Cup Day 1991, in the days of the three day festival. It felt packed out then and I expect it would be even more uncomfortable now.
As for the atmosphere. That sounds like coked up and boozed up lads shouting aggressively. No, thank you.
On TC’s point, plenty of British racegoers attended Leopardstown last month. I think a two day ticket only cost something like 50 euros for better racing than Cheltenham.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s complimentary biscuits on our table!”
Jealous!
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I chuckle at how things are now coming back to back to bite ‘them’. I’ll give an example – for the Thursday of Aintree ( one of the best value days of the year admission wise), four of us are normally in the mix to go. Two of us are genuine racing fans and like to visit the paddock and go down to the last flight of hurdles for a couple of races, while the other two are happy to stand in the bar all day and chat about anything but racing.
When we have a full house of all four it usually ends with a compromise of a beer between every race but managing to drag the two non converted to the final hurdle for one race, the paddock for one race, and the slope for the Foxhunters – however, after the alarming price increases in the booze at the meeting last year the two non converted have understandably been pushed over the edge by the rip off culture and probably won’t be visiting any racecourse ever again.
Thus if the two of us who are racing fans go, we’ll not have a single alcoholic drink between us as we’d rather be out and about.So the loss for the course is the cost of 24 overpriced drinks, 4 overpriced burgers or fish chips, 4 admission payments – versus 2 admission payments, 2 x £2.60 cans of coke, nil beers, nil food. No doubt many could come up with countless similar examples at Cheltenham last week.They are reaping what they have sewn.
And call me bitter and twisted but I am now in the habit of encouraging non racing fans to keep clear of racecourses and have even half considered purchasing a ledger type book to record estimates of the money lost to the courses due to my own interventions.
To be fair Chezza,s idea of value at Cheltenham would be a Bentley to the front door , 5 course lunch with Hobnobs to follow , a 1 to 1 with Henderson before C H is brought before him to access , £50 quid max and and for God’s sake don’t ask for a tip
“for the Thursday of Aintree (one of the best value days of the year admission wise”
This day in 1986 remains my one and only day at the races at Aintree.
Brilliant and unforgettable, value for money, sacrificed watching a 3m handicap hurdle to walk the Grand National course (well, the path on the inside of it), this was pre-modification and Becher’s Brook on the landing side took my breath away, absolutely superb.
“To be fair Chezza,s idea of value at Cheltenham would be a Bentley to the front door , 5 course lunch with Hobnobs to follow , a 1 to 1 with Henderson before C H is brought before him to access , £50 quid max and and for God’s sake don’t ask for a tip”
Chezza would like to know what a “tip” is, please, HDLG?
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Interesting post, Cancello, and you’re right.
However, as long as there are people willing to pay for the experience -or the “craic” as it’s marketed these days- and others happy to pay the exorbitant prices for the hospitality packages, then there’s no need for the course to change.
It’s the same in top flight football: thanks to its global “brand”, the Premier League attracts day trippers who are making a once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Anfield or Old Trafford and are quite happy to spend whatever it takes to get there.
Mug punters make the market for value-seeking punters.
But mug consumers ruin the market for value-seeking consumers.
“Funny old game, Saint.”
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Another issue with Cheltenham is the hardy perennial issue of the 4 day festival.
Before anyone says anything, I know it is not going back to 3 days and is more likely to go to 5.
But look at what there is now. On the Tuesday, after the Champion Hurdle there is the Mares Hurdle, Juvenile Handicap and the National Hunt Chase.
The Mares Hurdle takes horses away from the Champion, especially so in 2020. This year Cheltenham got lucky with Honeysuckle and Rachael Blackmore reading the script to perfection. That won’t happen next year.
The Juvenile Handicap is one of the most forgettable races of the week and has ruined the Triumph. Unless you have backed the winner, would you remember it?
The National Hunt Chase has lots of history and tradition but since the reduction in distance it has been rendered pointless.
If I was there on Tuesday, I would probably leave after the Mares to try to get to the station before it gets too crowded. But that means spending £70 on a 5 race card.
Likewise the final day goes out with a whimper with the Hunter Chase, the Mares Chase (taking contenders away from the Arkle/Turners) and the Martin Pipe (a second Coral Cup). I honestly think I would leave after the Gold Cup rather than face the crowds.
Aintree and Leopardstown offer high class racing without any races just making up the numbers.
Greg Wood in his Guardian article also raises the point about getting to the course from the station and back again. That is another advantage Aintree has over Cheltenham. The station is literally just across the road from the racecourse.
A tip Chezza is what us working class expect for having to deal with the likes of yourself ….
“The Juvenile Handicap is one of the most forgettable races of the week and has ruined the Triumph. Unless you have backed the winner, would you remember it?”
I had forgotten it by the time they had all crossed the line
However the entire population of the universe will tell you that Gaelic Warrior lost off 129 and jumps right the year he ran in it, every time you mention his name
Charles Darwin to conquer the World
“A tip Chezza is what us working class expect for having to deal with the likes of yourself ….”
Chezza reckons the working classes are good judges – Chezza would want a tip for having to deal with Chezza too.
The 4yo handicap hurdle has ruined the old days of Grand National-esque Triumph fields by giving about 20 of them a race they might actually have a chance in but, as Nathan says, the Gaelic Warrior haters never have any difficulty remembering it.
Maybe they were the ones who backed it in to 13/8 that day – one can only hope so.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"He’s only been beaten twice since leaving France!
Unfortunately they were both at Cheltenham.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"
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