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I don’t believe there are enough core racing enthusiasts to fill out Cheltenham for four days. Its business model is to attract the party crowd spending fortunes in the bars.
On low ticket sales, I wonder how much is down to some people giving up going to all 4 days? Even though Cheltenham’s prices are not out of line with other sporting events, 4 days is an expensive commitment in strained economic times.
The crowd on the Thursday at Aintree last year was 4,000 fewer than in 2022 and about 8,000 down from its peak about 15 years ago.
There is also the issue of taking time off work. I am fortunate to have a fairly generous allowance and flexi time on top but not everyone has that. Hard for many to justify using a serious chunk of leave for a race meeting I’d have thought.
The cheapest ticket is £57, not sure exactly what sort of view that gets you but if I was booking now I think I’d struggle to justify anything more than that.
£79 for Tatts on Champion Hurdle day, £94 on Gold Cup day.
Cheltenham will argue those prices compare favourably with Wimbledon, Test cricket and the Open golf. But I am not paying that to go to a race meeting which is over in 3 hours, only about 40 minutes of which is actual sporting action.
Throw in the train fare, something to eat and a pint or two and you are looking at the best part of a £200 expense before the first race is off.
That does not represent good value, especially when you take into account the packed out crowd, having to queue everywhere and the crowded, noisy trains. There are far better value days to be had at the racecourse and in a more relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
Yes and let’s be honest, whilst it is one of racing’s Blue Riband events, interest is limited outside the UK and Ireland. Tennis and golf are far more popular globally and both Wimbledon and The Open would be considered the ultimate prize amongst many, even over the other respective Majors in each sport. Plus as you say, you get 10-12 hours of sport for that.
To be honest, my visit to Cheltenham is more about an annual catch up with old mates than anything hence why I’m prepared to spend a bit more on it. It’s far better than just meeting up and going to the pub or something. I’m otherwise happy to watch it on TV.
Good point; I’m not sure how many people realise just how niche NH racing is worldwide….and we have trouble attracting the French raiders as we once did….instead of trying to grow, the sport has become more insular.
Do we really need 3 Gd1 races for novice hurdlers & chasers? And 3 Gd1 open chases……No, not when we have more 3 weeks later at Aintree. Bin the races which are most recently added…..so the Spa & Golden Miller can move elsewhere – both were once open races, but moved to the Festival as novice events.
I’d even think about binning the Ryanair Festival Trophy, and return the Cathcart…..the Melling at Aintree should be the championship race for intermediate horses…The main attraction of the cross country race is going in the middle to watch it but if Cheltenham continue with the season long ban on people crossing the course then I don’t see the point of it.
As for ticket prices,yes they aren’t cheap but the cost to see the best race of the year is much better value than to watch The Grand National which has morphed into a stuffed hurdle.As regards pricing I always thought it was puzzling that you could buy a Club badge, and then had to pay extra if you wanted a seat. Are there any other sports where that happens?
Going back to the Foxhunters these days how many horses complete the Cheltenham/Aintree double, or even try?
On the Jennings quote I can’t see a televised preview ever being on mainstream television. There isn’t enough interest in the sport to warrant doing it. For those with a keen interest they are overblown with very few useful bits of information being revealed. I think anyone else would just find them pretty boring.
I touched on the idea of trainers revealing Plan A in relation to Ballyburn on the Ballymore thread. Too many people are willing to excuse Mullins, and that includes many of Jennings’ colleagues. It’s long become a nonsense. We all know things can go wrong, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a plan in the first place. That’s probably the most beneficial idea in the article. I would argue for an even earlier date. Obviously, the problem is how you enforce it.
If you really want to resolve the multiple entry issue, it would be fairly easy. First, stop having entries so far in advance of the meeting. I’m pretty sure that when I first went to the Festival in the early 80’s, only the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup had an entry stage earlier than the process that applied to all other meetings.
There’s no logical reason why the novice races need to close to entries in January, with a second stage in February. It’s purely and simply a money making exercise, although I’ve no doubt the PR men would argue it’s good publicity.
Return to entries at the six day stage and extend the current rule that states no horse can be declared for two races at the meeting, to make it no horse can be entered for two races. No doubt there will be complaints, but as long as it’s the same for everybody, it can’t be called unfair. The names of the horses that have been entered can be monitored on the Racing Admin site, so if a trainer wants to avoid a particular opponent, he has that option.
But before criticising Mullins, keep in mind that the Racing Post had a regular pre-Cheltenham headline that read ‘Martin Pipe yet to decide ………’.
Am I missing something because that sounds – sorry for the Brexit analogy – like kicking the can even further down the road?
Speculation for novice targrets in 2025 will start as soon as races finish in 2024. With that idea surely those who say nothing can do so for even longer, and those who might give out their intentions might decide to delay.
In this respect I don’t remember Pipe being anywhere near as bad as Mullins.
Another issue in the decline in ticket sales is the cost of accommodation. I believe hotel prices in Cheltenham are ridiculous. I spoke to someone who was going to the festival in 2022. He said he was staying in Swindon and getting the train into Cheltenham every day. It worked out far cheaper than booking a hotel room in the town. Personally speaking, I would get tired of that and perhaps other people have too.
Yes, we stay outside and get the train in Cork. It’s obviously a common thing because some of the accommodation providers do not want Cheltenham groups staying.
The Cheltenham festival to attend live is now a pretty miserable existence. I toyed for a long time about going Tuesday this year as it may be the only time I get to to see what maybe the greatest hurdler of all time.
But when you weigh it all up, it’s shockingly expensive and you’re being fleeced from start to finish. Ticket prices, trains and buses that are rammed, or if you drive you’re screwed for another £20 to park your car. If you want a seat, that’s extra. Food and drink is both expensive and crap quality. It’s uncomfortably busy to get about, the facilities are poor. Or you’re simply not permitted to go certain places. Watching the race itself is very difficult.
You’re looking at well in excess of £300 if you’re betting in 10’s and 20’s. And can come out of there tired, cold and or wet. It’s really not good enough.
I’d make a stipulation that the championship races (I don’t include the Ryanair in this because it isn’t one) need to have run at least three times prior to the main event.
The more I know the less I understand.
Yes, I’d be happy to see that introduced; it won’t happen as it’s far too radical, and would upset some people. If a horse misses a run through injury – tough.
You could also have a qualifying system carrying points – so for 2m hurdlers the Gd1 races carry 20 pts, Gd2 10 pts, and other races 5 pts. X number of points guarantees a run.
They have to try something to get the top horses running more; sitting back is not good enough……
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