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We all say we don’t care where the runners come from. But how would it look if, as is very possible, that Willie had seven winners on day one? Or are you all happy because they’d all be favourites and you’d be in profit?
That’s not healthy, is it?
Agree QF. I recognise how punters don’t mind where a winner they have backed is trained and how we can all enjoy seeing a good horse. But do we really want British National Hunt racing to be a second rate product?
Any race with a short priced favourite where they are probably nailed on is just a watch for me and that may happen a few times next week.
The things I want most in life are the things that I can't win.
Hunters, Mares Chase, Conditional Jockeys… Cheltenham goes out with a whimper nowadays.
tbh I don’t mind the Hunters, but finishing with the three in a row?
Value Is EverythingAgree Ginger. It is poor. If I was there, I would pribably stay for the Hunters but then I would leave.
Champion Hurdle day goes out with a whimper as well: Mares Hurdle, Juvenile Handicap and Novice Chase for Amateur Jockeys.
I’d probably go back to 3 days. If 4 days is a necessity, I’d still reduce the amount of races.
I’d definitely get rid of :
– Fred Winter
– Martin Pipe
– Kim Muir
– Albert BartlettI’d Change :
– Mares Hurdle back to a G2
– National Hunt Chase back to just a listed race or handicap maybe.
– Graded race winning penalties for the Cross Country.Bumper is first in the bin for me, any jumps race with no jumps- let alone a G1- at the Olympics of jumps racing is just nonsense, and encourages pointless faffing for a year. If you want to do Flat racing, Royal Ascot is that way->
Jeez people are fretting that 5 year old Lossie didn’t run in an open championship race today. The six year old Il Est Francais will be contesting the Grand Steep in a couple of months’ time (no biggie, 4 of the last renewals have been won by 5 year olds)…meanwhile 5 and 6 year olds can plod around tomorrow without having to step their big baby hooves over so much as a hurdle even though most of them were winning PTPs a year ago.Fred Winter next in the bin. A juvenile handicap for horses too rubbish to be in the Triumph is a waste of time. The only argument in its favour seems to be that it keeps them from littering up the Triumph. In that case, just slap a safety limit on the Triumph and leave the mediocre nags at home.
I agree with graded race penalties for the XC and also thought that (Ruby Walsh’s? Kevin Blake’s?) plan of banning novices from open handicaps was a good one.
I don’t mind the handicaps, which are usually ferociously competitive, but the mares races, the Ryanair, the Albert Barlett, the National hunt chase, make it easier for the good horses to dodge each other.
“Fred Winter next in the bin. A juvenile handicap for horses too rubbish to be in the Triumph is a waste of time. The only argument in its favour seems to be that it keeps them from littering up the Triumph. In that case, just slap a safety limit on the Triumph and leave the mediocre nags at home.”
Horses being kept at handicap marks from 122 to around 136 or so. Well, you can run that crap around Sedgefield or Leafy (NH), if you really have to.
A very poor race from the very first running. Not Festival worthy…..
If you look at the entire NH picture, you won’t come up with more than 16 or 17 races for a Festival like Cheltenham used to be.
I’d bin the races which were added – and not needed. Aintree is in 3 weeks, and that can be their target.
So:Turners Golden Miller Nov Chase 2m5f
Albert Bartlett Spa Novices Hurdle 3m3 Gd1 Novices are NOT needed – and both races were previously run as non novice races at the April, New Year meetings…..
Fred Winter 4yo H’Cap Hurdle 2m – a race nobody asked for.
Ryanair Festival Trophy Chase – 2m5f – a replacement for the Cathcart, for intermediate distance horses; even though we have a race at Aintree for them – the Melling.I understand why people have an issue with the Kim Muir & NH Challenge Cup, but both are historic races, and should be kept.
The logical progression is; no NH racing (except for a few ‘trial’ meetings), until the Cheltenham festival, which will now extend to 5 days, and include a 2 + 1/2 mile grade 1 hurdle, all horses to be trained by willie Mullins.
The Cheltenham attendances on the first three days in the last 5 years when crowds attended:
Day 1:
2019 67,934
2020 60,664
2022 68,567
2023 60,321
2024 60,181Day 2:
2019 59,209
2020 56,943
2022 64,431
2023 50,387
2024 46,771Day 3:
2019 67,821
2020 65,218
2022 73,754
2023 61,451
2024 53,918I suppose the 2022 figures need to be taken with a pinch of salt. I expect lots of racegoers just wanted to get back to Cheltenham after the behind closed doors year in 2021. But there is no getting away from the fact that the 2024 attendances are considerably lower than 2019, even allowing for Cheltenham acting on feedback about it being too crowded.
It looks like the crowds have voted with their feet and their wallets.
This morning on the Opening Show we tackled the topic of the Cheltenham Festival race programme. I couldn’t feel more strongly about the importance of this debate for Cheltenham and National Hunt racing as a whole. I believe change is coming. @itvracing pic.twitter.com/e5BUPKj6le
— Kevin Blake (@kevinblake2011) March 15, 2024
‘The blatant use of drugs was in every toilet that you visit on the premises.’
This is spot on, there were empty coke bags everywhere before the Supreme had even gone off. There was the odd sniffer dog at the entrance but they obviously weren’t very good at it! I know it’s a societal problem as much as anything but clearly their searches need improving. I’m not massively against drugs on the whole but there is no need and I can see how it would be incredibly off-putting to people. Of course coked up knobheads drink more and make bad financial decisions but I’m sure the lax enforcement is nothing to do with that.
Bookies want the NH Chase axed:
All about the profit to these cretins; history means nothing to them.
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