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There were indeed sellers at the Cheltenham March meeting. Pre WW1, when it was a two day meeting that still included several races familiar to this day (N H Chase, N H Hcp Chse, County Hurdle, Grand Annual, Foxhunters), each day started with two selling races, one over hurdles, one over fences.
The longer selling hurdle was known as the Stayers Selling Hurdle!
Four runners in the Turners Novice Chase, all trained in Ireland. Presumably connections of the locally trained entries reckon they’ll have a better chance by waiting for Aintree.
So in four novice chases, from 2M to 3M 6F, we have a grand total of eleven locally trained runners.
Some people thought Cheltenham never had much lustre, at least the town itself. In his classic book “Rural Rides”, written long before the festival was ever thought of, William Cobbett wrote:
“Here we come to one of the devouring Wens; namely, Cheltenham, which is what they call a “watering place; that is to say, a place to which East India plunderers, West India floggers, English tax gorgers, together with gluttons, drunkards, and debauchees of all descriptions, female as well as male, resort, at the suggestion of silently laughing quacks, in the hope of getting rid of the bodily consequences of their manifold sins and iniquities.
When I enter a place like this, I always feel disposed to squeeze up my nose with my fingers. It is nonsense, to be sure; but I conceit that every two legged creature I see coming near me, is about to cover me with the poisonous proceeds of its impurities. To places like this come all that is knavish and all that is foolish and all that is base; gamesters, pick pockets and harlots.”
I am guessing he did not like the place much.
I also suspect the spectacle of the town itself each night after the racing is over would not be unfamiliar to Mr Cobbett!
4 runners in a Gd 1 Chase – marvellous. Cheltenham – the festival were the best horses try to avoid each other. It’s like boxing with the different World Champions….
The topic of ‘Sellers at the Cheltenham Festival’ was discussed here 5 years ago. This thread carries a few more details.
Edit: I’ve just noticed that the link
https://www.cheltenhamfestival.net/subcategory/cheltenham-festival-history/lost-races/
supplied within the above topic now redirects to a different URL which sadly contains less data.
I started this thread and the answer seems to be a big yes.
Ok many racegoers of a certain age tend to think things were always better in the past and ignore some of the crappier aspects but im a bit underwhelmed this week.
Cant take anything away from the irish for their dominance but its too few stables flooding these races and be it my fault or not, I find the form over there hard to weigh up or even trust. The season long gearing towards the “big day” seems even more pronounced
I suppose cheltenham has always had horses like Gaelic Warrior running but its just not my type of punting. And there have always been unconsidered handicappers but I dont find myself jumping for joy at the fat dead horse horse squatter’s winners with form figures of PP9P7
As for the Turners, that has to be seen as a warning now
Fair to say today’s concluding NH Chase isn’t the race it once was….
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Cheltenham certainly did not have much lustre today. It looked more like December than March!
1. There are no statistics to support any assertion horses are safer on watered ground.
2. An exceptional horses breaking standard by 4.65 seconds over two miles is NOT evidence of fast ground – it was Good yesterday.
3. No one forces anyone to become a Clerk Of The Course.
4. Punters were told the first day it was Good to Soft when it was Good and today the watering despite forecast rain contributed to Heavy ground. Serious punters treated with contempt again.
5. Better forecast tomorrow and onto the New Course – note those early race times because nothing the CoC says can be taken as gospel.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"There was forecast heavy rain on Sunday. By Tuesday this had changed to a few showers. So the earlier forecast was the correct one, which does happen but is fairly uncommon.
There may be no statistics to support that horses are safer but it looks better.
Cheltenham could not do anything about the dreadful weather yesterday but at least it does have its lustre back this year thanks to crowds being back. It has been good to see all the people there and hearing the cheers for the winner again. Such a contrast with last year’s atmosphere free festival.
Just as well Tiger Roll had a crowd there to send him off with a cheer yesterday. It would have been awful to be chinned on the line by a stablemate and then go back into an empty winner’s enclosure!
Was there yesterday and had almost forgotten how unique it is, despite never missing one day a year for over 30 years. As for the weather, its the first time i can recall not being able to even see Cleeve hill
the watering was wrong though. Simple as that.
Wednesday will always be the best day for me too. My fav handicap of the year (Coral cup) and the RSA plus QMCC is just perfect but todays card must perhaps be the most underwhelming in memory?
Wont distract from that atmosphere though
Good article about the expensive crap sold:
To be fair, Cheltenham is right that other sporting venues charge extortionate prices as well. It has been an issue for a while. But £7 for a pint of Guinness is crazy.
I think a lot of businesses are trying to make up the lost ground during the lockdown. On Monday, I had my first trip to London since December 2019. I was charged £5.35 for a pint of Harvey’s Best (a standard bitter) in one pub and £5.95 for a pint of Fullers ESB in another. That is considerably more than both those beers cost the last time I visited.
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