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How kind of them to keep the Gold Cup on a Friday. I would suggest this would be a calculated temporary measure until they’ve got their 5 days established in 2 or 3 years time.
What a crap sport this is becoming.It feels like the easy option, But what would be a better option,
How do you get the trainers to run their horses in the middle of the season against other smart horses.They don’t seem keen on that at present despite more graded races in the calendar than ever before.
If there was a DRF style equivalent in the UK how many would cry off due to the ground being bad, prizemoney not being good enough, it being too close to another race etc
Currently the champion trainer is no longer targeting the Cheltenham festival (presumably scared off by the Irish talent)
Henderson spends most his time making up excuses why not to run his horses.
There’s lots of other good trainers but the big stables with the most horses / top owners need to make the main season schedule competitive to start with otherwise the only alternative is to try and wring a bit more money out of the Cheltenham sponge.
I have no issues with four days, but think that is plenty and things will start to get too diluted with another day. Money talks though, and there seem to be a lot of vested interests in favour of five days.
I wonder which races will move to the Saturday? If we are to have a “flagship” race each day, then splitting the Ryanair and Stayers’ Hurdle onto different days would seem the obvious choice to me.
Worth noting that the Saturday after Gold Cup day is usually the Six Nations ‘Super Saturday’ with all six teams playing across the final day so they need to think carefully before burying any races there. ITV would have to relegate something from the main channel too, depending on the rugby running order (they and BBC have the rights between them for those unaware).
Every chance we will end up with six-day Festivals Tuesday-Sunday at both Cheltenham and Ascot in our lifetimes.
If tickets for both are currently sell-outs and there is extra money to be made, they will do it.
Casual socialite racegoers won’t mind either the dilution in quality nor the increasingly deterioration of the U.K. NH season into focus on just one meeting.
There is only one way to stop this – a member of the ITV Racing team needs to break ranks and do an Emily Pankhurst and throw themselves under the runners at Tattenham Corner in The Derby next year in protest.
I nominate….err, hard to narrow it down to just one of them, now I come to think about it!
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"It was Saturday or nothing I’m afraid to say
They didn’t want to clash with Taunton on the Monday obvsBlackbeard to conquer the World
Dire decision. Perhaps they will take a lesson from Punchestown in how to beef up a jumping Festival: remove the jumps. Mares bumper guaranteed, brace yourselves for a sales bumper, pt to pt bumper… winner auctioned after racing…
They won’t worry what races get in, could be the 2 miler egg and spoon race
all the thought goes in to getting the calculator out and working out the total of 60,000 x £50 minimum ticket, programmes, hotdogs, beer etc
The money men/women in charge didn’t like the lockdown did they.? I know it was already in the thinking tank but the lockdown would have pushed it forward to it happening.Blackbeard to conquer the World
I have quite an appetite for jumps ( c 35 meetings a year) but not for a fifth day. Frankly im usually jaded by the GC Friday and tend not to bother with the races after the big one
Dont like this at all and im fed up with the seasons focus increasingly geared around this one event
Watering the meeting down, these decision makers will be responsible for killing the sport.
Useless custodians!“There is only one way to stop this – a member of the ITV Racing team needs to break ranks and do an Emily Pankhurst and throw themselves under the runners at Tattenham Corner in The Derby next year in protest.”
Sorry to be pedantic but it was Emily Davison who made that dramatic gesture!
ITV Racing team will be happy with the extra day. Luke will have another invoice to hand in
Will trainers and owners, jockeys be happy with it.?? if yes it will go ahead
The vast majority of racegoers won’t be too fussed as they go for the p!ss up, in-fact Saturday at Cheltenham will suit them down to the ground.Blackbeard to conquer the World
Why not go for seven days, like Galway and Listowel? With two races a day that are interesting and the rest a complete load of dross.
And we can all get excited watching Willie Mullins welcoming in his 15th winner of the week, after it has comfortably beaten runners trained by Henderson, Nicholls, Skelton et al which had all won easily the time before and were hailed as great Cheltenham prospects.
I wonder when the move to Sunday’s being the day for the biggest racing will come about.
Not too long perhaps with the tinkermen about, trying to justify their existence.“Sorry to be pedantic but it was Emily Davison who made that dramatic gesture!”
Nothing wrong with being pedantic – I stand corrected!
Anyway, I nominate the two brain donors manning the nauseating Social Stable as the first to chuck themselves under the jolly as they approach the three-furlong pole!
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"I would prefer it to stay as it is at four days. But if the Festival does go to the 5 day meeting the option of just 2 new races and having 6 races a day is the best way. We don’t want and extra 5 or 6 races. Someone wrote in the Racing Post ages ago about having a legends race at the Festival. I think that would be great idea. Think about it you need 2 new races well have a debate about whether we need a mares bumper,2m4f hurdle etc. Then the other race could be a Festival Legends race with retired jockeys perhaps a 1 mile flat race with people like Ap McCoy Ruby Walsh Charlie Swan Norman Williamson Richard Johnson etc. I prefer 4 days but if/when it goes to 5 days a legends race could be a good idea.
If we’re going to include Sunday, why not run the old three day festival Wednesday to Friday and then have all the filler/novelty/other dross at the weekend. Keeps the traditionalists happy and the beancounters and lager enthusiasts get their weekend racing.
That does leave Tuesday, what would Nathan say to extending Taunton to two days?
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