5 day Cheltenham festival as early as 2024

[barjon]

I’m afraid we’re history, guys. The idea that the racing is paramount with the commercial side geared to providing people with the opportunity to enjoy it has been lost and replaced by idea that making as much money as possible is paramount with the racing just a means to hook people into coming through the gates. Shame, but there it is and not much we can do about it.

 

[Outsider]

It must be a terrible experience these days.i havent been since Dawn Run won the gold cup.i couldnt see it and couldnt hear it and didnt know who had won.never went again.
I went to the National in 1972 and kept going for years15 to 20 and then they made alterations and I couldnt get to grips with the new lay out and never went again.

 

[edgt]

A non racing man who went this year for the Gold Cup told me of louts throwing beer onto the horses/jockeys as races finished the early days.
Any truth in this ?
Mallow Easter Sunday was bad enough with well behaved if loud youngsters.
I could not get over the noise from the crowd Irish National day on tv; if this is the future I am glad to be ageing.

 

[Desert Orchid]

Isn't it pretty much the same everywhere these days?

I'm a very rare racegoer these days. I had a day at Ayr maybe in 2017 as part of the RTV club day scheme and probably not too long before that Musselburgh put on a free-entry day which I went to (using my bus pass, so the whole day was free). The Musselburgh day wasn't bad, I'd have to say, but Ayr was awful.

Lads in slim-fit Next suits two sizes too small and ladettes shoe-horned into dresses more befitting of the worst out-takes of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, slugging down pints and Prosecco like there was no tomorrow, shouting because the drink had dulled their hearing and every second word beginning with A, B, C or F, and shoes sticking to the carpets.

I spent most of that day thinking back to the day I met former-forumite Pebbles there (2003?) and how much different it was, how much more pleasant it was to be in the company of a lass with class who knew her stuff.

Seems like a lifetime ago now.

 

[an capall]

I think there should be a racing public vote on it...with transparent independent adjudicated results.

Poor little lamb thinks they give a flying feck for what the racing public thinks!

 

[HawkWing]

After decades of lads and lasses fearing that the animal welfare protestors were going to destroy the NH game, they seem hell bent on making the thing so unenjoyable to where knocking the whole thing on the head would be doing us a favour.

I'd prefer there to be no cheltenham festival than one of a five day six race card. Opportunity for Leopardstown is hopefully a unintended consequence.

 

[Desperate Dan]

I`ve only been once, when Davy Lad won the Gold Cup! Never again! Would much prefer a civilised day out at Bangor.