Cheltenham - no five days and no Saturday thank you !

A

Ardross

Senior Jockey
Joined
Aug 8, 2007
Messages
5,468
I was unimpressed to see that jackass Rod Street pop up in the Times yesterday wittering on about the possibility of a five day Festival and how it should end on a Saturday .

No to both thanks ! We do not need a fifth day with more handicap hurdles , a veterans race or a mares bumper ! Also ending on a Saturday would somehow just be wrong .

Surely, Racing for Change would be better off looking at the things that are really weak about the racing programme - the embarrassment that is the start to the Flat Season , too many fixtures etc .

I should like to see the races over the four days moved about a bit - the Friday is much too much of a bookies benefit with two handicap hurdles , the Triumph and the Grand Annual and I would move the Martin Pipe to the Tuesday, the mares hurdle to the Friday and swop the Pertemps and the Fred Winter as there are no 2m races on the Thursday .

Also can we not just have the Gold Cup back as race 3 and move the County Hurdle to the end of the day where it should be !

And if they cannot ensure good ground all over the x country course scrap the race -all the deaths but particularly the deaths of Garde Champetre and Scotsirish on the flat marred the meeting .
 
Last edited:
I can't stand anything past the 2nd day.

The more I've got on in years the less the appeal of the Festival and the fact they are making it even longer prolongs the agony of having to watch this flawed ceremony.
 
I don't think that it should me moved just for the benefit of the educators of the country ;)
 
In the 20 years I have been working I have always tried to take Cheltenham week off-there was something about the 3 day midweek festival that made it absolutely unmissable.The fourth day has diluted the quality but I can tolerate it.
A fifth day would be ridiculous -what would the extra races be a mares bumper and a Lincoln trial-this is meant to be racing at it's highest level-do we really need insignificant races thought up by some trainee in race planning.
 
Ardross said:
I don't think that it should me moved just for the benefit of the educators of the country ;)
Click to expand...

Me neither. The Arc takes place on a Sunday. Nearly all the big races in Ireland are on a Sunday. The Triumph Hurdle, Gold Cup, Champion Chase, Stayers' Hurdle and Champion Hurdle should all be moved to the Sunday for a truly climactic final day, finishing off with the mares race.

Race 1 - Triumph
Race 2 - Stayers' Hurdle
Race 3 - Champion Chase
Race 4 - Champion Hurdle
Race 5 - Gold Cup
Race 6 - Mares
 
I would be dead against that. Each day has its identity and lets keep it that way. Wouldnt be against a Thurs -Sunday switch but prefer Weds - Sat which would make a lot of sense IMO
 
my ideal would be 3 days
eight races each day
days wednesday, thursday and friday

the nov chase hcp 2m5f out
the cross country out
Fredd Winter out
 
8 races would be bloody knackering if you are there. No thanks!

I really like the cross country. Cant work out the hostiilty to it myself. Adds a nice dimension and its quite something to see if you get onto the course
 
Desert Orchid said:
Me neither. The Arc takes place on a Sunday. Nearly all the big races in Ireland are on a Sunday. The Triumph Hurdle, Gold Cup, Champion Chase, Stayers' Hurdle and Champion Hurdle should all be moved to the Sunday for a truly climactic final day, finishing off with the mares race.

Race 1 - Triumph
Race 2 - Stayers' Hurdle
Race 3 - Champion Chase
Race 4 - Champion Hurdle
Race 5 - Gold Cup
Race 6 - Mares
Click to expand...

Although Thursday to Sunday is a good idea, the above is a terrible idea.

Cheltenham doesn't need to compete with glorified Gallic greyhound racing. Get rid of the Martin Pipe, the 2m5f novice handicap chase and the Fred Winter. Six races a day.
 
I am rather in favour of the Fred Winter - it has improved the Triumph no end . I would be very happy to see the back of the Martin Pipe and the cross country .

The idea of Champions Dayising the meeting as DO suggests strikes me as horrendous.
 
Last edited:
I love the XC - maybe they should run it on the friday though... im sure theres some rubbish 3 mile 2f chase they could put it in place of... :p
 
Last edited:
Maybe they can set up a race between Long Run,Kauto,Binocular and Hurricane Fly and call it the Hype Horse Bubble Burst Gold Cup?
 
Last edited:
clivex said:
I really like the cross country. Cant work out the hostiilty to it myself. Adds a nice dimension and its quite something to see if you get onto the course
Click to expand...

I'm not opposed to the concept of the cross-country race per se, I just don't think it has a place at the Festival, which is supposed to be - and used to be - the ultimate test of champion National Hunt horses, not the home of a glorified veterans handicap.

But then I freely admit I'm a curmudgeonly old traditionalist who would happily do away with all these 'add-ons' like the Martin Pipe, Fred Winter, intermediate distance novice chases etc and go back to three days of top quality (which I know will never happen, but a woman can dream...)
 
I'm no expert but would the course stand up to 5 days, don't think so and would be so weather dependent.

Would like the Gold Cup moved to 4 pm though, angle of sun permitting, so that as many could watch it after work.

MR2
 
After last year's Festival, Edward Gillespie told the local TV news that a Saturday Gold Cup would not work and that the Gold Cup had never had such a high take-up as when it moved to Friday.

I'm guessing the reason for that is because the majority of people who only go for one day take the Friday off work and have a long weekend.

Competing with all the other sports - not to mention domestic demands - would surely lower the appeal of the Gold Cup if it were held on a Saturday?

Five days would be awful. I only managed 3 this year instead of the whole 4.

Too much work to do beforehand and dilution of quality results in boredom whilst waiting for the more interesting races.

Looking forward to Aintree as 3 days is much more manageable and the quality is compressed rather than diluted.
 
LUKE said:
In the 20 years I have been working I have always tried to take Cheltenham week off-there was something about the 3 day midweek festival that made it absolutely unmissable.The fourth day has diluted the quality but I can tolerate it.
A fifth day would be ridiculous -what would the extra races be a mares bumper and a Lincoln trial-this is meant to be racing at it's highest level-do we really need insignificant races thought up by some trainee in race planning.
Click to expand...

...I'm with Luke.
 
Cheltenham isn't and never will be as big a deal as it used to be since it went to 4 days. The three days was magic. Now after the Queen Mother on the Wednesday it's hard to find a race to get excited about. That's the feeling I get every year.
 
Cheltenham know they could sell out another day especially if it was on a Saturday, this is a fact and where profit is concerned tradition goes out the window.
 
Royal ascot could have every race sponsored and make a very nice sum...but tradition doesnt go "out of the window"
 
SlimChance said:
Cheltenham isn't and never will be as big a deal as it used to be since it went to 4 days. The three days was magic. Now after the Queen Mother on the Wednesday it's hard to find a race to get excited about. That's the feeling I get every year.
Click to expand...

Totally disagree. I think the four days work well and whilst there is some dilution we've had some cracking races we never would have seen if they'd kept it to three days.
 
Back
Top