Horrible at course on Gold Cup day

"That sounds ominously like a 5-day Festival is being planned already. What the hell are they going to pad out the extra day with? The Cheltenham Festival has always been about championship races and top-notch handicappers, why compromise that quality for the sake of a guzzle-fest for the majority of people who are only there to swill as much alcohol as they can and call it "an experience" (if they can remember it)."

I agree. Call me a sad old reactionary (I am) but I thought that was what Cheltenham was about too. There's a lot of dross already and this will make it worse. Remember the Festival two years ago, was it, when they had to cram extra races into each day? One particular day, I can't remember which, had a card of races which was thrilling in print never mind in performance. Then I remembered that that was what the 3-day Festival was always like!
 
I think Cheltenham has begun to feel threatened by the success of Aintree and Punchestown, Spaceegg, so feel that they must up the ante to make The Festival bigger and more manic and sod the quality.

Concentrate on the quality and the thrill of top-notch competition will ensure the enjoyment of both participants and spectators. How many years of a 5-day Festival will it be before the trainers and riders start viewing it as just a win at Cheltenham rather than a win at Cheltenham.
 
With the amount of non-favourites winning and placing, it's also made those hundreds of very profitable preview nights look a bit redundant! If you didn't figure out for yourself that one of the two faves would win the Gold Cup, you really oughtn't to be let loose with a fiver. Other than that, well done to anyone finding most of the long-priced winners. They weren't tipped by the 'experts'.
 
Let's not forget what Cheltenham achieves.

Where else will you get such a variety of people assembled for a sporting event and all enjoying it in different ways, from the darts-type atmosphere in the Centaur to the fashion and posers parade, to the beer and ballads and to the point to point-style atmosphere in the infield? What strikes the newcomers to racing I have met there is the sheer good humour that generally prevails.

That said, it is high time they did something about the toilet situation and provided more places for people to sit down for a few minutes. If the festival stretches to five days only those having to will stay for the full duration, and the prestige of the non-championship races will suffer.
 
Doesn't Aintree provide the same sort of atmosphere, Grey? Haven't been, so don't know. The same could be said for Epsom and Royal Ascot, where you can count the same differences in reasons for being at the meetings, from the old geezers in the 'Silver' rings, to the smart set in the boxes.
 
As you say, Grey. The crowd is a mixed bunch and generally good-humoured, but the quality of racing will suffer and the Festival will become little more than a drink-fest.

Providing more cover for shelter by pushing some of the stalls from the Tote area by the Paddock into the Tented Village would be helpful, maybe with more benches there to provide for those needing a rest. Maybe a screen could be provided there too, for those too far away to see the Tote screens when they show the racing.

Seating round the paddock could be more comfortable too, it gets quite tiring balancing on those little "pinhead" stools. Slightly wider seats (Sandown's are even padded!) and a foot-rail would be ideal.

On the subject of paddock-viewing, the introduction of a running rail may be a good idea for those inside the ring, but for those outside who happen to be under 5'6" (some men and many women) it is horrendous. The level of the ground outside the paddock rail is several inches lower than inside, therefore the running rail is at eye level for many of us (sitting or standing), cutting the middle view of the horse. One can see the legs and upper parts okay, but the middle bit is almost totally obscured and it is difficult to assess fitness.

Hard to see where more food outlets can be put, unless a canteen of sorts is opened in the Centaur (apologies if there is already one, I haven't been in there during a Festival yet).

There were fewer temporary ladies' loos this year than last, with more people being allowed in this year than last - rather cockeyed thinking. The facilities in the temporary loos this year also left a great deal to be desired.
 
krizon said:
Doesn't Aintree provide the same sort of atmosphere, Grey? Haven't been, so don't know. The same could be said for Epsom and Royal Ascot, where you can count the same differences in reasons for being at the meetings, from the old geezers in the 'Silver' rings, to the smart set in the boxes.
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You don't get as many of the green tweed and raspberry corduroy brigade at Aintree as you do at Cheltenham. I suspect they sneer at it and would only go if their horse was running. And you don't get quite as much bare female flesh (or male, for that matter) at Cheltenham as you do at Aintree.

The big difference at Cheltenham compared with Royal Ascot and Epsom (neither of which I've been to) is the absence of a dress code in any of the enclosures.
 
Grey said:
You don't get as many of the green tweed and raspberry corduroy brigade at Aintree as you do at Cheltenham. I suspect they sneer at it and would only go if their horse was running. And you don't get quite as much bare female flesh (or male, for that matter) at Cheltenham as you do at Aintree.

The big difference at Cheltenham compared with Royal Ascot and Epsom (neither of which I've been to) is the absence of a dress code in any of the enclosures.
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Ive been to cheltenham the last 2 years and have never seen so much tweed in all my life, even on kids:confused::confused:
 
That's because of the sport's traditional roots, and the fact it's a helluva lot easier to brush horse snot, mud, or other muck off tweed than it is to get it off your Top Man suit.
 
Very true! Tweed is wonderfully hard-wearing and our sport is still firmly rooted in hunting, even in England, despite the PC attempts to emasculate it by calling it "Jump Racing".

You do get a some tweedies at Aintree still, but the bulk of the crowd is there for the socialising.
 
I don't think a 5 day festival is on the cards - a 4 day ending on Saturday with the Thursday card being moved to that day - I suspect is very much on the cards . Alan Lee also thinks that racing for change will save rather than ruin the flat season - let's see what that shows .

I suspect he lives in an ivory tower rather than where the rest of us are.

If we are to have a new seventh race next year I am very much against a 2m 4f Grade 1 hurdle - I would much rather a boost to the prize money for the Coral Cup which appears to be slipping behind .

The right race would be the return of the Cathcart as a novice chase - and it should return on Gold Cup day with the dreadfully boring Coral Cup consolation race for conditional jockeys moved to last race on the Thursdays.
 
"Gillespie found himself wondering if everyone could lift themselves for another day, should the Festival embrace the speculated change to a Saturday..."

Moving the fourth day to a Saturday is one thing, but why is Edward wondering about whether people can manage another day?
 
Gillespie has been gagging to hold a five day Festival for years - the question has been when, not if for some time now.
 
There are only so many horses of championship and high-grade handicap standard around, the dilution of quality can only be the result. They have stretched it as far as possible, surely? At this rate there will be one championship race per day, a couple of good handicaps per day and dross for the rest of the card. Horrible thought.

It will be even worse if he has managed to persuade Health and Safety to increase the numbers that he can cram in.
 
Could I get similar reports that people have had recently of Royal Ascot? Again in terms of viewing, comfort, crowd, food etc.
 
Food and drink - overpriced, and while I was in the Royal Enclosure before and after the refurbishments, that hasn't changed. There is a Terminal Four type long bar where you can walk through slopped beer, barged by all and sundry, then queue forever for a coffee, wending your way through one of those tape mazes like a Boots Chemists check-out. Don't expect to find anything to eat after the last race - friends and I went immediately after the horses passed the post, and all of the eateries had already not just closed, but were hosed and home. Oh, hardly anywhere to sit - dreadful stand-up mini-bar type things, sugar, sauces, squeezy bottles of sauce/vinegar all out, just like the chuck wagons at Plumpton, but not at Plumpton prices. Most of the standings are converted to poncy-sounding 'loges' where they bung a few nasty bistro tables at £1000 a day, I think. I tried reserving seating at the time I booked my ticket, and was told it was all gone. I imagine the best way to 'do' RA is to batten onto a chum who's booked a hospitality suite (from £5000 a day plus food and drink) - or get together with a bunch of well-heeled chums and try to book one yourself.

Crowd-wise, really busy round the bookies. Nowhere to sit round them, either. If I recall correctly, the loos were down a floor, down an industrial metal spiral staircase, from the grandstand-level bar/Tote/nosh bars. It's nice to have been, but not something I would want to repeat.
 
In fairness to Ascot, the food, although pricey, is quite good. You'll be pleased to hear Kri that toilet facilities for women were improved I'm told - several colleagues have bitched to me about the male facilities on the ground floor being changed into female. (yes, I use the press room facilities so me, I wouldn't know!!)
 
I would've loved to have eaten from the fish 'n' chip place, but the surly boy behind the counter stared at me in disbelief when I asked if there was no chance of any scoff at all. I think the course was bombarded with complaints, Shadz, about loos/distance/accessibility, especially for the more elderly/less nimble and possibly those for whom even a few seconds' delay could prove embarrassing! I'm not quite at that stage yet, but I reckon a lot of the more mature racegoers were!
 
One or two of the bookies will try to take advantage of the average RA racegoers lack of knowledge. Unfortunately, one of these was fool enough to try it on with Redhead II who had won a substantial amount and stood her ground ... lost him a fair bit of custom on the next race too.
 
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