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Cheltenham go back to 3 days...bar the Triumph and Gold Cup today and the two Grade 1s yesterday the racing has been very run of the mill. Cheltenham should not be run of the mill!!
 
There's currently 19 Graded races (12 Grade 1s, 1 Grade 2, 6 Grade 3 Handicaps).

Throw in the National Hunt Chase and the Foxhunters for the traditionalists/amateurs/pointers and that's the 21 you need for 3 days of 7 races.

You'd lose the Cross Country, Jewson, Pertemps Final, Kim Muir and the Conditionals hurdle.

If you really wanted to save one of them then you could probably make a case for dropping the Fred Winter.

On a related note, I think the schedule could be balanced better than it is at the moment. Wednesday has 6 Graded races, Thursday just 3.
 
I think better scheduling could maybe soften the blow......the first two days are arguably TOO good....maybe it's wrong to suggest it, but worth maybe moving either the Arkle or the Sun Alliance to the Thursday, just to give that a real genuine novice race of substance which it doesn't have.
 
Agree completely. Nothing bar the Gold Cup really exited me on the last two days. First two days look ridiculously strong in comparison.

Why do we have handicaps at a championship? Surely fans want to see the best horse relative to the others in the race, not the best horse relative to some bloke called Phil's opinion that they've never met?
 
I preferred yesterday's card to Wednesday's this year, personally.

Four days leaves you crippled, emotionally drained and fit to drop but at least there is more scope to actually move around the track with the smaller crowds. This year I didn't queue for the ladies for more than 30 seconds anywhere - mind you knowing your way around the track helps, I'd come across one queue going out of the door, go find another one and find 3 people in there!
 
Galileo said:
Cheltenham go back to 3 days...bar the Triumph and Gold Cup today and the two Grade 1s yesterday the racing has been very run of the mill. Cheltenham should not be run of the mill!!
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I fear you'll get five before you get three back. In fact I predict it within 3 to 4 years
 
I am completely wrecked after 4 days-If there has to be 4 days why not make the 4th day the equivalent of the old Ascot Heath meeting at the end of the Royal meeting.
 
Shadow Leader said:
I preferred yesterday's card to Wednesday's this year, personally.

Four days leaves you crippled, emotionally drained and fit to drop but at least there is more scope to actually move around the track with the smaller crowds. This year I didn't queue for the ladies for more than 30 seconds anywhere - mind you knowing your way around the track helps, I'd come across one queue going out of the door, go find another one and find 3 people in there!
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I don't see how anyone could prefer the Thursday which bar the two G1's is totally filled with filler races to the Champion Chase, RSA Chase and the Ballymore Properties in addition to the Champion Bumper.

I think the XC has to stay - it's a unique race and one for the genuine jump racing fans.
 
Well this year, I preferred it! The Ryanair and the Stayers produced two of the best races of the week and in general, I preferred this year's Thursday card to the Wednesday one.

As for the cross country race, I've always thought it was quite a good idea but this year's renewal was utterly shite bar Garde Champetre and L'Ami. The only three horses that stood any chance of serving it up to them were Drombeag, Dix Villex and Heads Onthe Ground, and that was still an ask for them. It had to be the worst quality cross country race seen in this country since their inception.
 
Irish Stamp said:
I don't see how anyone could prefer the Thursday which bar the two G1's is totally filled with filler races to the Champion Chase, RSA Chase and the Ballymore Properties in addition to the Champion Bumper.
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Agree...Tuesday and Wednesday are miles clear of the other two days in terms of strength in depth.
 
Maybe so but we're not renowned for XC races and there's maybe 9 or 10 a year split between the UK and Ireland - our XC horses seem to be a fair bit faster than the ones you see on the continent (Juventus proved that in December) and Enda Bolger seems to send stacks over for it :)

Would modify the 4 miler (maybe have it as an open contest not a novices race), drop the Conditional Jockey's Handicap Hurdle and as much as I like a good staying novice hurdle would drop the Albert Bartlett too and just increase the prize money of the Sefton Novices, would drop the Ryanair too - there's already a 2 1/2m G1 in the spring.
 
:(


By Jon Lees9.39AM 15 MAR 2009
BOOKMAKERS would welcome the addition of two more races to the Cheltenham Festival schedule as they backed the earlier start times but not earlier finishes.
Kicking off each day with arace at 1.30pm proved a winner for betting shop trade but on two of the four days the racing ended at 4.40pm, costing bookmakers a chance to cash in at the end of the regular working day.
Coral's director of trading Simon Clare said: "A 1.30 start is ideal. On the high street it is lunchtime for many people and is a busy time. The only issue we have is the two days where the last race ends at 4.40.
"On Coral Cup day and Gold Cup day 1.30 through to 5.15 works extremely well but on Tuesday and Thursday you would probably favour a 2.00 to 5.15.
"It would be great to have four seven race cards starting at 1.30. That's challenging for Cheltenham. They could look at maybe a Coral Silver Cup or a mares Flat race - I'm not going to tell Cheltenham how to do their job - and there will be others who will say the quality is diluted enough."
 
They could have a mares bumper, over 2m5f, restricted to amateur riders and conditionals only, oh, and the mares must be grey. Trainers to have no more than a string of 20 horses.
 
Ah, now that could only be possible if they were to run another one with those exact conditions for non-greys, so theres another extra race!
 
A 2.5 mile Champion Hurdle is the obvious extra, I suppose, as the chasers have the Ryanair! But I agree - there seems more than enough already, it's very exhausting already and impossible to follow everything properly, if you are there
 
Headstrong said:
A 2.5 mile Champion Hurdle is the obvious extra, I suppose, as the chasers have the Ryanair! But I agree - there seems more than enough already, it's very exhausting already and impossible to follow everything properly, if you are there
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2.5 Champion Hurdle would be a nightmare...completely destroy the actual Champion Hurdle.
 
Four days is too much - it was an infinitely more exciting spectacle when it was held over three days - in much the same way RA was when it was four and not five days. It's just typical of our current social ethos of always wanting more and not realising that, in fact, less is more!
 
I actually don't mind the four days. I'd personally prefer to savour two or three top-class races each day, alongside the compettitive handicaps, than have three days of top-class races in rapid succession. Just personal preference really.
 
Given that there is a 2 1/2 mile at Aintree, those ryainair horse's are very lucky

A 2 1/2 mile championship hurlde race is as bad an idea as I can imagine
 
I would not be surprised to see a veterans chase and a replacement Cathcart .

The new conditionals hurdle was a pile of crap. A sort of Coral Cup for those that did not qualify . Why could they not have given the conditionals one of the amateur races e.g the Kim Muir ?

I would make the NH Chase a race for pro jockeys , this year we had at least one trainer change his running arrangements as he did not think an amateur ( even a damn good one ) would suit . NTD when someone said to him what a good race Waley-Cohen had ridden made it pretty clear all he had done was follow Brennan's instructions to the letter .

I thought the supporting card for Gold Cup day , bar the Triumph was lousy. The County Hurdle somehow lost its excitement level due to the Gilliespie's decision to have the GC 4th on the card . I thought that did not work . Wed and Thurs was OK as the curtain raiser to the big event was itself a cracker and AP rescued the William Hill Chase from being a damp squib . There needs to be an exciting build up to the big race - hence Supreme , Arkle , Champion started with a bang as did the old Triumph, Stayers , Gold Cup combo .

We are stuck with four days - though five at least seems firmly on the back burner . The earlier start worked ok the first three days but on Friday was a mistake .

I would suggest therefore :

1 Go back to the big race being the third on the card . If that means going back to 2pm starts so be it

2 Beef up GC day - the supporting card was poor .

3 Put the Balllymore back where it belongs at the start of day 2 - why open with such a borefest as the NH Chase .

4 Take at least one 2m 4f chase out of the Thursday !

5 If they won't move the present line up then swop the Ballymore and Albert Bartlett round

6 Put the Pertemps back to the bottom of the card - what the hell was that doing in a prime spot ?

My preferred running order would be :

Supreme
Arkle
Champion
Festival Plate
Kim Muir
Pertemps

Wed

Albert Bartlett
RSA Chase
Champion Chase
Coral Cup
Fred Winter
Bumper
Cross Country( so we can all skip the last race )

Thursday
William Hill Chase
Ryanair
Stayers
Jewson
David Nicholson
NH Chase

Friday
Triumph
Ballymore
Gold Cup
Foxhunters
Grand Annual
County Hurdle

Scrap the Conditionals race and make the Kim Muir a conditionals chase
NH Chase opened to pro jockeys
 
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