To expand on Redhead's post this was in the Gloucester Echo yesterday
THE chances of the 2012 National Hunt Festival being moved to a weekend slot will become clearer early in the new year.
Edward Gillespie, the managing director of Cheltenham Racecourse, said they hinged upon plans for a £30 million upgrade of existing facilities which were already behind schedule.
He was pressed on the matter at a press conference yesterday ahead of the two-day Showcase meeting, which starts tomorrow week.
"We are currently putting together a business plan in terms of the next five years, including the development of the racecourse," he said.
"Firstly, it's about how we fund these developments and move from where we are now and to where we hoped to be five years ago, by now.
"Secondly, within that, it's about how we drive the business forward, looking at the opportunities to attract more people here and to get as much as possible out of commercially positive times.
"By February we will be in a better position to know what needs to happen in order for the business to press forward.
"Now, if it points to us that the sooner we move from where we are now to the weekend the better, then 2012 remains an option.
"But frankly, I don't know at the moment what it will be telling us."
If the Festival is eventually moved back a day to a weekend slot, the meeting is expected to start on a Wednesday and finish on Saturday.
Gillespie said it was not certain the Gold Cup, the feature race of the meeting, would be run on the Saturday.
He said it could stay on the Friday, which was commercially twice as profitable as the other three days.
"At the moment we have the four days (in terms of sport) very much to ourselves," he said. "On a Saturday afternoon there will be a full sporting programme, not only of football but also a Six Nations programme.
"Actually in 2012 England will be playing Ireland at Twickenham on that Saturday.
"In terms of positioning the Festival, we've got to do this because it's financially better for us and we make more money to plough back into the sport.
"We want to be absolutely certain that we get it right and move forward with confidence."