The Cheltenham Festival 2025

[edgt]

Somethings are just written ..
He had a great run at Leopardstown and ground and occasion here were right up his street.
Delighted for all

 

[jinnyj]

No other result is comparable really

 

[Gaz's Way De Solzen]

How brave is Michael's girlfriend, such touching scenes in the winner's enclosure, wonderful, gave me goosebumps watching!

 

[granger]

Somethings are just written ..
He had a great run at Leopardstown and ground and occasion here were right up his street.
Delighted for all

Understated horse

Lucky enough to be in a stable with him once

He is beautiful up close. Not an immediate chasing pedigree but super round of jumping today

Lovely story and the horse hopefully keeps his legacy alive for years to come

 

[granger]

Rest easy Michael

 

[Ardross]

Well when I got to Cheltenham today I didn’t expect Ballyburn to be the horse to shaft my Placepot .

 

[edgt]

If you do not believe in a higher order/power after that you need to have a serious chat with yourself.
Wow!

 

[Ardross]

Lecky came good at last for us; delighted for all involved.
Imagine Grey and the Leckhampton lads will not be too sober for too much longer.

He jumped really well - unlike the rest of the field . Suspect The Jukebox Man would have hosed up . Lecky is such a likeable horse though.

 

[jinnyj]

It's been a special hour for sure.

 

[Ardross]

After last year’s disappointing Festival - these have been a belting two days . Story after story especially Michael O’Sullivan’s Cheltenham duo coming back to win and Golden Ace .

Also a Festival to remind us not to be afraid of one horse and that if you don’t jump you don’t win

Majborough ,Constitution Hill,State Man ,Ballyburn,Jonbon and Quilixios.

 

[jinnyj]

Have to agree with you - how are you finding the on-course experience? I thought it was better in some parts

 

[Desijo]

Bob olinger stayers hurdle 22/1
Has a very good record at Cheltenham
Personal Ambition 4.40 tomorrow 20/1
Was a decent hurdler and with a fast pace to aim at can come home in front.

 

[Truncheon]

Crowd only 42k today apparently

 

[Tanlic]

They need to revamp the Festival.
move the Ryanair and The Stayers to Friday and then bring forward all but two of Fridays races to Thursday
That should be the last day of a 4 day festival
Fridays new meeting should be run on Saturday with no connection to the festival
The races have nothing to do with high class racing hence only 42,000 turned up
Remove The Ryanair and the Stayers you wouldn't get 30,000 to go.

 

[Tanlic]

Well when I got to Cheltenham today I didn’t expect Ballyburn to be the horse to shaft my Placepot .

I couldn't believe my eyes when they held him up
Paul Townend said to Matt Chapman maybe we should change tactics
He obviously knew they got it totally wrong.

Because of the tactics it was the worst ride/decision of the meeting IMO.

Not sure Jonbon making that dreadful mistake would have changed the result.
Marine National raised the roof of the place. Great result for every true racing fan and Michael O’Sullivan’s family.

With 2 more days to go using the word certainty should be scrapped from everyone's vocabulary. Yet after the Champion Hurdle most of us still believe horse X can't be beat.

 

[Desert Orchid]

Crowd only 42k today apparently

Punters fed up being taken for mugs.

Even away from racing, everything is SO expensive.

Mrs O and I were looking for a wee break somewhere and they're looking for two and three times what it would have been a year ago.

Everyone seems to be tightening their belts and punters are maybe no different. They're maybe using the money they'd have spent on getting to Cheltenham, staying there, entry and sustenance costs, etc, and using the money for punting and who can blame them.

 

[Ardross]

Have to agree with you - how are you finding the on-course experience? I thought it was better in some parts

Still too much loud music though better than last year's horror
Too much Aly Vance she is really vacuous as a presenter and interviewer they can save a few quid by sticking to martin Kelly and Hayley Moore- and she is often too slow in getting the crowd to clap the winner walking back
Food and drink is still ridiculously expensive - the much vaunted meal deal has been withdrawn in a lot of outlets and only applies it seems to two school dinner like hot items
Frankly, smaller crowds always mean a better on course experience - those 70000 crowds in the last year ot two of the 3 day Festival made it really difficult to get around and see the racing
They have withdrawn the no smoking signs on the club enclosure steppings which is a very backward step - I don't enjoy strawberry vapes either being blown in my face.

I still think they are in danger of killing the golden goose.

I don't think radical changes are needed to the racing programme though I would return the Grand Annual and County Hurdle to their traditional slots and scrap the Albert Bartlett which is a killer of a race in poor ground - so many horses have been trashed by it and add a Mares Bumper to the tThursday so i can leave early. Move the Plate to Wed and the Martin Pipe to today. Make the NH Chase the four miler again now it is open to professional jockeys.

 

[Ardross]

Have to agree with you - how are you finding the on-course experience? I thought it was better in some parts

Also I hope the fact that the racing has been so exciting and unpredictable this year will make those staying away remember what they are missing but to do that Cheltenham must improve the on course experience - though there seems to have been less of the awful pre-race" entertainment " they have put on in the past .

 

[LUKE]

Restore the 3 day festival -cap the attendance and charge a premium price.

 

[Coach miguel]

Punters fed up being taken for mugs.

Even away from racing, everything is SO expensive.

Mrs O and I were looking for a wee break somewhere and they're looking for two and three times what it would have been a year ago.

Everyone seems to be tightening their belts and punters are maybe no different. They're maybe using the money they'd have spent on getting to Cheltenham, staying there, entry and sustenance costs, etc, and using the money for punting and who can blame them.

They just can't help themselves. For me to go to Cheltenham for 4 days would cost somewhere north of £1200 before food,drink and bets. When I retire in a few years I will be going to the drf each year,Chesters may meeting and Yorkshire ebor meeting. I can probably go though those 3 for not much more than Cheltenham. I'm going to the punk all dayer in June. It's £72 to watch 6 of my fav punk bands. Yes everything is more expensive but unless Cheltenham and all the hotels see sense they will see the crowds gradually dwindling which in turn leads to lower prizemoney.
I fear we will get the usual posturing about listening to the punters and nothing will change. Tinkering with the schedule won't make a blind bit of difference. Lower the price,especially in a 4 day package,and it will improve. Plus ca change.

 

[Coach miguel]

Punters fed up being taken for mugs.

Even away from racing, everything is SO expensive.

Mrs O and I were looking for a wee break somewhere and they're looking for two and three times what it would have been a year ago.

Everyone seems to be tightening their belts and punters are maybe no different. They're maybe using the money they'd have spent on getting to Cheltenham, staying there, entry and sustenance costs, etc, and using the money for punting and who can blame them.

Totally agree. My mate wanted to go to Cheltenham as he retired but he couldn't believe the hotel prices. He instead did a cruise around the canary Islands instead. Folk will find other ways to spend their money.

 

[jinnyj]

I'm lucky in that I can drive up in the morning. Left at 8.20 Tuesday and got to my parking space (via JustPark - highly recommend as got out within minutes) by 10.10 with one stop for a wee/coffee en route at Michaelwood services.

I'm working on my nephew who has just got engaged to his girlfriend who is due to inherit a nice place just 20 minutes from the course. They have been a few times but I just need them to book time off work for the week so I can stay!

 

[chaumi]

punk all dayer in June

Pistols, The Stranglers, The Undertones, Buzzcocks, SKIDS, The Rezillos It feels like 1976 again!! If you threw in 999, The Ruts, The Damned, Penetration, UK Subs, etc it would be close on a full house. It's a long, long time since I saw any of that lot live in the Nashville, Marquee, Roundhouse, etc. Yet strangely it feels like it could be yesterday.

Have a great day when it comes to it, Coach.

 

[Desert Orchid]

Ryanair Chase:

 

[Coach miguel]

Pistols, The Stranglers, The Undertones, Buzzcocks, SKIDS, The Rezillos It feels like 1976 again!! If you threw in 999, The Ruts, The Damned, Penetration, UK Subs, etc it would be close on a full house. It's a long, long time since I saw any of that lot live in the Nashville, Marquee, Roundhouse, etc. Yet strangely it feels like it could be yesterday.

Have a great day when it comes to it, Coach.

Thanks chaumi. Seems like yesterday I was pogoing to the stranglers and the rats on one leg after having a toenail taken out. Blood everywhere and my foot throbbing but well worth it. The best time ever to be a teenager followed by the late 50s of eddie cochran gene Vincent and buddy Holly. I went to 23 concerts in 6 months in late 77 and early 78.Seen every top punk band bar the clash. Saw devo recently. They were just fantastic. It was the odeon and the playhouse in Edinburgh where most of 6 bands played. Wish we could time travel back to them. Saw the pistols and Frank Carter and they blew me a way. Still life in this old sea dog yet.