alternate Cheltenham

tiedcottage

With all the palava about Royal Ascot moving to York this year, if Cheltenham ever had to be moved away for one year for refurbishments, where could the festival take place?

I've had a think about it and narrowed it down to just two, but even they would have SEVERE problems with some of the necessities of the festival.

Any takers on where it could take place (and it has to be in the UK, fellas).

Morgans

Newbury is about the fairest track in England. Sandown would be a right-handed option.

fr wishy washy

maybe fakenham

seriously though it would have to be either newbury,sandown or haydock but going off the expected places................ the park fences at aintree would be an outside bet and the fact the track could handle the crowd numbers.

tiedcottage

Some expected candidates there. Firstly Ascot and Kempton are out. One of the necessities for the festival, at least since 2005, would be the facility to create a cross country course. Ascot and Kempton do not have enough room on the inside thanks to the reservoirs which are great for draining but take up a lot of room. Then they are righthanded and Ascot would be loathed to use its outer flat course only a few months before the Royal Meeting.

Sandown could manage a decent job, and has the necessary uphill finish, but being right handed would be against it, as would the problem of having a nine hole golf course and driving range in the middle of the course where the CC course would need to be. Newbury has an advantage as it's infield is clear and a cross country course could be created, plus the flat track on the outside could be used for fresh ground on the third and fourth days.

Chepstow would be interesting, but lacks the facilities even if the course itself is ideal and fresh ground could be utilized due to the width of the course. The undulating left handed track helps, too. Problem would be that it doesn't have starts in the right places. The Gold Cup would have to start with an open ditch and there is no start for the four miler.

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Doncaster, which has Rose Hill (if on the far side and not on the home straight). They are used to big crowds on St Leger day. The fences are as far removed from the upturned dandy brushes of yore as could be offered and are probably the stiffest of the UK's Grade 1 courses now (stiffer than Cheltenham, whose fences' stiffness have gone in the opposite direction). Plus there's the opportunity for development on the inside, the flat track on the outside and also has starts available for all races, though I don't think they use the 4m1f one any more, it's still there.

Aintree couldn't as it would totally render it's own meeting irrelevant, bar the National day itself.

Haydock has the advantage of the outer flat track as well, but the course is as far removed from Cheltenham as could be offered (basically just a boring oval with a slight kink down the back straight). Ayr would be interesting but doesn't have the facilities.

For me Doncaster, second choice Newbury.

Still, the problem of no course having two courses means that the chase course on the fourth day would be VERY cut up. Fine on good ground, just a nightmare if the rains came.

tiedcottage

I forgot to apologise to the patrons of Cartmel and Sedgefield, but they just missed out.