Cheltenham: How Many Days??

byronbay2 · 28-03-2018 12:22am #1

Been chatting with my friends re. how many days the Cheltenham Festival should have. I was devastated when the festival went from 3 days to 4 in 2005 and I can honestly say that I would lose 90% of my interest in the festival if they added a 5th day. It seems so crazy to me but there has been a lot of talk about it this year and they are obviously testing the water to see if people would accept it.

So, what do you think? Is a 5th day inevitable and is it a good idea? I can't tell you how sick I would be if this happened!!

artanevilla · 28-03-2018 12:30am

I think the Ryanair should be a Championship race, but keep it four days.

madmoose · 28-03-2018 6:05am

Hope it stays 4 days. What are they going to add? A mares chase? A veterans final here rather than Sandown? Hope to god it doesn’t happen.

abarkie · 28-03-2018 7:13am

3 days for me

I feel quality is too spread out

Only people who want more have a vested interest ( mainly financial)

Racecourse - Admission & Parking charges
Hotels - Inflated accommodation prices
Bars - Takings

Gavin "shels" · 28-03-2018 8:10am

Edit the post to throw in a poll there OP.

Although a 4 or 5 day festival is great - I think it should just be 3 days of quality racing. Scrap the deadwood races, have just one Mares, etc... Friday over there always seems like people are happy once it ends at 5.30, maybe because it's dragged out a bit.

longshotvalue · 28-03-2018 9:50am

abarkie wrote: »

3 days for me

I feel quality is too spread out

Only people who want more have a vested interest ( mainly financial)

Racecourse - Admission & Parking charges
Hotels - Inflated accommodation prices
Bars - Takings

I like the 4 days and would be annoyed if it cut back to 3.

Slattsy · 28-03-2018 9:54am

I preferred it when it was three days, that fourth day on the beer can be a bastard.

Joking aside, the quality of the festival has certainly been diluted trying the squeeze in the extra day.
But from a owner/trainer pov, a 4th day is probably a good thing. I cant see there being a 5th day - it would be a travesty.

Earendil · 28-03-2018 10:03am

Slattsy wrote: »

I preferred it when it was three days, that fourth day on the beer can be a bastard.

Joking aside, the quality of the festival has certainly been diluted trying the squeeze in the extra day.
But from a owner/trainer pov, a 4th day is probably a good thing. I cant see there being a 5th day - it would be a travesty.

I do be green by the Thursday and tend not to make it out on the Friday. And that's just watching it here at home!

Fanny Wank · 28-03-2018 10:15am

3 days was way better but they're never gonna lose the extra day

The quality has already been diluted, please don't do any more damage by adding a fifth day

longshotvalue · 28-03-2018 11:38am

If the 4th day goes, i'm fecked, Its worked for years as get out of dodge with profit, thanks to county and grand annual.

Joe_ Public · 28-03-2018 11:44am

“Too much bread and not enough butter.” I remember those words of Edward O’Grady, one of the keenest observers of racing trends I’ve ever heard, when they introduced the 4th day. Further expansion would be a grievous mistake and it would do nothing to halt the decline of the UK racing industry. Might as well go the whole hog and make it 7 days and a social extravaganza like Galway.

artanevilla · 28-03-2018 2:38pm

Joe_ Public wrote: »

“Too much bread and not enough butter.” I remember those words of Edward O’Grady, one of the keenest observers of racing trends I’ve ever heard, when they introduced the 4th day. Further expansion would be a grievous mistake and it would do nothing to halt the decline of the UK racing industry. Might as well go the whole hog and make it 7 days and a social extravaganza like Galway.

Galway has the luxury of mixing both flat and NH as well as being during the summer.

danganabu · 28-03-2018 3:39pm

Dont have the problem that most seem to have with the 4 days but would certainly agree that a 5th day would be overkill.

finglashoop · 28-03-2018 7:32pm

Im surprised they havent moved it wed to sat.

abarkie · 28-03-2018 7:33pm

aidankkk wrote: »

I like the 4 days and would be annoyed if it cut back to 3.

But you have a vested financial interest

byronbay2 · 29-03-2018 12:03am

Slattsy wrote: »

I cant see there being a 5th day - it would be a travesty.

That's what they said about Galway circa 1995!!

Slattsy · 29-03-2018 7:55am

byronbay2 wrote: »

That's what they said about Galway circa 1995!!

Galway is a glorified piss up with piss poor races. I'll never ever go again.

longshotvalue · 29-03-2018 8:54am

Slattsy wrote: »

Galway is a glorified piss up with piss poor races. I'll never ever go again.

Ill second that. Its just 7 average ****e summer racing days, with 2 good races thrown in.

danganabu · 29-03-2018 9:14am

Slattsy wrote: »

Galway is a glorified piss up with piss poor races. I'll never ever go again.

You dissapoint me Slattsy, I thought you were all about the glorified piss ups?

Slattsy · 29-03-2018 10:13am

danganabu wrote: »

You dissapoint me Slattsy, I thought you were all about the glorified piss ups?

Oh I am, but not surrounded by drunk culchies :pac:

danganabu · 29-03-2018 10:28am

Slattsy wrote: »

Oh I am, but not surrounded by drunk culchies :pac:

Ah we're great craic, you dont know what you are missing! That said I spent 72 hrs in bed after Galway last year on nothing but water

Limestone1 · 30-03-2018 8:52pm

danganabu wrote: »

Ah we're great craic, you dont know what you are missing! That said I spent 72 hrs in bed after Galway last year on nothing but water

Was that a religious thing ?

4 days is already diluting things but the stands are full and the TV money is pouring in - 5 days is inevitable ....

Gautama · 03-04-2018 8:13am

I’ve heard more talk about a fifth day in the aftermath of this festival than ever before.

I think the fact that the RyanAir Chase was the feature race of the Thursday, yet the Stayers Hurdle was considered a championship race, will be a driving force in the introduction of a fifth day.
Also, the English trainers have fewer races to win because of the dominance of Irish. The rivalry was fun for years, last year it was “wow, ye finally beat us”, but now it’s the new reality.

There are currently four days of seven races. They’ll add two new races to make five days of six races, dropping ticket prices by about a tenner.
A mares novice Chase is the one that’s always being touted. The second new race could be anything; veterans chase or a lady riders hurdle or even a fixed brush hurdle. Who knows?

Then over time add a seventh race each day and creep the ticket price accordingly.

The main thing that could prevent the fifth day is Brexit. Next year’s festival will be the final one with the UK as an EU country. The first few festivals of the 2020ies will be interesting. How hassle free will it be to enter the UK, for both humans and horses. Will sterling be worth the prize that it has been? Will the UK be a cheap country to visit or otherwise?
Give it five years, will the Irish horses being sold to the UK be as good as they have been in the past? Will it be too expensive for UK trainers to buy good Irish horses? Will the quality of UK racing go over a cliff? Will the UK public have the means to follow racing, should Brexit knock their income/economy/society.

Nowt will happen ‘til post-Brexit Cheltenham Festival beds in.

deeks · 03-04-2018 10:01am

Is there anything to be said for putting a rating cap on the mares races that would mean that the really top class mares would have to go for the championship events rather than mopping up the mares races? The cap could be sufficiently high that only the really top class mares are forced to the other races and then you get the best of both worlds in that the mares programme still fulfils its purpose but the likes of Vroum Vroum Mag / Apples Jade / Laurina etc don't get the annual penalty kick?

abarkie · 03-04-2018 12:27pm

Why not add a seller and a claimer and be done with it?

posturingpat · 03-04-2018 3:17pm

Think they're going to put in a greys only chase too

Thud · 03-04-2018 3:26pm

a "Ryanair" middle distance hurdle is an obvious one they could add

Moon Dice · 03-04-2018 3:29pm

Jesus we don't really want to add more races do we?
A middle distance hurdle would further weaken the champion and the stayers.
Both have been pretty uninspiring the last few years.
I agree with the idea that the mares race should have a ceiling so if you are above that you cannot enter. I love Cheltenham but there is loads of other fantastic weekends throughout the season which are overshadowed as just stepping stones which is annoying

Thud · 04-04-2018 8:14am

Moon Dice wrote: »

Jesus we don't really want to add more races do we?
A middle distance hurdle would further weaken the champion and the stayers.
Both have been pretty uninspiring the last few years.
I agree with the idea that the mares race should have a ceiling so if you are above that you cannot enter. I love Cheltenham but there is loads of other fantastic weekends throughout the season which are overshadowed as just stepping stones which is annoying

Same argument could have been made for the Ryanair when it was introduced. I'm not in favour of extending to 5 days just think that's a likely next race that would be added prior to veterans or a ratings limited Mares races.

Billgirlylegs · 04-04-2018 11:54am

Moon Dice wrote: »

Jesus we don't really want to add more races do we?
A middle distance hurdle would further weaken the champion and the stayers.
Both have been pretty uninspiring the last few years.
I agree with the idea that the mares race should have a ceiling so if you are above that you cannot enter. I love Cheltenham but there is loads of other fantastic weekends throughout the season which are overshadowed as just stepping stones which is annoying

I don't see what the problem is. They added some dodgy races that are generally races 5,6 and 7 each day.
you still have the feature races, which are much of a muchness with what went on 20 years ago.
They added the Ryanair, JLT and 3m Novice Hurdle, which are decent additions.
The Mares races are there to provide an incentive to keep fillies racing. There is a race for conditional jockeys, and four(ish) for amateurs. All are "what NH is all about"

As previously said, another 2 races will allow a 5x6 program.
I would like them to "mix up " the Thursday program -Three (of the four) 2.5m chases and Two (of the three) 3m hurdles are off that day.
Currently, I think Friday is a let down (maybe start early and put the Gold Cup to the last race ?) I thought it was nuts last year that Robbie Power had the biggest success of his career, and he was cooling his heels to prepare for a handicap, two hours later.

Gautama · 06-04-2018 11:47am

deeks wrote: »

Is there anything to be said for putting a rating cap on the mares races that would mean that the really top class mares would have to go for the championship events rather than mopping up the mares races? The cap could be sufficiently high that only the really top class mares are forced to the other races and then you get the best of both worlds in that the mares programme still fulfils its purpose but the likes of Vroum Vroum Mag / Apples Jade / Laurina etc don't get the annual penalty kick?

Great suggestion.

handsfree2 · 07-04-2018 2:02pm

I can't see a fifth day happening, people have been taking about fifth day for almost a decade.

As it is, it's almost a 3.5 day festival. The races after the gold cup feel like an after party.

kksaints · 08-04-2018 1:26pm

Fine with the 4 days but feel that a 5th would weaken the quality too much.

Cheltenham: How Many Days??

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