As anticipation builds for the Cheltenham Festival, new research reveals that racegoers are expected to pay well over the odds for their bottles of bubbly, and the cost of a pint isn’t much better either.
The research from GrandNational.org.uk, examines the prices of a pint of Guinness and a bottle of fizz at every racecourse in the UK, finding Cheltenham to be lengths ahead of the competition, charging £66.00 per bottle – although not helped by only stocking Champagne.
Despite also not offering Prosecco, second-placed Windsor charges £49.50, which is £16.50 cheaper than Cheltenham.
Meanwhile, Aintree is home to the most expensive bottle of Prosecco £42.50, whilst Goodwood and Kempton Park gallop into the top five.
At the other end of the scale, Somerset’s Taunton racecourse provides the cheapest Prosecco, asking racing fans to spend a measly £23 a bottle, with Kelso also setting reasonable prices at £25.
Punters in search of some cheap and cheerful fizz should also visit Fakenham, Newton Abbot and Sandown, who each price their bubbly at £26 – far beneath the average cost of £33.53 across each racecourse.
Looking to another raceday classic, the same research discovered that Fontwell Park’s patrons would fork the most out for a pint of Guinness. At a cost of £6.80, the Sussex-based course is priciest of all, while this month’s ‘maine’ event, Cheltenham, is close behind at £6.60.
Punters at third placed Aintree, home of the Grand National, can expect to pay a hefty £6.50 for stout.
Unsurprisingly, England is the most expensive UK country to grab a pint in with the top five figures all from English-based courses. For fans beyond the nation’s borders, Wales’ priciest stout belongs to Chepstow, at £5.90, with Scotland’s Hamilton racecourse valued at a lesser £5.50.
At £4, South Devon’s Newton Abbot racecourse sells the cheapest tipple, which is significantly less than the national average of £5.49. Rounding off the top five cheapest locations for a pint are Ayre (£4.30), Mussleburgh (£4.40), Fakenham (£4.50) and Chester (£4.80).
A spokesperson for GrandNational.org.uk said “As fans return to the Cheltenham festival for the first time in two years, they’ll no doubt be itching for a good time.
“Having a drink or two is all part of the racing experience, but despite the jumps on display, the course’s drinks prices may prove to be the biggest hurdles faced all week.”
