Cheltenham racecourse said on Friday that it has started formal consultations with owners and trainers over the possibility of adding a fifth day to its big Festival meeting in March. A report in the Racing Post [£] suggests that the Jockey Club, which owns the course, could seek to squeeze even more money from its biggest cash cow from 2024.
The Festival expanded from three days to four – Tuesday to Friday – in 2005 and speculation over the possible addition of a fifth afternoon has been a talking point in the meeting’s aftermath for several years. Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood, both Flat racing festivals in the summer months, are currently the only five-day meetings in the British calendar.
Until now, however, the course has not conducted any formal consultation with interested parties, or set what appears to be a deadline – of this autumn – for a decision on the move, ahead of a switch to five days in just under two years’ time. The expectation is that two races would be added to the current 28, to create a meeting with six-race cards each day, rather than the current seven.
The Racing Post’s report quotes Ian Renton, Cheltenham’s managing director, as suggesting that the track will “get people’s opinions so we can take a much more rational view on how people feel”, that it will “listen to everyone’s views” and that it is “not going to make any decision lightly”.
Initially the consultation will include owners and trainers, but it is also likely to expand to the track’s annual members. Whether there will be any attempt to survey non-members who attended the Festival in recent seasons, to assess whether they might feel short-changed by six races in an afternoon rather than seven, is unclear.
There will also be a host of practical issues for the course to address before taking any decision, including the running order for major races during a five-day Festival ending on Saturday. The Gold Cup is currently staged on Friday, the final day of the meeting, when it effectively has the British sporting field to itself. On a Saturday it would face stiff competition, both for attention and spectators, from Premier League football and Six Nations rugby. If the Gold Cup stayed in its now-traditional Friday slot, however, the Saturday card could risk becoming an afterthought.
Further dilution of the Festival’s competitiveness will also be a concern, not least after a Grade One novice chase at this year’s meeting attracted just four runners, all from Irish stables. The lack of high-margin corporate hospitality business on Saturdays will also need to be factored into the calculations, along with the availability – or otherwise – of the thousands of casual staff required to work in the track’s bars and restaurants.
The Cheltenham Festival has become the Jockey Club’s biggest money-spinner over the course of the last 30 years, and some fans will see the formal consultation on a fifth day as being motivated by little more than greed. The extent and sincerity of its “consultation” may be an interesting test of its claim to consider the long-term interests of racing as a whole, and not just its own bottom line.
Ffos Las: 1.00 Muckamore, 1.35 Art Of Illusion, 2.05 Time Leader, 2.40 Full Of Light, 3.15 Raddon Top, 3.50 Mr Katanga, 4.25 Hurricane Vichi.
Newbury: 1.40 Redemption Time, 2.11 Spanish, 2.46 Zenga, 3.21 Life Of Dreams, 3.56 Hafit, 4.31 Ahorsewithnoname (nb), 5.05 Global Prospector (nap), 5.40 Whoputfiftyinyou.
Market Rasen: 1.53 Joyful Kit, 2.26 Dehradun, 3.01 Thirtyfourstitches, 3.36 Lucky Flight, 4.11 Clear The Runway, 4.46 Mount South, 5.21 Smuggler's Blues.
Southwell: 1.57 Van Dijk, 2.32 Amelia R, 3.07 Quiet Thunder, 3.42 Watermelon Sugar, 4.17 Burrows Seeside, 4.52 Jack Ryan, 5.30 Absolutelyflawless, 6.00 Vaynor.
Plumpton: 2.15 Saligo Bay, 2.50 Duneomeno, 3.25 Unanswered Prayers, 4.00 Jony Max, 4.35 Midnights Legacy, 5.10 Richidish, 5.45 Danzini.
Saturday’s TV racing tips
Nothing will dislodge Native Trail from the top of the betting for the 2,000 Guineas after his successful return in Thursday’s Craven Stakes at Newmarket, but two dual Group One-winning juveniles – Angel Bleu and Perfect Power – line up in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury on Saturday and Christophe Soumillon’s arrival to partner Perfect Power is an added attraction.
Soumillon rode Perfect Power to victory in the Prix Morny and the Middle Park Stakes last season, the latter race being his first ride in Britain since the Royal meeting in 2019. It was classic Soumillon, as he emerged from behind a wall of horses after dropping in from a poor draw and then fired Richard Fahey’s colt through a gap to win going away.
Perfect Power (3.00) has yet to race beyond six furlongs while Angel Bleu, successful in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and Criterium International last year, is already a Group One winner at a mile. He has plenty of stamina on the dam’s side of his pedigree, however, and the seven-furlong trip should hold no fears. It is a slight surprise to find him chalked up as second-favourite and anything around 9-4 looks well worth taking.
Musselburgh 1.32 Nine of the 10 runners are making their seasonal debut, but Desert Angel made a solid return to action in a well-run race at Wolverhampton last month and that might just tip the balance.
Newbury 1.50 Raymond Tusk was value for more than his four-length margin at Doncaster last time and has a fitness edge on most of his rivals.
Musselburgh 2.04 Track, trip and going look ideal for Gweedore, and Andrew Breslin takes off a useful 3lb too.
Newbury 2.25 At the likely odds, Jumbly could be worth in interest to follow up an easy Listed win – in a useful time – in October, not least as her dam, Thistle Bird, improved with age throughout her career.
Musselburgh 2.39 Many possibilities in a competitive sprint handicap but Makanah has plenty of form over track and trip, and has gone well fresh in the past.
Newton Abbot 12.30 Knappers Hill 1.00 Seddon 1.37 Presenting Yeats 2.14 Forget You Not 2.49 Light Em Up Nigel 3.24 Cobra Commander 3.59 Lady Reset 4.34 Folly Gate
Carlisle 1.09 The Raven's Return 1.44 Just Call Me Al 2.19 Super Survivor 2.54 Joke Dancer 3.29 Schalke 4.04 Dolly Dancer 4.39 Latino Fling
Musselburgh 1.32 Desert Angel 2.04 Gweedore 2.39 Makanah 3.14 Zero Ten 3.47 Just Dashing 4.22 Gowanbuster 4.57 Saisons D'Or
Newbury 1.50 Raymond Tusk 2.25 Jumbly 3.00 Perfect Power (nb) 3.35 Isla Kai (nap) 4.10 Thesis 4.45 Duelist 5.20 Berkshire Breeze 5.55 Random Harvest
Haydock Park 2.09 Merry Mistress 2.44 Nocte Volatus 3.19 Oakley 3.52 Musical Slave 4.29 Kaizer 5.01 Molly Carew 5.34 Gleno
Lingfield Park 4.25 Mythical Madness 4.55 Alablaq 5.30 Knowwhatimeanharry 6.00 Lua De Mel 6.30 Evasive Power 7.00 Miss Sligo 7.30 Forge Valley Lad
Nottingham 5.07 Val De Travers 5.40 Sahoud 6.15 Sooghan 6.45 Solanna 7.15 Cliffcake 7.45 Crush And Run
Musselburgh 3.14 Zero Ten was not beaten far in Group One company on his final start last season and while he gives away weight all round, Emmet Mullins – fresh from his Grand National win with Noble Yeats last weekend – has booked Benoit de la Sayette to take off 7lb.
Newbury 3.35 Several of these ran well in the Lincoln, including Rogue Bear, who finished strongly into third after losing ground at the start. He is no value at around 7-2 however, not least as he might need things his own way, and front-running Isla Kai, progressive throughout 2021 with the promise of better to come, is an interesting each-way option at around 14-1.
