Jockey Club ditch plan to extend Cheltenham Festival to five days
‘Cheltenham is amazing as it is’: Top trainers Fergal O’Brien and Paul Nicholls say Jockey Club have ‘seen sense’ after ditching plan to extend the Festival to five days
- Extending the Festival from Tuesday to Saturday was seen as a money-spinner
- However, the plan has been ditched after a six-month consultation process
- The Festival attracted 280,627 spectators across the four days last season
Fergal O’Brien, the season’s leading jumps trainer, believes extending the Cheltenham Festival to five days would have risked ‘killing the golden goose’ as he joined the chorus of approval at the decision to keep the meeting to four days.
Plans to extend the Festival from Tuesday to Saturday from 2024 were seen as a money-spinner for the Jockey Club, which runs the track.
But that plan has been killed off, much to the surprise of many in the sport, after a six-month consultation process involving fans and participants.
The Cheltenham Festival will remain a four-day event after ‘extensive consultation’
O’Brien, who trains close to Cheltenham, said: ‘I could not see a reason for a fifth day. I always thought it would strangle the golden goose.
‘Cheltenham is amazing as it is. Thankfully, the powers that be have seen sense. I haven’t come across one person who thought the Festival needed to be five days.’
O’Brien’s view was endorsed by Britain’s champion trainer Paul Nicholls, who said he was delighted.
Those in favour pointed to a Saturday opening up the meeting to a fresh audience, but that day’s racing would have been up against the final round of the Six Nations rugby championship. There were also concerns over how the course would stand up to five days’ racing — a matter which has animal welfare implications — and whether there is enough quality in the horse population to sustain extra races.
The Festival attracted 280,627 spectators across the four days last season with Thursday (73,754) and Friday (73,875) attracting record crowds. Attendance will be capped at 68,500 a day in March, amid fears of overcrowding.
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