The Cheltenham festival in 5 years time

I meant ( Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday ) FFS.

The rage is making me forget basic things like days of the week!

I fear you are exactly right. I sincerely hope you are wrong.

I echo that Strontium + Mr Eboue. If we go to a Saturday (sorry, 'when we go to a Sat'...) I am going to start a campaign for a seller. The people in charge are not custodians, they are wreckers, they do not have love for the game in their blood, only the bottom line in their eyes. The 3 days festival was wonderful, the 4 days festival (IMO) has diluted it (Thursday's card being distinclty moderate), introducing a Saturday is a painful prospect. Its also unnecessary. It will just blend into everything else in the end, being a normal betting heat, competing against 10 premier league games and all sorts of other rubbish.

Will hate it doing so but its guarnteed that the Gold Cup will be on a Saturday, certainly within 10 years. Seems they want a new grandstand sorting first and then it will happen :(

They will ruin the festival if they bring in a Saturday. Gold Cup day is already pretty unbearable imo. There are already some moderate filler races as it is without diluting it any more. Unfortunately the fact that the festival has been so special all these years it has effectively created a brand. There are so many people who attend/are willing to attend the festival now who don't understand even what they are watching. This is being exploited by the people sat behind a desk that just look at the numbers. It's a shame because when diluted there will be nothing special about the festival anymore and will turn into 5 days of average Saturday racing built into a week.

Remember the Thursday racing

Triumph hurdle
Stayers Hurdle
Gold cup
Fox hunters
Cathcart
County hurdle

I deeply hope that this doesn't happen.

How I hanker for the old three day meeting.

I already think the Thurs and Fri cards are a bit weak excepting the Championship races and the Ryanair. Tues and Wed are great cards. If things are moved it will hopefully remain a 4 day festival - 5 days would be a lot weaker all round.

R Carver makes an excellent point abou a Sat Gold Cup just becoming another sporting event - at present the festival has the stage to itself, and it's not like they struggle to sell tickets.

The best idea in this thread is Bluebird's for a new grandstand!

I remember John McCririck on the Saturday after the festival last yr saying the festival had to move to a saturday, the facilities needed upgrading, etc etc. I adore the facilities, other than the supporting columns in club, i think they are ok. The current place has charm, the facilities are better than adequate. Some changes made recently are detrimental - taking the seating out of the arkle bar and making it into a champagne bar is stupid - its now largely full of morons who do not even get outside to watch a race, and consequently makes the bar impossible to pass through if you are looking to get to the Tote or through to the winners enclosure. John McCririck calling for change! When was the last time he paid to get in?! What has he ever contributed?! Last yr's festival was an unmitigated punting disaster for me, throw in accommodation, meals, etc, etc and it cost me far north four figures - but would i change a thing? No. Do I want a Saturday? No. Will the executive listen to me, willing to pay thousands of pounds every yr for the privilege purely out of love for the game, or will they listen to the beancounting idiots who care not a jot for the sport but think by moving to a Saturday they can sell 60,000 more tickets and 50,000 more drinks?.... It does make me sick.

As a spectacle the Tue-Thu was better no doubt and the watered down version now just doesn't have the in depth quality of yesteryear BUT as a betting event its far easier now than it ever was and for that alone I say make it 7 days, 14 days a month if need be.

Tuesday is the best days racing for me, and I agree that the thursday/friday are the weakest days racing (too many handicaps). An extra day would be a big negative. 4 days is enough. Money dictates that the gold cup will move to a saturday (advertising money etc) but will it be a wed-sat festival or will they add the extra day? An extra day seems most likely unfortunately.

Will never happen because they've got greedy but they should revert to a 3 day festival. Thursday is full of handicaps which wouldn't be classed as 'big races' on a normal Saturday nevermind at the Festival and Friday (Gold Cup/Triumph aside) is also a poor card. Been going last few years and have always done these two days purely to see the gold cup in the flesh but seriously considering going Tuesday/Wednesday instead this year

I go with my Dad every year. Only on the opening 2 days though.

It might not go to a Saturday

There is no economic imperative - Gold Cup day is already a sell out and is so months in advance

There is nothing to be gained and everything to be lost by going up against Premier League Football and, possibly 5 Nations Rugby, in terms of media coverage

There is a very real risk of alienating core supporters - I won't go on a Saturday, Gold Cup or no Gold Cup and there's plenty more who think the same. The vibe (still, just) for me is a bunch of overgrown kids, sharing a big secret on the wag from real life during the week. Saturday is wife and kids day.

I can't think Uttoxeter will be that happy about having the Midlands National (biggest raceday of the year for the track) completely marginalised, never mind Lingfield and the Winter Derby.

For starters....

McCririck is nothing more than a media invention and relic now. His thoughts on any contemporary racing issue are about as relevant as the second Kajagoogoo album.

Roger - I am going to delete my post and leave yours in. You said everything I wanted to say, just more eloquently, and summarised my thoughts exactly. Maybe I am getting old and sentimental, or am just very conservative, but the people running the sport and festival worry me greatly.

roger and others  ...the key to all this from the racecourse exec. point of view  , rightly or wrongly , is that the course would like to see 4 different lots of people on 4 different days . someone coming all 4 days will not spend the same as 4 lots 'pushing the boat out ' for a day ...the saturday is  coming to enable another faction to cheltenham that has not been there mid week . and no  i don't want it really either .

You've got a point Windsor, but it's a pretty high risk strategy; throwing away a guarranteed sell out on a Friday, especially when set against the other issues I raised.

Of course, I'm not saying it won't happen. The marketing department at Cheltenham has me more baffled than Phil Tufnell batting against Abdul Qadeer and their ability to 'get it wrong' on a consistent basis is, IMO, the stuff of legends.

In 10 years time it will be all week with no fences and brush hurdles, whips will be replaced with feathers and it will be co presented by Dale Winton and Graham Norton


HTH

rogerthebutler
Date Joined: 01 Mar 03 Add contact When: 21 Sep 11 12:12 It might not go to a Saturday

There is no economic imperative - Gold Cup day is already a sell out and is so months in advance
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Have to disagree on this, sponsorship/TV income etc would surely be more on a saturday. Joe Public interest in the race would also be higher. More bets, more levy surely?

**DISCLAIMER**
I need to point out I'd rather it didn't go to a saturday.

A extra day not for me thanks been going for yrs(Glasgow)and any more dilution of quality is not for me,GC day is already mayhem and having it on the Saturday no thanks,If I had the choice it would be back to 3 days not up to 5,that aint going to happen so just leave well be.

Have to agree with most of what has been written, and I wouldn't want it to be moved to a Saturday or extra days added.

However, you do have to look at it from the racecourses and BHA's point of view.  All major sporting action is on a weekend, which is why the Champions League Final was moved to a Saturday.  All major races are on a weekend (Classics, Arc, Kentucky Derby, Grand National etc).

I think it will be a sellout whether its on a Friday or Saturday, and having it on a Saturday will generate a bigger TV audience, more betting turnover etc rather than the 30 seconds it will get on Sky Sports News.  In todays world I don't think people give a sh*te about alienating their core customers, because at the end of the day, money talks.

I wish the Gold Cup had the same type of profile as the National, and I wished non racing people didn't think that the National is pinancle of jumps racing, when in reality its a sh*t race by handicappers over a trip that well to far.

I agree Well Chief they care not a jot, and its true all major sporting events are moving to a Saturday - the Derby is less memorable as a consequence, and the Gold Cup will be the same, blending into the background, just another race where the emphasis is on a day out, gambling, spending in the bars, and the purist (as you say) will be overwhelmed by and lost amidst day trippers. If the race moves to a Saturday, Channel 4 may get more viewers, but that will be it because SKY and BBC news will be covering Norwich vs SUnderland and 20 other insignificant sporting events as a priority - as it is currently, not much else happens on that Friday in March, so it takes some kind of priorty.

Loved the 3 day format,and love the current format too,but would not want a Saturday included.
I suspect it will happen though

In 5 years time, restricted views due to Cheltenham Town's new football stadium being placed on the Cross Country track

Seriously, where would they put it? On the public car park at a guess?

Perhaps they'll schedule Cheltenham Town to play at home on Gold Cup Saturday to maximise revenue? Move the Gold Cup to 2.30 so every one can then move into the ground for KO.
The ground would need to be somewhere relatively flat you would imagine, wherever they put it, Prestbury Park won't look the way it does now - it should have some kind of heritage status to stop this kind of idiocy

Surely they won't put the football ground anywhere in front of the racing stands....