are you off for Cheltenham?

Suppose I better be as I will be there for four days

Whole week off!

This week coming up is going to be the longest ever.

retired in 2004 so what is this off that you speak of?

Work from home so will just multitask and avoid afternoon appointments

annual leave from the Tuesday-Friday.

On course Monday, will watch Wed-Fri in the Lady of Mann, Liverpool

Fly over Monday, fly back Saturday. Can't wait to see Kauto in the Gold Cup, hope it goes better than last time I was there to see him in 2010

Got the whole week off, and travelling down by car on Monday, and back Friday night after racing. Love it! I love it when we arrive on the outskirts of Cheltenham, round about Cleeve Hill, and stop for a pint in the hotel on the hill, before driving down to our house.

I usually finish by midday every day but took the week off just to be extra safe. I cant foooooking wait!!

Finish work on saturday.

My dad is coming down for the preview evening on the Sunday. Game of golf on the Monday then Battle commences on Tuesday....

Probably go up there on Wednesday aswell then the last 2 days I will be sat on here with my TV on.

Over Tuesday to Friday.  Went for a once in a lifetime trip 5 years ago - back every year and will be every year.  Rude not too.

it's my birthday on the Friday and I will be have a party and a barbecue on my roof terrace starting lunch time - bunch of French, spanish, scandinavians and brits all getting smashed together

off Tue & wed only, always drive down from London the Monday eve with a couple of mates... love the banter on the way down about the week ahead spirits are always high...cant wait

Going to the preview night on Sunday too Eboue. A little disappointed by the panel if truth be told.

Yes,the 10th year running now i have booked it off

Wouldn't miss Tuesday with my Family and friends for the world it's priceless

its like christmas when you were little .. hopefully there will be winners under the tree's ..

Never miss, I pack up Thursday evening, I used to go, but the crowds and the fact I can get better prices on here, means I watch frome home. Miss the great atmosphere, for what is the greatest sporting event, in the whole calender year. I'm so excited and we still have 9 days to go. I've not missed this event now for around 25 years, its just such a superb event.

Ive had so many arguments in the last 3/4 days with the girlfriend,she knows what this week means to me so i put a ban on spending.She said (your like a child) so i says "look just make sure ive got a grand and STFU" seems to have gone down well

Oh yes!

I'm off work and my mates and I are off down to the festival!

25th year for me on CH/Tuesday and 12th on the trot in a cottage nearby.

Quite simply "the best day of the year..." to quote dickens :-) We drive down Monday AM and let the good times role.... AWESOME

Oh yes!

I'm off work and my mates and I are off down to the festival!

25th year for me on CH/Tuesday and 12th on the trot in a cottage nearby.

Quite simply "the best day of the year..." to quote dickens :-) We drive down Monday AM and let the good times role.... AWESOME

Oh yes I booked it months ago and can't wait 

I would have had a weeks holiday, but i dont need to now as ive managed to dislocate & break my ankle in two places. I shall still be there for all four days though

Unlucky Ben . I've torn the ligaments in my ankle after falling from a ladder ten days ago. Thought I'd broke it, but it's mending quickly. See you there !

going down tues , 1st time since 2002 when moscow won arkle,rooster won cnty h and best mate won his 1st GC.back wed pm for wk, thurs , fri in pub

aww nasty injury Bigben, hope the racing helps you forget about it!

Drive down with mate Tuesday morning 6 ish from West London, breakfast in hotel Cirencester stayed same place now for approx 10 years. Mull over our ante-posts, hopefully no more high profile withdrawals this week but sure there will be. Tuesday is best days races imo, come back Friday as gotta to work in evening,will be sucking few mints as be watching in Pub Friday afternoon.
Good luck and enjoy!

As a boy of 10 I was off school ill it was 1979. I had to go to one of my mums friends, anyway she said go and sit in the room with my dad he's watching racing. It was Cheltenham first day, I immediately was hooked. All through school I played truant on this week and when I worked for others I booked this week off. I now work for myself so it's no problem, but in 33 years I have not missed a day of Cheltenham Festival, although I have only been once.

Have a great time if you're going.

Don't understand why people look forward to going to the track where it looks sooo over crowded, struggle to get bets on at any kind of decent price, miss all the special offers from the high street firms as no time to visit these shops and mull them over as having to be up early to get into queue to get onto course, queuing up at the various bars for warm over priced beer!

Rather stay in my comfortable armchair thanks with computer on oddschecker and betfair on 2 tabs with car outside reversed into drive way for them quick trips down to the shops to get them offers only available in them in morning. HD tv set to channel 4 with access to all the races live on ruk with every bet after C4 go off air. In fact pretty sure i will find a link somewhere coming from some middle east country for free access to ruk for this reason !

I'll be in the Betfair lounge whatever this is. Anyone been in it before?

Why does the festival affect us so badly that we act like kids? As always I have the Tues onwards
off work. My uncle who I was quite close to died the weekend and I reckon its odds on his buried next week. I seriously wont know what to do for the best. Would need to be at the funeral really for my mums sake as it was her younger brother,but the thought of it being Gold Cup day fills with dread.
I have a serious book on the Gold Cup and I need to be around to trade. Trying to make up excuses already for not going to the plant

That really is bad news that mate when your addiction rules your head that much that you start to try and think of an excuse to not go to a funeral of someone you say was close to you just because of a race meeting !

If your really split on this that much, sky plus the coverage. Watch it when you get home. Or watch the races back on sporting life if you do not have sky or virgin.

that doesn't help if you need to trade prices in play

Working from home mon/tues next week.  So get to see all the racing no bother.  Off to Cheltenham at 6.00am on Wednesday morning, on course for the Weds and Thursday, returning home Thurs evening. Last year was out till 3.30am on Weds evening. Golf booked at 7.00am on Friday morning, then pub lunch and watch racing all afternoon.  Hit town Friday night and high jinx to be had. 

Can wait, its getting to ridiculous levels of excitement now and still over a week to go.

I can watch the rerun on Racing Uk but I do need to be around for the actual race. What would you guys do?

Seathestars

That 10.07 post has got to be a wind-up right?



I can't see how anyone with a shred of 'soul' can NOT be on course.

Cheltenham (the annual life-affirming experience) is about so much more than sitting down in a comfy chair, (maybe) chiseling out an extra point from rushing to a local bookies and being able to instantly rewind a race and watch it again.

Go with your bad self if Cheltenham for you is genuinely as you've described. I wouldn't dare to tell anyone how they should enjoy their leisure time and especially not the festival.

I'll happily miss out on cushioned buttocks (matron!), notional aspects of 'value' and horseracing in two-dimensions on the old cathode ray (BTW, missing out on Thommo and the immediate post-race jockey interviews is surely a 'plus' for those on course denied access to a telly?) to be there, going mental with 60-70,000 pretty-much like-minded nutters, before, during and after racing.

Nope no wind up, i would rather save those kind of experiences for my fav rock club in Blackpool !

So being crushed in a betting ring trying to get bets on and then struggling for a viewing platform to watch the race is your thing fair enough, i don't get it, some may say i am too old for an old fashioned mosh - pit down my fav' rock club (The Tache, Blackpool, now re-located, need to go to new one but was at last bash party night and was the one that was floored during last song after speech to Enter Sandman-Metallica) but i refuse to admit it haha!

bigben
05 Mar 12 09:04 Joined: 28 Jan 08 | Topic/replies: 267 | Blogger: bigben's blog
I would have had a weeks holiday, but i dont need to now as ive managed to dislocate & break my ankle (in two places). I shall still be there for all four days though


Brave soldier Ben but as Tommy Cooper said you shouldn't go to those places.

Have been to Cartmel a couple of times during August bank holiday weekend, attendance there can be much greater than your average York ebor or your Royal Ascots, such a small course but sardine like in the betting jungle on both sides (course and tatts) on the Sat' then you got the fairground and laddies tent and beer tent too! Thoroughly enjoyed the day (s) i went there and would go again but would i go to the Chelt fest', pay money for a ticket to get treated worse than at Cartmel Not a chance!

Great spectacle, unbelievably competitive (which is not a good thing imo when trying to back a winner) the olympics of national hunt racing. Don't get me wrong i look forward to it every year but unless someone offered me free tix, free traveling and like at last years Grand National when i got chance to be in betfair box with a friend (to which i feel the same about) not for me! (Took us 2 hours to get on a train back to where the car was parked 2 stops away from Aintree and 1hour of that was trying to get near the station and onto the platform!)

I never find Cheltenham too busy STS. (Admittedly I don't go on Friday)
Never had a problem getting a bet on, or a pint in Club. Yeah sure you can queue for a pee, but never too long imo. Getting in and out is easy on foot, if you arrive early and leave later. A lot of punters arrive after 12.30 and try to get a pint, food, toilet, placepot on, pint, toilet, bet, and viewing point in less than an hour, then moan it's too busy !

Just too scared of missing out on any special or free bet etc. There is quite a lot of carrots that get dangled for the armchair punter every year that are too good to be true. Far easier to make money sitting at home than it is at the course during a festival!

Yes it is, it is more about making the money than the spectacle, but it is the spectacle that makes me want to start reading about it every October!

I'm not good with big crowds so couldn't even consider such a big meeting.  Had panic attacks at York on Dante day a couple of decades ago and haven't attempted a big meeting since.  Thought I might have had it beat but went to an open air rock concert a few years ago and was just as bad.   Can just about cope with football as long as I get to my seat early and wait for the crowds to mill out before leaving at the end, going for a pee at half time is a bit of a nightmare though.  Not as bad as at he old place mind you.  Smaller Newmarket meeting on a Saturday was just about within my limits last year.

Nope no wind up, i would rather save those kind of experiences for my fav rock club in Blackpool !

So being crushed in a betting ring trying to get bets on and then struggling for a viewing platform to watch the race is your thing fair enough, i don't get it, some may say i am too old for an old fashioned mosh - pit down my fav' rock club (The Tache, Blackpool, now re-located, need to go to new one but was at last bash party night and was the one that was floored during last song after speech to Enter Sandman-Metallica) but i refuse to admit it haha!

For the Metallica reference alone you are forgiven as clearly you are the creme de la creme of an already-superior breed.

Wish it was this time next week !

I'm on nights next week so have saved 5 days annual leave, but means I can't get down and back up to Manchester in time otherwise I would go even if the train costs £100 return!!!

Only ever been on the Tuesday twice, the years Sublimity & Binocular won their Champion hurdles, got to say the atmosphere especially the Cheltenham roar before the Supreme was quite poor the last time I went, maybe it sounds louder on tv, maybe it was because I was down by the Guiness tent and not up near the winning post??

As I'm getting older...i'm 26 now, I find myself looking forward to Cheltenham a lot earlier.

God knows what I'll be like in 10 years...can't wait!!