Very small feature race fields this year at Cheltenham?

So many double entered horses making the fields look much bigger than they will end up being.

looks like jonbon ,conshill,majboro etc may be  scaring some away but it's Cheltenham and it doesn't always go the way the way some expect it should . the stayers should have a bigger field .

yes i think so and the mares and gold cup could be big fields

champion hurdle, champion chase, ryanair all look like cutting up

That’s El Fabiolo out of the Festival after todays defeat according to the trainer

https://www.racingpost.com/news/reports/50-1-outsider-senecia-stuns-odds-on-el-fabiolo-to-win-the-webster-cup-at-navan-aX8ZU4w7UqPz/

3 runners plus a pace maker in the Champion Hurdle?

Likely single figures in the Gold Cup.

6 or 7 in the Champion Chase?

Never seen so few in a Champion Hurdle though.

4 or 5 runners in the Arkle?

Never seen that few in an Arkle

Probably 7 in the RSA. This can't have been what they were hoping for when they downgraded the 2 1/2 mile race...

The Arkle footpad won 5 rns 2018 shiskin 2021  5 rns you have a short memory

its all a bit of a bind for us E/W backers

what 4 or 5 do you not have the capacity to read?

When you look at the makeup of the races now we have feature races with two stables dominating and plentiful odds on shots with resulting small fields.

Not a great betting medium for racegoers on the day.

Then we have a load of high runner handicaps where the most skilful hiders of form win often, giving the punter a pin to stick in for their expensive day out.

All we need now is for the dominating stables to not give running plans for their multiple entered fancied horses until final decs. obviously that is unlikely to happen i mean racing wouldn’t shoot itself in the head like that would it :)

I see the executive have offered up early they expect less numbers attending this year. I mean they know already how this is going to play out right.

yes they have been shooting themselves in the foot the last decade or so and now they have no toes left!