Cheltenham attendance well down

The Mullins bit is nonsense this is meant to be the championship of national hunt racing therefore we want the best horses if Mullins has the best horses then I’m glad he runs so many.

The reason is cost and hassle on the Friday night of this years Dublin festival you would have thought the English rugby team was playing there were so many English there ,the one thing everyone I spoke to agreed was it’s far more value travelling over to Ireland and much less hassle than it is going to Cheltenham.

The hoteliers of Cheltenham really need to be spoken to ,I realise it’s a free market but really who can pay those prices?

Early nineties the crowd was around 25,000 proper national hunt fans and it was a pleasure to go. It’s much more commercial now and the quality of racing has been diluted with too many second rate events. Honeysuckle got more attention than Constitution Hill after winning an inferior race. The Open golf is similar - people are willing to pay more for a poorer, more crowded experience.

What were the figures for the 4 days?

and of course the trains to cheltenham also cynically ramped up their prices whilst blaming it on capacity.

These days you can watch every race for free on phone and tablet and that must be a factor too.

Looking at tv screens there is no way i would endure a day there in packed out crowds with 30 minutes drinks and toilet queues and expensive bars.

added to that i bet they prevented accessing betfair exchnage on course so they could rip punters off with huge over rounds.

yes, plenty of reasons for reduced crowds.

https://www.racingpost.com/news/festivals/cheltenham-festival/police-arrest-...

I went to the April meeting last year (first visit to the course) and really enjoyed it. So much so we are booked in for next month.

Much smaller attendance, our hotel is £240 for two nights B&B (£60 each).

The racing is decent as well.

Done over 40 festivals did not go this year did i miss it that much NO.
Did not miss the 2k expenses will i be back next year.
2/9 no
4/1 yes

Ronnie.

Mar 18, 2023 -- 2:24PM, Celtic warrior wrote:

and of course the trains to cheltenham also cynically ramped up their prices whilst blaming it on capacity. These days you can watch every race for free on phone and tablet and that must be a factor too. Looking at tv screens there is no way i would endure a day there in packed out crowds with 30 minutes drinks and toilet queues and expensive bars.added to that i bet they prevented accessing betfair exchnage on course so they could rip punters off with huge over rounds. yes, plenty of reasons for reduced crowds.

I don't think they could do that.

How was phone signal?  Anyone have probs?

I was there Tuesday and Wednesday, it was noticeably quieter, didn't have to queue for a drink once.

2023 Cheltenham crowd figures
2022 number in brackets

Tuesday: 60,284 (68,567)
Wednesday: 50,387 (64,431)
Thursday: 62,429 (73,754)

Friday figure?

Attendance capped at 68k a day*

A big factor in me not going this year was the accommodation price. The place I've stayed for years put up the price 70% and went from pay on the day to pay at the time of booking. No thanks. There's not a lot the course can do about accommodation prices in the town, but they are hurting them.

Thanks Leif.

I was a full member for 30 years and always enjoyed the April meeting the most. They said they were sold out for all days so how come the attendances were not the same?

Looks a BIG drop .
Ronnie.

Usually go cc day
Went to trials day instead
And i live a mile from the course

Can't see why anyone who actually still goes to see the horses wouldn't be rejoicing.

Down 15% attendance wise over meeting

Mar 18, 2023 -- 2:27PM, MJK wrote:

https://www.racingpost.com/news/festivals/cheltenham-festival/police-arrest-...

As it was cashless I can only guess that they were selling pints for a five pound note  -but quite hard to avoid being spotted I would have thought.

A friend of mine has a cashless restaurant but got defrauded out of 5% of his takings. He employed a new bar manager who managed to hack into his computer and divert every 20th payment into his own account. Entertained by HRH now.

My belief is that many a "cashless" restaurant / take away and the like are defrauding HMRC by way of cooking the books.
Additionally, how many people carry cash these days?

Was there 4 days and had no problem accessing Betfair all days using Jockey club wifi.

Back when I was a member I bought an extra ticket by post and stuck it in a drawer for a friend who had never been before. Imagine the disappointment when we presented the badge to be told that it was from the previous year so I had to fork out another £60. I did make strong representations to Edward Gillespie and got a refund a few weeks later but it spoiled the day. I suspect that someone charged with sending out the badges had a stash of the previous years ones to post out and sold the current ones to a tout. Pre computer tickets of course.

Peppers a popular pub in town centre,charged 7.40 a pint. 10p cheaper than course,
They have to look at themselves in the mirror

Capping the crowd to 68k - The cost of food/Drinks- The cost of staying somewhere nearby and half decent.

If you attract a 'better' sort they will tend to spend more on accommodation/food/drinks etc so no need to attract the great unwashed?

"A better experience" doesn't necessarily indicate it is intended for the riff-raff- au contraire

Local Hotel prices will increase not decrease if the above is indicative of which way the wind is blowing.

The major pish take out of this year's staging has to be the container con wherein the proletariat who'd observed headbangers renting metal tins in Dubai in order they could attend the World Cup games, were being hoodwinked into spending 4 days in a tin can at an exorbitant cost. However, Cheltenham in March isn't exactly Dubai, following your National side with people willing to sell their family silver for the cause.

Don't expect a reversion.

Scottish lad we were wiv paid £7 for a hot chocolate and quick wittingly said which bun he cud pick

hal paid £3 for a can of fanta for me

burger n chips £15 - bit of bacon a bargain extra at £16

i would not go for a £1000

Benidorm and Tenerife bristling with Brits and paddys (no offence) this week in search of sun, sea and sticky vicky

2 bags for a mangy hotel in the chelter's vicinity or a week in the sun?

Ironic though that even the Tenerife lot want to attract a 'better clientele'  going forward [as the corporate lot say].

1.50 a pint a plenty if you want cheap and cheerful [will always be available] and you can have a bet to boot.

Would recommend the Hops and Grapes /Puerto Colon among many on the island.

i d id pre covid Beni when Goshen wuda skinted the winning post bar

some experience when he fell

Jesus those prices for food and drink are disgusting.

if  its meant to be championship of racing why is mullins running a 100,300 to 1 shots in triumph hurdle he must no they were furlongs behind his top 4 in betting,purely running them to give them experience

I watched from the coach park by the Best Mate this year for FREE!!!!.....excellent view of the racing and no pushing and shoving i highly recommend it!!!!!..........

Perhaps the owners wanted a runner in the triumph hurdle,in fact one of those no hopers beat blood destiny,

Mar 18, 2023 -- 9:45PM, smirnoff2therescue wrote:

Scottish lad we were wiv paid £7 for a hot chocolate and quick wittingly said which bun he cud pick hal paid £3 for a can of fanta for meburger n chips £15 - bit of bacon a bargain extra at £16

Do not Buy It. Those prices make me sad :(  If we dont buy it, they will have to change how the treat people.

they*

The Wednesday attendance is an odd one. The weather wasn't good but it was better than the Wednesday last year.

I expect the solution to falling attendances will be to add an extra day

Some observations.

I live a mile from the course. Stop going  to Festival 4/5 years ago. It had become a thoroughly unpleasant experience for which at the time I was paying £50 a day. (difference Annual Membership - AM ex Festival /4).

Not regretted it one iota. TV coverage excellent, coffee and biscuits much cheaper at home. I rarely drink alcohol on course so £7.50 a pint doesn't affect me.

What was noticeable to me from the TV pictures were the sizeable gaps on the terraces at the pre parade and parade rings. A friend who went for one day got their with partner early, got their seat and stayed in situ all day. Fair enough, that's their choice. However if more of the attendees are doing that and not actually going to see the horses and doing the traditional (paddock, betting ring, steppings) route.

That perhaps reinforces my view that many are there as the Festival is an "event". Not there for the racing at all.

If that's the case will (have) those customers be less "sticky" and vote with their pocket as disposable income reduces?

if your paying 2 grand a night for a room suggests disposable incomes aint a worry for you

was talking to my dad the other day he was asking me if i,d had a bet and i was saying lads who turned have a  bet say no i dont gamble but have no problem with buying 3 or 4 no,s tenner a pop on these lottery number draws for a 500 quid play station/new phone  etc as a prize where i wouldnt contemplate having a go
but i,m still having my same fivers,tenner maybe 20 i was having 20/30 yrs ago when with inflation etc it should be far more as a % of my money

Quite a few Irish didnt travel due to Hotel costs in the main , couldnt get anywhere in Cheltenham that wasnt totally rip off prices . Racecourse entry too is very expensive if your going 3/4 days. The crowd has shifted over the past 20 years from racing enthusiasts there for the week to Event tripers who go one day to get absolutely blotto & dont real care or appreciate racing.
Bottom line is its totally overpriced these days if your staying in cheltenham and theres only so many rich people interested in racing.Case of killing the goose that layed the golden egg.

As I said on here earlier  on here Dublin was full of proper racing fans from the uk all coming to the conclusion it’s all round much better value and much less hassle ,they have already killed that goose.

Renton when asked this morning about the hotel prices his reply was well they filled up so who can blame them.

i went all the time in late 90,s to 2010 3 didnt go tues,just wed,thurs fri but after i give lad who booked tkts a small deposit for grandstand,i didnt owe him 100 quid on the day for rest of money,the lads now go all 4 days so i,d be paying 300 just for tkts before 5 mights acc, in a pub near evesham was less than 200 for 4 nights when i went no idea what it costs them now

Worse thing you can ever do is lower the bar level in any walk of life.

Massive respect for Willie & Gordon , carry on regardless and give other trainers a decade or two to close the gap.


As for the real reason for the drop in attendance , haven't got a clue aside from the cost of living e.t.c


Good punting all   

I was happy very with the reduced attendance, made it much easier to get round, go to the bar etc..long may it continue.

It just isn't the same these days, Cheltenham seems less exciting with Willie Mullins and the Irish winning almost every race. In horse racing generally a lot of races look fixed, jockeys are incompetent or don't seem to be trying very hard. It all seems like a carve up... a moneymaking exercise. As the man said, "Y

"You can fool all of the people some of the time. You can fool some of the people all of the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

You've been rumbled... the jig is up.

Only second festival I’ve since I first went in 2002 for Best Mate’s first gold cup. Basically for the last few years it’s changed from simply an expensive occasion to a feeling that you are simply being fleeced everywhere to go. The real killer is the accommodation though. The hotel I generally stop at has hiked its price around 70% higher since 2019.

*Ive missed

"my" hotel put its price up 70% from last year. Fair play to them for trying to turn a penny, but every gravy train has buffers.

Fair play? Total rip-off and profiteering are the words that spring to mind.

Well I chose not to pay it this year.

During my working life I lived close enough to drive in every day although it did require some ingenuity with back roads in latter years. We even offered farm b&b for a couple of years. I was an annual member which between 1980 and 2010 was not that expensive if you attended most other meetings. I did pay for a share in a hospitality chalet at the festival for several years which was another cost but we could take our own food back in the day so only paid for coffee. I also used the Racegoers Club tent one year. I stopped going soon after the 4 days started. Closing Tote Credit was the main reason I stopped going to live racing at all in the last 6 years. You see so much more on TV any way.

Very similar to Sageform , off and on for 70s-80s , then annual member for 12 years , either Whatley Manor or the Dormy . Once expenses hit a grand (4 days started ) I stopped completely and never regretted it . More profitable punting (this year worst for some years ) and far more friendly to the body ! Betfair helped hugely mind as am not huge punter and not a usual favourite backer either .

Went with Smirnoff & met Jimnast & his good lady where we were staying in Worcester... very reasonably priced !

There for the four days, the Thursday in the Best Mate was the least enjoyable.

I love N H racing, and don't drink when I go racing. Food & drink price's are outrageous ! Spoke to a bookmaker on the Thursday, & it was £820 ( on the day ) to trade in the Best Mate, there were at least fifty standing !

Smirnoff's treatment on the Thursday was appalling, & I will be writing a letter to the head of the J C !

In essence, I despise everything the Jockey Club stand for, & will never attend the Festival again !

^^^^^^

The J C staff are not trained properly, & the one's higher up the food chain are just blo0dy rude !

Tickets on sale for next year. £3 extra each day in Tatts (compared with £7 increase last year). Implies it will be 4 days again with the same feature races on each day

Just bought them,Tatts for the week £235.

a bit like ronnie earlier in the thread ...i'm about 40 years in , at least for the opening day . watching the events unfold  on tv at home i was thinking how much i would have missed just being cattle prodded around the place . admit though to switching between itv and rtv which alllowed me to listen to lydia and ruby  and mute mccoy and fitzy . the latter two are miles behind them . hey , time moves on but cheltenham should not be that confident of ' returning numbers ' . once you have broken the cycle of going there...

Good morning halcyon hope your well

Completely agree with your comments on jcr it’s a bleak day when people realise arc look after the racegoer better.

Nice to have met you last week I could have gone on much longer with the football talk always enjoy sensible and knowledgeable football views and memories.

Good luck

Good morning Jimnast. Hope you're both well. Met some wonderful people over the four days, but I don't like being ''ripped off!'' I think the J C are killing the goose that laid the golden egg ! May try the Dublin Festival in the future, best wishes to you both !

The main problem is four days. It is exhausting to spend so much time on the course, and expensive to pay for accommodation and racecourse catering.

The fan village flopped but maybe there could be a solution along those lines, as with football world cups and, say, Glastonbury. Tents to replace cheese wedges on the cross-country course!

In some ways, numbers being down is good. You hear people saying the queues for toilets and bars were shorter, and that it was easier to move from one part of the course to another.

What I've not seen mentioned is the impact of bloody awful weather for at least the second year running.

Yeah almost certainly an idiot or a charlatan if suggesting numbers will return in anything like near term. Be using their swiss bank cards no doubt.

dont like negative things but this has made my week, the forum told em long time ago 7-50 pint of guiness the food, the price entry increases i only hope it falls further and some idiot said it will return to normal, no it fk wont, not while this squeeze is on, must have cost them millions and im very glad bunch of numptys

Well said know all.  Profiteering at its very worst.  Hell mend them - we''ll still have the racing.

Anybody want a couple of tickets for the April meeting.

Ronnie.

I'm going for the week Ronnie , going to Newton Abbot and Bath on the Friday before returning home..

Workrider.

pm me your address  how many do you need.

Ronnie.

Done Ronnie..

Workrider
will send you a ticket in the next couple of days
Anybody need a ticket for the April meeting.

Ronnie.

Thanks Ronnie..

I would like one Ronnie if that’s possible no worries if already gone

Jimnast

pm me your address and i will send you a ticket for the 2 days.

Ronnie.

jimnast the Wednesday meeting April 19th is a RTV ticket day which i wont be attending but if ya missus wants to go giv me a shout  and i will order two tickets for yous - you can always sell one for a tenner or whatever such as i did at Warwick to a lad that was just about to spend £20 on a ticket and was more than happy to buy my spare saving himself a tenner

Cheers Smirnoff that’s very kind of you I do have two from Ruk for Wednesday it was Thursday I needed them.

Thanks Ronnie I will pm you not to clever at that sort of thing but have managed in the past.

We are not going to Aintree this year for the first time since 1980, used to be eight of us on Grand National day and the wives and girlfriends on the Thursday. Down to three on the Saturday last year and four on the Thursday. Might be our age or it might be the £7.20 a pint and £150 each just to get in. We LOVED The Thursday and it was The Best Day and Highlight of our year, they have out-priced themselves and for the first time ever there are still tickets left and it is not SOLD OUT..

All ready got ours ronnie thank you, but a commendable offer none the less.

Got very reasonable hotel in Dunbleton about 15 miles north of the course.

Very much looking forward to going again.

Jimnast

got your pm but you have not put on where you want them sending to.

Ronnie.

Sorry Ronnie is it a phone number or an address you need .

Graham Cunningham on RTV yesterday said he thought it was down to TV coverage meaning that viewers missed nothing while being at the track meant you couldn't see everything. I've been to the Cheltenham Festival for one day  and Aintree National meeting on the Thursday once but had no great desire to go back -crowded and expensive. Got tickets for the  Saturday of the  DRF next Feb to see what it is like in the flesh.

Know a group of guys age about 40 who go every year for a couple of days,this year they went to Dublin last week and watched the racing from there and doing the same next year,they can afford it  but said it was the hotels taking the p1ss which decided it for them.

Good morning ribero

That’s the final nail for me

Hi Jimnast,yes I definitely think it's the major factor in all this.

Manoleeds

The Saturday this year for the first time was bordering on uncomfortable.

Cheltenham is eye watering but on the whole situation with hotel cost in the uk is ridiculous,staycation my at.e

Jimnast.

Could you be so kind to pm  where you want the badge sent to

hope you are well

Ronnie.

What a gentleman you are ronnie - well done!

LH
Thank you for your very kind words means a lot to me.
could not go to the festival due to going in to hospital the year bobsworth won GIVE my badge away to a  pal of my best pal and my local bookie THE BEST THING I EVER DID.

Ronnie.

LH
The guy invited us to a box at the paddy power meeting as a thank you met 2 guys who had boxes at  Cheltenham been invited over 20 times to there boxes.


Karma

Just back from haydock ronnie address sent

Once again thank you as honcho says what a gentleman

How good could this forum have been ?

Jimnast
will send your badge in the next couple of days, wont be having a bet till dante meeting, tell our freind the bookmaker who posts on here to introduce us and i will treat you to a nice glass of something, tell him he also owes me a nice bottle of wine for my consultancy fees a few years ago.

Went to Cheltenham last week. My bank statement says for the beers I got(Haydock Park racecourse). Anyone know why it says that

The probable answer there loui is that haydock also jcr was part dealing with the credit cards that week.

Will do Ronnie but I’m buying looking forward to it once again thanks.

Jimnast.

will look forward to meeting you will tell you that story about Bernard H at ascot, regarding Cheltenham will show you some pics you will be able to tell people Ronnie has been in more boxes than Denis Law.

More boxes than Denis law

Thanks jimnast, thought it might be something along them lines, maybe they used the atm,s from Haydock

Hello Ronnie

Received this morning very very kind of you

Good luck

Jimnast

You are more than welcome enjoy Workrider has yours arrived.
Sat having a brandy sad to say it kicked off in the shop tonight another smashed up machine.

Good morning Ronnie

From what I see in betting shops at night I find it incredible it’s worth them opening I suppose it’s a case of none will let the opposition have it to themselves.

Not yet Ronnie but no problem plenty of time yet...

Hello workrider

Did you hear your pals commentary on the 2 nd race at Dundalk Friday night absolutely hilarious