General Chat

[FinalFurlong91]

Looks like a bit of a penalty kick of a Grade 1 for Galopin Des Champ on Sunday. Does that mean he won’t go to Punchestown if he’s runs on Sunday or are they just picking up an easy Grade 1 on the way?

I doubt he will run at punchestown as well

Makes me think he will not be running in the gold Cup next year

If they thought he was he'd surely be running over 3 miles at punchestown with an extra couple of weeks break

With allaho likely to contest the 3 mile race, if he wins that GDC for the ryanair becomes interesting

[Eggs]

….amazing Tshimanga still leads the way in the National League. I see it as;

Mullin (Wrexham) 4 behind with 7 to play
Madden (Stockport) 5 behind with 7 to play

Neither scored yesterday. Wrexham & Stockport have games on Monday & Saturday of next week.

[MTR]

Looks like there pushing ahead with the 5 day festival from 2024, if it does happen the best case scenario is 6 races a day so they only have to add two more.

if they keep it at 7 a day and they need another 7 races fuck knows what shit will be run at the festival, field sizes are averaging at 14 now when they used to be averaging at 22 I read in an article. It’ll end up turning into the Galway festival in 20 years time and they’ll be endless days of the festival.

I’m against it fwiw, and the majority of the punters I’ve spoken to or seen on twitter are as well. I imagine the aintree merchant will be all for it, might be able to find a soft race for bravemansgame then

[Redbridge]

Looks like there pushing ahead with the 5 day festival from 2024, if it does happen the best case scenario is 6 races a day so they only have to add two more.

if they keep it at 7 a day and they need another 7 races fuck knows what shit will be run at the festival, field sizes are averaging at 14 now when they used to be averaging at 22 I read in an article. It’ll end up turning into the Galway festival in 20 years time and they’ll be endless days of the festival.

I’m against it fwiw, and the majority of the punters I’ve spoken to or seen on twitter are as well. I imagine the aintree merchant will be all for it, might be able to find a soft race for bravemansgame then

It will end up like Punchestown with multi bumpers and cross country and maidens, greed breeds greed, racing is mental what with the Sherga Cup day, it's slowly digging it's own grave.

[Irish Rugby]

There was a lot of talk about it 'being inevitable' etc which seems to be to show a reluctance to do anything other than accept it. I haven't come across anyone who is for it, although I suspect bookmakers would be very keen as it increases turnover.

https://www.racingpost.com/news/a-five-day-cheltenham-festival-nicky-henderson-cant-see-a-reason-why-not/541376

Here's some comments from the Unibet spokesman.

To me, it will end up as some sort of corporate hospitality friendly junket, if it's not already. The plebs will be kept in the Best Mate enclosure having to piss out in the open as there's not enough portaloos ordered. And even the price of that will go up.

I really do hope the voices not to go to 5 days grow stronger. If it goes to 5 days, 6 races a day, what's the betting after 4/5 years, they go back to 7 races a day, diluting the product even further.

I really do feel there is a growing tendency now amongst British racing to down play Cheltenham. Here in Ireland we still refer to it as 'Racing's Olympics' and that's a reference I am no longer hearing across British racing with some high profile trainers being particularly vocal on this very point.

Will be interesting to see the direction of travel across racing media on the issue. The RP, Racing TV, At the Races, even the growing number of podcasts.

[Ice]

I've not spoken to anyone who wants to see a five day festival and as we all know it's all about greed. When they add a Saturday to the meeting that will take over from Friday as the stag do and once a year pissed/coked up attendees day, massive queues for the cubicles and not many actual racing fans will wanna attend.

[Olliemagern]

There was a lot of talk about it 'being inevitable' etc which seems to be to show a reluctance to do anything other than accept it. I haven't come across anyone who is for it, although I suspect bookmakers would be very keen as it increases turnover. .

Not necessarily the case of the betting turnover as if it means more races like the turners race this year then turnover will go down as less ppl will bet.

[giantcauseway]

How many of you would prefer to save your monies and just stay away??? I, for one will have gone to my last Festival. Just not for me with the dilution of the meeting and the simple fact that it's nearly impossible to get any meaningful bet on. I normally go to the Festival with a big group of friends who all lead busy lives and it's our one week when we can get away from trials and tribulations of life, families and just hang out! Everyone in our group is in agreement that it's not the same. Next year, we'll probably meet up in a social club and if we do go racing, Aintree on the Thursday is the preferred day.

I fear sports will continue to "expand" in the name of money but fans simply aren't helping themselves. The Liverpool vs City semi final should've been a golden opportunity for both sets of fans to give the FA a bloody nose following their refusal to apply common sense but apart from sections of the City section, it looked a full house. As long as the monies keep rolling in, the sport authorities simply will not care.

The only way for sports to actually listen is for fans to vote with their wallets and I just can't see it happening. It's an end of an era in my view and it's a shame.

[Stormez]

How many of you would prefer to save your monies and just stay away??? I, for one will have gone to my last Festival. Just not for me with the dilution of the meeting and the simple fact that it's nearly impossible to get any meaningful bet on. I normally go to the Festival with a big group of friends who all lead busy lives and it's our one week when we can get away from trials and tribulations of life, families and just hang out! Everyone in our group is in agreement that it's not the same. Next year, we'll probably meet up in a social club and if we do go racing, Aintree on the Thursday is the preferred day.

I fear sports will continue to "expand" in the name of money but fans simply aren't helping themselves. The Liverpool vs City semi final should've been a golden opportunity for both sets of fans to give the FA a bloody nose following their refusal to apply common sense but apart from sections of the City section, it looked a full house. As long as the monies keep rolling in, the sport authorities simply will not care.

The only way for sports to actually listen is for fans to vote with their wallets and I just can't see it happening. It's an end of an era in my view and it's a shame.

I think next year will probably be my last for a while, assuming they move to 5 days in 2024. I’ll still go to their other meetings, but think I’ll use the money I usually blow on the festival to go to the DRF instead.

[Redbridge]

Add to the above who will still hold any A/P bets with the impending affordability cheeks for the pleasure of betting on the rails after shelling out 85 quid a day plus expenses, no thanks to a five-day festival and affordability checks.

[Istabraq]

Just for balance, just about everyone in the hospitality industry within 40 miles of Cheltenham will be delighted when (and it is a when, not if) the festival goes to five days, also, the Jockey Clubs ability to increase sponsorship and advertising revenue on a Saturday is multiplied against any other day of the week so the talk of a Mon-Fri festival for me is fanciful, it's probably the one compromise punters and spectators will accept but it won't help increase the pound notes like a Saturday does.
I know very little about the 'World Pool' but Matt Chapman seemed to suggest on yesterdays Opening Show that significant funds were available, the Asian market and presumably the US market too would be huge on a Saturday.
Saturdays will be very attractive to global businesses who sponsor races and/or invest in advertising on the day, their potential audience is massive and racing can exploit this, I'm a firm believer that bookmakers will walk away from race sponsorship eventually and the authorities will need global businesses to take over, I think this has started already to a degree.

It's also worth re-confirming the anti 4 day feeling that existed in the early 2000s when it was a three day festival, since going to 4 days the festival has grown and grown.
I remember standing in the Bula stand in 1990 on Gold Cup day when less than 35,000 people attended.

The dilution discussed is a long term issue and it seems something the authorities aren't concerned with.
Initially 5 x 6 means just two more races and I think it's a near certainty once of those will be a 20f grade 2 hurdle which will get promoted to a G1 after the three years required (I believe this is still the case).
For ante post punters like us all it toughens things up massively, the Ballymore, M Pipe and Coral Cup already provide mid distance hurdle races, and if you have a decent mid distance novice chasing mare you now have the Mares chase, Turners, Plate and Ryanair although novices are unlikely to head for the open G1s.
The only thing that will help punters identify a target is if novices were prevented from entering handicaps but what this would do to field sizes is an unknown, so this change would be unlikely, but the one group of people who won't be considered during the process are punters, they will become less relevant over time.

Ultimately the search for increased income will win out but the industry is heading for turbulence very soon, the government review will have a huge impact and there's every chance that big percentage of punters and racegoers are forced away from the game through restrictions, bookmaker turnover is key to racings income stream and this is almost certain to be reduced through regulation so there is the potential for a perfect storm to hit...

[DenmanSacre]

Act of Authority for ?200k could be a good bit of business for whoever has purchased him.

3rd in his PTP won well today.

Act of Authority purchased by AC Elliott, who I think buys for De Bromhead and Harrington. Hopefully goes to Henry to add to his ammunition for next season.

[Hurricane fly]

With regards to the extra 2 races they could read the 2m4 novice handicap Chase which was removed for the Mares Chase, meaning only 1 "new" race

[Istabraq]

With regards to the extra 2 races they could read the 2m4 novice handicap Chase which was removed for the Mares Chase, meaning only 1 "new" race

Someone I was speaking to yesterday mentioned that.
Not sure what kind of message it sends out removing a race then reinstating it because you need to increase the number of races, on other words the race wasn’t deemed important enough this year but it might be in two years time.

And I think this is where the dilution comes in, any half decent mid distance novice chaser would have the option of the Turners, the Plate plus the novice handicap chase, and if they happen to be a mare then the Mares chase, and if they’re really brave the Ryanair.
Do horses really need four or five races to be available over pretty much the same trip ?
I don’t know about anyone else but I’m finding it harder and harder to guess targets correctly, can’t see t getting easier any time soon…

[DenmanSacre]

With regards to the extra 2 races they could read the 2m4 novice handicap Chase which was removed for the Mares Chase, meaning only 1 "new" race

If they're going to do 30 races they should mix up a few of the race conditions.

I'd change the following:

1) Only have the bumper open to 4 and 5 year olds. They're bred to jump and the likes of Appreciate It, Kilcruit and Sir Gerhard running in the bumper at 6 is a joke as far as I'm concerned.
2) Supreme and Ballymore only open to 5 and 6 year olds.
3) Albert Bartlett changed to a 3m novice handicap hurdle.
4) Martin Pipe changed to a 2m2f handicap hurdle 0-145 to accommodate the above.
5) No novice hurdlers in the County, Coral or Pertemps. They have the Supreme, Ballymore, Martin Pipe and the 3m AB handicap to run in.
6) Like 4, no novice chasers in the Grand Annual, Plate or Ultima. Novices can run in the Kim Muir if rated low enough.
7) Have a 2m2f novice handicap chase 0-140 as a new race.
8) Turners ran over the same distance as the Ryanair. No idea who came up with the idea of them being over slightly different distances.
9) Can't particularly think of a 30th race as it's all covered already. A Cheltenham 'National' hurdle race over 3m2f to 3m4f - I don't think there's a hurdle race over this far so a unique race? A race open to 4 and 5 year old PTPers being sold at the Cheltenham sale over 2m5f? A handicap race for Cheltenham veterans - ran 3 or more times at the Cheltenham festival? Just making up stupid races though. No doubt a mares bumper will be added though.