General Chat

[Atlantic Viking]

The worst thing about 6 races a day is that like pretty much everywhere else that has done similar, it'll almost certainly lead to 7 races on each of the 5 days within a few years. I dread to think.

[Saxon Warrior]

The worst thing about 6 races a day is that like pretty much everywhere else that has done similar, it'll almost certainly lead to 7 races on each of the 5 days within a few years. I dread to think.

Agreed Atlantic Viking

Its a plan to expand and dilute, by saying they are expanding but no diluting.............then diluting a handful of years later.
Knowing that they plan to do this all along.

A disingenuous act.

[nortonscoin200]

The worst thing about 6 races a day is that like pretty much everywhere else that has done similar, it'll almost certainly lead to 7 races on each of the 5 days within a few years. I dread to think.

Personally, I enjoying watching 7 races a day at the Festival. What's not to like? It would be a shame to see a return to 6 races a day imo.

But it is sad that one of Britain's most iconic sporting events is being being driven by the economic greed of those running the show.

The driving force should be seeking ways to protect and enhance the credibility of the event - and I can't see how a 5-day Festival will do that without diluting the whole shebang.

But sadly these are the times in which we live. The consultation exercise is nothing more than a box-ticking sham.

The tennis at Wimbledon has been going the same way for 10 or 15 years.

This time they are scheduled to play on the middle Sunday for the first time. Nothing wrong with that because it means people who work all week will have a chance to go.

But the second Monday (Manic Monday) used to feature all 8 men's last 16 singles matches and all 8 women's last 16 singles matches.

These 16 matches could not all be accommodated on the show courts so it meant tennis fans who could only afford the cheapest ground pass were treated to some great singles clashes on outside courts.

Now these last 16 matches will be split between Sunday and Monday meaning they will probably all be played on the main show courts.

So your ground pass on the second Monday will be greatly devalued. Unless you pay top dollar for tickets on Centre/Number One or slightly cheaper Number 2 courts you will probably be watching doubles matches or the juniors. Still a great day out but I don't see the prices coming down for ground passes this year.

Meanwhile, the LTA pocket another 4 million plus for the extra day.

Ok, I'm a grumpy old git - but I really don't see anyone in racing - fans or insiders - clamouring for a 5-day Festival.

[knockando]

For anyone with a betbull account,they are ceasing trading on the 3rd july and advising withdrawal of funds asap. Only problem is they having technical difficulties with withdrawals atm. I forgot all about them and only opened an account for the new customer bonus,but i do have funds to release. They really are a piss poor outfit and i should have just kicked them into the long grass a long time ago and hope i don't end up regreting it

Luke Paton tweet amused me on this subject:

I talked about this sort of stuff in tweet 11 (Bookmakers 1). Be careful. It is a genuine risk.
@racingblogger must have cleaned [Betbull] out. Or more likely they have made so much money from his short priced horses getting stuffed time & time again they are retiring to the Caribbean

https://twitter.com/Golfpunter1/status/1539140757046579205

For anyone that doesn't follow him, he has put up a series/thread of really interesting tweets re punting generally. He's a golf punter, but the tweets focus on a load of things, like affordability checks, the value of cash outs, bet builders, tipsters - loads of stuff and well worth a read

[Atlantic Viking]

Personally, I enjoying watching 7 races a day at the Festival. What's not to like?

Not sure if you missed my point or if I missed yours, but just to be clear, I love 7 races in the current format (i'd go back to 3 of course, but that ship has sailed one-way), my issue is in relation to the seemingly inevitable move to a 5 day fest. The "It's only 2 extra races" argument is an insult to everyone's intelligence, it will absolutely end up being a further 5 races at some point to pad each day out from 6 to 7 races.

I would bet good money (well, maybe 0.5pts...) that one of the arguments they'll use to push through the 5 day fest is the overcrowding this year. They'll present it as being in attendees best interests and that they're listening, or some such bollocks. Crowds spread out across more days etc... A purchase order has already been raised for a few pallet loads of the phrase 'The experience'.
Similar will eventually happen with 6 races. They'll present an additional race on each day as 'listening' and offering attendees greater value for money, or something along those lines. It'll definitely happen one way or another. Nicky Henderson will start pushing for 6 days shortly after.

[Block 205]

I've just completed my consultation questionnaire, and have made absolutely plain my opposition to extending the Festival to five days. You can bet your life that they wouldn't reduce ticket prices even though the racegoer would be only getting to see six races instead of seven, and all they can see is ? signs with regard to an additional day's hospitality, and tens of thousands of additional punters drinking pints at what will no doubt be ?7.50 or more by then.

I made sure that I stressed a couple of times that however they dress it up, it's all about getting more money in, and none of it benefits the racegoers - the people coming for individual days will see less racing per day, and us annual members who can't get to the track and back from home each day would have to fork out for another night's accommodation away from home, plus it would be another day away from the family etc.

Aside from one year when I was injured, I haven't missed a day of the Festival for 25 years, but would have to seriously consider missing a day or even two if they change the format, and told them that any such change would potentially be killing the goose that lays the golden egg. I suspect like many others that it won't make any difference what we say, but it would be very interesting to get them to publish the survey results from the members, as I suspect that it wouldn't make pretty reading for them (it would probably require a freedom of information request to prise it out of them though if it was overwhelmingly negative).

[Zachx02]

.

Meanwhile, the LTA pocket another 4 million plus for the extra day.

Least said about the LTA the better, the state of tennis in this country is an absolute joke

[nortonscoin200]

[QUOTE=Atlantic Viking;n375260]

Not sure if you missed my point or if I missed yours, but just to be clear, I love 7 races in the current format (i'd go back to 3 of course, but that ship has sailed one-way), my issue is in relation to the seemingly inevitable move to a 5 day fest. The "It's only 2 extra races" argument is an insult to everyone's intelligence, it will absolutely end up being a further 5 races at some point to pad each day out from 6 to 7 races.

Sorry AV, I get your point and agree wholeheartedly.I was just having a general rant.

[Saxon Warrior]

I've just completed my consultation questionnaire, and have made absolutely plain my opposition to extending the Festival to five days. You can bet your life that they wouldn't reduce ticket prices even though the racegoer would be only getting to see six races instead of seven, and all they can see is ? signs with regard to an additional day's hospitality, and tens of thousands of additional punters drinking pints at what will no doubt be ?7.50 or more by then.

I made sure that I stressed a couple of times that however they dress it up, it's all about getting more money in, and none of it benefits the racegoers - the people coming for individual days will see less racing per day, and us annual members who can't get to the track and back from home each day would have to fork out for another night's accommodation away from home, plus it would be another day away from the family etc.

Aside from one year when I was injured, I haven't missed a day of the Festival for 25 years, but would have to seriously consider missing a day or even two if they change the format, and told them that any such change would potentially be killing the goose that lays the golden egg. I suspect like many others that it won't make any difference what we say, but it would be very interesting to get them to publish the survey results from the members, as I suspect that it wouldn't make pretty reading for them (it would probably require a freedom of information request to prise it out of them though if it was overwhelmingly negative).

Quality reply.

Im completely in that orbit too.

The cost of staying locally for an extra day, on a Saturday night would take the costs to see the whole Festival up a big notch.

[Istabraq]

I think we all think the same but it’s niaive to think that anyone at Cheltenham racecourse, the Jockey Club or the BHA gives a toss about the cost to you and me.
Ultimately there is/will be a new generation of people who will take our places when we’ve had enough.
In 1990 the attendance on Gold Cup Day was under 35,000, the two previous days considerably less, the festival has become a beast and if they doubled the ticket price the chances are it would still attract 50,000+ racegoers every day.
Like others in here I’ve made my feelings known during the consultation but I did so in the belief it was pointless, my guess is the decision was made during the covid lockdown and they probably already know what extra races they’ll bring in, it wouldn’t surprise me if the JC have also agreed some sort of discretionary fee with Uttoxeter who undoubtedly move Midlands National Day to the Sunday.
It is what it is people…

[Middle_Of_March]

I've just completed my consultation questionnaire, and have made absolutely plain my opposition to extending the Festival to five days. You can bet your life that they wouldn't reduce ticket prices even though the racegoer would be only getting to see six races instead of seven, and all they can see is ? signs with regard to an additional day's hospitality, and tens of thousands of additional punters drinking pints at what will no doubt be ?7.50 or more by then.

I made sure that I stressed a couple of times that however they dress it up, it's all about getting more money in, and none of it benefits the racegoers - the people coming for individual days will see less racing per day, and us annual members who can't get to the track and back from home each day would have to fork out for another night's accommodation away from home, plus it would be another day away from the family etc.

Aside from one year when I was injured, I haven't missed a day of the Festival for 25 years, but would have to seriously consider missing a day or even two if they change the format, and told them that any such change would potentially be killing the goose that lays the golden egg. I suspect like many others that it won't make any difference what we say, but it would be very interesting to get them to publish the survey results from the members, as I suspect that it wouldn't make pretty reading for them (it would probably require a freedom of information request to prise it out of them though if it was overwhelmingly negative).

Excellent post. I also mentioned the extra nights hotel cost in my response to their survey. The sole focus for the jumps season is Cheltenham for most. That’s just how it is rightly or wrongly. Which is fine as long as that week is made to be the absolute best it can be. To go against a huge majority that are against the extra day (I saw a poll of 7,700 on twitter the other week with 83% voting against the extra day) would be a disgrace. And they have no reason for it other than financial reasons no matter how they dress it up.

[Saxon Warrior]

Excellent post. I also mentioned the extra nights hotel cost in my response to their survey. The sole focus for the jumps season is Cheltenham for most. That’s just how it is rightly or wrongly. Which is fine as long as that week is made to be the absolute best it can be. To go against a huge majority that are against the extra day (I saw a poll of 7,700 on twitter the other week with 83% voting against the extra day) would be a disgrace. And they have no reason for it other than financial reasons no matter how they dress it up.

Yes, I mentioned the huge uplift in cost per night in hotels currently, without adding one more day to the cost as well.

Obviously it's an entirely selfish act on behalf of the jockey club to be putting forward vague arguments for extending the number of days like:-

* children would like to go on a Saturday

- when did they do a poll of children wanting to attend the Festival.

* giving the public 6 races a day instead of 7 won't dilute the quality, or ruin the ground.

- that's like saying you can now have 4 Mars bars in your multi-pack instead of 5 and it won't dilute the quality of the Mars Bars.........until you get to the last one and it's not there anymore

* theres been pressure building for us to look at a 5- Day Festival

- pressure from where? From within the jockey clubs coffers?
There's no pressure from Willie Mullins he thinks 4 Days is right.

Cant be any pressure from Paul Nicholls he tends to focus on Aintree more than Cheltenham and thats only a 3 day meeting (7 races a day).

Maybe it's pressure from a few trainers who want more chance - from a DILUTED 5 DAYS - to win a race, but that won't happen while they only have 6 races a day - as they have little more chance of winning.

Its certainly not pressure from the racing media.
They largely laugh at the idea of a 5 days jumping Festival, in mid-March.

So the pressure for change is made up, unless it's from inside their own organisation - and they wont admit that.

All smoke and mirrors, you could say

We can see that.

In my view there's currently more "transient day trippers" there to enjoy the experience, who watch the racing as part of the day,........ rather than there are racing aficionados - those who are there primarily for Racing First, everything else second.

That provided the course owners an idea opening to stretch the Festival and see if enough day trippers (or new day trippers) will come on the 5th day, and not just vacate one of the first 4 days, and leave the crowd figures for the week hardly increasing above the costs of running another day.

Thats the financial model theyre working too.

If Racing First folk dont want to pay come to 5 days, and stay locally for 5 days, their voices are going to be muted by the course owners desire to see if their own hopes become reality.

But we've all made our feelings clear, maybe on several occasions. I'm pleased to see that we have done that on FJ too.

[Guinness Village]

I wouldn’t mind paying for a good product or experience, but they’re offering a very ordinary race day experience with no added value for members.
we all know the festival will be 5 days. Why not have the first 4 days as they are. The 5th day could offer 20 cartoon races from Portman park. They wouldn’t notice the difference!!

[BarrowNH01]

Personally i think a 5 day festival is just a desperate money grab attempt from those in power. I already feel like the quality of races is diluted enough with in recent years, field sizes in the graded races becoming smaller and smaller. An extra day and the inevitable extra 7 races it would bring, would just give trainers more chance to divert horses elsewhere making these races less competitive still. As a young racing fan on an apprentices wage it would also be an even greater expense to get to the festival i love. Despite all the opposition from us racing fans, i feel the potential extra income from an extra day will sadly mean all our feedback will fall on deaf ears.

[robith]

It's hard to shake the feeling that racing is on a one way path to obsolesce and those in power are just trying to pocket as much as they can before the edifice falls, like a dictator filling their Swiss account before the rebels take the capital