Despite popularity jury’s still out on Cheltenham Festival

Kopek Des Bordes ridden by Paul Townend on their way to winning the Michael O'Sullivan Supreme Novices' Hurdle on day one of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival (Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire)

Starting yesterday and running until Friday it comprises of 28 races and has been described as “a compelling battle between British and Irish trainers as they vie for supremacy”. Race distances vary from the shortest at two miles to the longest at 3.5 miles, with The Gold Cup on Friday being the jewel in the crown.

The overall attendance last year peaked at a total of 229,999, not quite surpassing the record number of 280,627 who attended in 2022 with daily attendances now capped at 68,600. The average spend of punters is approximately £670 and hotels have not been slow to capitalise on the event with prices jumping by 650 per cent compared to other years, according to a report by the University of Gloucestshire – a tactic we witness every year during our festival and events.

Nearly 6000 members of staff are employed over the four days and 350 chefs attend daily to cook all manner of dishes for the racegoers.

Last year more than 265,000 pints of Guinness (apparently enough to fill three Olympic-size swimming pools) were sold at £7.50 a time, and despite rumours of a shortage of the stout this year it is anticipated that sales will top previous events despite the price going up to £7.80, with some predictions hitting a total of 380,000 pints, meaning that nearly £3 million will be raked in – just from the sale of Guinness alone. A nip will also set racegoers back £7.20, alcohol free lager is £4 a pint and soft drinks are £3.20.

Commenting on the course’s review of the price structure the festival’s managing director, Ian Renton, explained: “Throughout the course of this review process there have been three distinct strands which have been impossible to ignore – value for money, the need to improve the best experience possible and the competitiveness of the race programme. We understand that when people are paying to attend premium events, they expect a premium experience.”

This “premium experience” is not without its detractors however, who point out that 76 horses have died as a result of racing at the festival since March 2000, with two dying during the same race last year. Abuffalosoldier and Bangers and Cash sadly perished after competing in the same race last year and Napper Tandy broke its neck in a fall over a newly designed “safer to view” hurdle in the next race.

Animal Aid stated that “Britain’s largest commercial horse racing organisation, The Jockey Club, must take full responsibility for the deaths on its Cheltenham Racecourse – Britain’s most deadly turf arena” lamenting that adequate measures have not been taken to “stem a constant flood of deaths across racing” and concluding that “a ban on racing is the only answer to stop this lethal animal abuse”.

The League Against Cruel Sports has also made its views known, stating that: “Although hugely popular with the general public, the high number of injuries and fatalities of horses involved has led many to call for this cruel ‘sport’ to be banned. We’re standing against horse racing.”

So, not all is well with horse racing events no matter how popular they appear – the debate is set to continue for some time yet.