Cheltenham Festival no longer everything says Henderson after entries plummet

The number of entries for the Cheltenham Festival has fallen by 35 per cent compared to this stage five years ago, with Nicky Henderson arguing it is no longer the be-all and end-all for owners and trainers.

Entries for ten of the meeting's 28 races in March, including the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup, were revealed this month with 275 horses in contention, down from 335 last season and 415 in 2018.

Early contenders for the four Grade 1 novice chases were unveiled on Tuesday. Only 37 horses were entered in the National Hunt Chase, a 47 per cent drop from 70 entries in 2018, while the Brown Advisory attracted just 34 entries, a decline of 45 per cent from 62 in 2018.