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FeatureCheltenham Festival
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Has the Cheltenham Festival peaked? Or are falling crowds actually for the best?
Chris Cook explores the popularity of the festival in light of last week's poor attendance
Chris CookSenior writer
Cheltenham's attendance was down on last year but the result was a better experience for those present.Credit: Edward Whitaker
It was one of those times when the numbers told a different story to the one we thought we'd lived through.
Day one at last week's Cheltenham Festival was as involving, emotional, gripping and entertaining as any day in the sport's recent history and seemed an affirmation of racing's ability to produce great drama.
Then we found there had been far fewer people there to enjoy it than last year. Tuesday's attendance came to 60,284, a tumble of 12 per cent.
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Published on inSpecial reports
Last updated
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more inSpecial reports
- Skyscraper betting and soaring turnover: Japan's mind-boggling racing experience and the unlikely hero who sparked the boom
- It’s the number-one complaint from punters – so just why are some struggling to get paid out by bookmakers?
- A laid-back Equinox, a heaving toy shop and a bizarre mobile racing game: inside the phenomenon that is Japanese racing
- 'The status quo just isn't sustainable' - does British racing need a revolution in how it is run?
- 'We have constipation at the centre of British racing' - is the sport's governance structure fit for purpose?