FeatureCheltenham Festival
premium
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 CookRacing Writer of the Year
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.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on 23 March 2023inSpecial reports
Last updated 18:00, 23 March 2023
Copymore inSpecial reports
- 'This is an investment in the future of racing - it's vital if we are to have a vibrant racing sector for the next 30 years'
- How black market bookies have spread through racing - and even solicit business at Cheltenham
- Concerns raised over Premier racing launch as it emerges key project has no dedicated marketing budget
- Britain's biggest jumps owners are deserting their home country for Ireland - so we asked them why
- 'This isn't for the short term' - the inside story of the big-spending operation which could become British racing's next superpower
more inSpecial reports
- 'This is an investment in the future of racing - it's vital if we are to have a vibrant racing sector for the next 30 years'
- How black market bookies have spread through racing - and even solicit business at Cheltenham
- Concerns raised over Premier racing launch as it emerges key project has no dedicated marketing budget
- Britain's biggest jumps owners are deserting their home country for Ireland - so we asked them why
- 'This isn't for the short term' - the inside story of the big-spending operation which could become British racing's next superpower