'There's bound to be changes' - Cheltenham to review festival programme after drop in quality

The Cheltenham Festival is set for a shake-up with racecourse boss Ian Renton explaining there will be changes to the race programme in response to a drop in the number of top-quality horses taking part.

The four-day, 28-race structure will remain but each contest will come under scrutiny to ensure jump racing's biggest festival maintains its competitiveness.

At March's festival the average field size was the smallest since the number of races at the meeting was extended to 28 in 2016, while the depth of quality was put under the spotlight with seven of the races featuring an odds-on favourite.