Cheltenham and racing must listen to paying public more than participants

Let's start by returning to the five-day festival. The intention this week was not to revisit the possibility of a Saturday card being added to Cheltenham's existing four March afternoons. Fortuitously, jumping's hot topic provides a neat link to this column's primary subject matter.

What we learned this week is the Jockey Club has already started the consultation process that will eventually conclude in Cheltenham's owners deciding whether the festival should go from four days to five, perhaps as soon as 2024.

Quite obviously, there must be prominent figures within the Jockey Club who believe a five-day festival could be a positive development. You do not consult others on a proposal you hate yourself. There has to be enthusiasm or interest from within for the process to be activated in the first place.