Cheltenham Festival bigger than the sum of its individual players

At some point in recent years, the Cheltenham Festival made a silent but significant transformation. It advanced from an event where success was gauged by the quality of its racing to one where its success is assured, irrespective of events on the track.

In this it has joined a select number of prized British institutions in which individuals compete, among them Wimbledon, the Open and the Formula One Grand Prix. It has some way to go to match the resonance of these events, which are daily staples on national evening news programmes. Cheltenham will feature come what may, although reports on the four-day jumps-fest will probably be confined to the Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup.

By contrast, the Grand National weights ceremony in London last week did not make the ITV news despite the terrestrial channel now holding exclusive broadcasting rights. You would have thought ITV would be keen to demonstrate that fact less than two months before the race, but in the end, its newsworthiness was deemed insufficient.