Renton defends early end of Cheltenham Festival ticket discounts

Cheltenham has defended the earlier than usual discontinuation of its discount for festival tickets, with Jockey Club south-west regional director Ian Renton putting it down to supply and demand.

Ticket prices for the following year’s Cheltenham Festival have in the past increased from the course’s first meeting of the season in October but this year Cheltenham’s owners, Jockey Club Racecourses, took the decision to bring that deadline forward to tomorrow.

The move caused consternation among some regular buyers including Dave Cornell from Mansfield, who contacted the Racing Post to describe the £5 per day increase as “absolutely disgusting – the jumps season has not yet commenced but the Cheltenham hierarchy feel the need to increase ticket prices”.

Defending the move, Renton said on Tuesday: “We are one of the very few major sporting events that offer a reduced price if regular customers buy early and the vast majority are taking up the reduced price option but we can only maintain it for so long.

“We will have sold in the region of 20,000 tickets by tomorrow and all of those are at the reduced rate. We have contacted all of last year’s ticket holders advising them of the new cut-off date and it is a case of supply and demand, but the racecourse wants to make sure it gets the balance right.”

He added: “We have a number of well publicised increases for festival tickets throughout our season and racegoers purchasing early can save £5 per day or £20 over the four days and we want to continue offering our existing racegoers proper value for money.”

Ian Renton: insists increased demand has forced the moveCredit: Racingfotos.com

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