Willie Mullins and Nicky Henderson, two of the most successful trainers in Cheltenham Festival history, have backed the decision to keep the meeting to four days.
The success of the Festival has led to growing speculation in recent years that the showpiece meeting of the National Hunt season would be extended to five days and Henderson was one of the main supporters of that idea initially.
However, the man who has lit up Cheltenham with three-time Champion Hurdle winner See You Then, Gold Cup winners Long Run and Bobs Worth, as well as dual Champion Chase winners Sprinter Sacre and Altior, says the right decision has been made.
“I think it is probably the right decision,” said Henderson. “I was one of the ones in favour of the [five days] idea, but I think the more you think about it, they've made the right decision.”
He added, “It's so good as it is. I saw some pros and cons to it either way. I'm really not desperately fussed, but having said that I sort of was leaning on it thinking if we had six races a day, you didn't need to start until 2pm and then you don't dilute the product.
“Bear in mind it is not compulsory to go, it is for us trainers but not for everybody else! I do see the logic and I probably would say yes, it's the right decision.”
Mullins, the Festival's winning-most trainer, echoed the sentiments of Henderson.
He said, “I think it is a good decision to keep it compact and tighter and I'm very happy that is the decision they have come to.”
On the logistical challenges a five-day Festival would have brought, Mullins added, “There's pros and cons. Five days would make it easier for us getting horses and staff over and back. I would imagine if they went to five days there would be less races per day, so it might have been easier.
“But I think the best decision has been made at this point in time for the meeting. It's great they have come out and put everyone's mind at rest about what is happening, so we welcome that decision.”
Monday's announcement by the Jockey Club came after extensive consultation and analysis into the best way forward for the sport, according to Ian Renton, who runs Cheltenham as managing director of the Jockey Club's west region.
He said, “At the Jockey Club we care deeply about the long-term future of our sport and its role in society. That's a mission that enables us to think differently when making decisions.
“While we explored the financial benefits and an opportunity to reach new audiences, we also found a number of counterpoints to this. For example, it is clear that it would be challenging from a turf management perspective, without further work on the track, and on balance we still feel 28 races over four days is the right format.”
He added, “This research allows us to do much more than simply answer the question of whether extending the Festival is the right thing to do. We will now evaluate all the insight with a view to improving our facilities, investing in new on-course activations and giving our fanbase, participants, owners and other stakeholders the best possible experience at Cheltenham Racecourse.
“We are extremely grateful to everyone who has taken part in this process and have welcomed the opportunity to listen to racehorse owners, participants, Jockey Club colleagues, the local community, our partners, loyal racing fans and many others with a passion for our sport and the Festival.”
The Cheltenham Festival is now Britain's third biggest sporting event in terms of attendance and attracted a record total attendance of 280,627 across the four days in 2022. This included record individual attendances for both Thursday (73,754) and Friday (73,875).
Following the consultation into the future format of The Festival it was announced in August this year that the event in 2023 (which is staged between Tuesday 14th March and Friday 17th March inclusive) will take place with capacity capped at 68,500 each day.
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