Cheltenham Festival Plans to extend to 5 days

This is the moment that all horse racing lovers have been waiting for a year! The legendary Cheltenham Racecourse opens its doors from Tuesday March 15 to Friday March 18, 2022 for four days of great spectacle. No less than 11 Groups are on the program, including the flagship event, the Gold Cup. More than 250,000 spectators will pass through the gates of Cheltenham Racecourse during these 4 days of competition. The last meeting, that of the Gold Cup, will be sold out, all the places having already found takers. Also note that £ 4.1 million will be distributed during this festival. Today, plans to extend the event for an additional day are under consideration.

Cheltenham Festival: Plans to Extend to Five-Day Meeting

The Cheltenham Festival is currently running for four days, but discussions to expand it to five days of competition in total are still ongoing. The idea was first raised in January 2020 when Martin St Quinton, president of the racetrack, said he “would not rule anything out” regarding the event’s extension. This idea had deeply divided horse racing fans. The Jockey Club said there is no immediate intention to extend the meeting. Perhaps the addition of this extra day of racing would be effective from March 2023, with each day reduced to a six-race card and therefore only two more contests needed to fill the extra day. “It is always interesting to listen to the debate around a fifth day and the last time this was seriously discussed in public some key players in our sport expressed their desire for a fifth day”, said Martin St Quinton. “We will always explore all options to improve the Festival and support the British races, but we have not yet made the decision to extend the duration of the Festival.” Yet, there has been no progress on the matter and although a five-day meeting has not yet been dismissed, there is no immediate intention to extend the event.

Champion Coach Paul Nicholls Reportedly Not in Favour of Cheltenham Festival Extension

Champion coach Paul Nicholls told Sky Sports Racing: “Four days is enough for everyone, but if it’s going to be five, it’s going to be five. It used to be three brilliant championship days, four days is good, but we might get lucky, and they might have two races just for UK trained riders! Being serious, I’m open-minded, but four is enough. If Cheltenham wants to make a lot of money out of it and reinvest in racing and prizes then that’s fair enough, otherwise it’s no good and you don’t want to dilute what is four special days. It’s a great race, but there is a risk that you will get watered down and it’s not as special as it probably was. To be honest I would like a mini-Festival in late January / mid-February in a place like Newbury as that would give us a try and then continue to Cheltenham an extra day there instead of Cheltenham it would work. I think there is a lot to say, but I’m very happy with four as it is.”

Bet on Horse Racing at the Cheltenham Festival

While waiting for the question to be resolved around the addition of an additional day at the Cheltenham Festival, you can already start studying your bets for the 2022 event which will take place from Tuesday March 15 to Friday March 18. To be able to bet turf, you must first understand how horse racing works: horses, types of races, regulations, etc., but also know the best bookmakers on which to get started in horse betting. The Cheltenham Festival is the biggest horse betting event, with 28 races over four days attracting around £ 500 million in bets. You could start betting on day 1 as the 2022 session kicks off with the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the first of three level 1 races on Champions Day. The highlight is the Unibet Champion Hurdle, which offers over £ 450,000 in prize money as well as a place in the record books. To prepare your bets, do not hesitate to check on the physical shape of the horse and that of the jockey. Sometimes coaches or jockeys will go on to win several races in a row. It’s because they’re particularly fit, or lucky. It is then necessary to take advantage of it. The physical form of the horse is obviously essential. Each horse performs at its best at a specific time of the year; once it is located, it should then be referred to.