Cheltenham festival crowds will be down this week for third year running
Cheltenham racecourse has effectively confirmed that crowds at its showpiece meeting will be down for the third year running when the 2025 festival opens on Tuesday, while also suggesting that 'unforgettable days out' for racegoers this year will be the catalyst for a revival in the festival's fortunes from 2026.
The overall attendance at last year's Cheltenham festival was 229,999, a drop of 18% on the record attendance of 280,627 in 2022, amid complaints from racegoers about the price of admission, food and drink and accommodation in the local area for spectators attending multiple days.
In the weeks running up to this year's meeting, Cheltenham has predicted only that the total attendance would be 'more than 200,000', and in what was described as an 'open letter' to racing fans this weekend, Guy Lavender, the track's chief executive since 1 January, said that 'it's important to mention up front that we are expecting fewer racegoers to be joining us in person this week than in recent years.' Lavender added: 'The decline is not catastrophic but nor are we seeing growing attendances.'
While a third straight drop in attendance is disappointing for both Cheltenham and its owner, Jockey Club Racecourses, a series of measures have been introduced from this year with the aim of improving customer experience. The areas in which racegoers can drink alcohol have expanded to include much more of the open standing area in front of the grandstands, while ticket prices were also frozen at last year's level.
However, the admission that crowds are still expected to drop suggests that another initiative – offering a ticket for a second day at the meeting from Tuesday to Thursday at a 20% discount to anyone buying a single ticket – has not caught the imagination of racegoers.
'We have heard both anecdotally and directly that the cost of accommodation is impacting attendance,' Lavender said. 'It is a situation we are looking to address directly with Room To Race, launched in partnership with a local sports travel company, to provide more affordable hotel, ticket and travel packages for this festival and beyond.'
Another key indicator for most punters at the end of festival week is their profit or loss on the week, and Tuesday's opening day dangles a significant carrot for many backers in the shape of four rock-solid favourites in the card's Grade One events.
Kopek Des Bordes, the market leader for the opening Supreme Novcie Hurdle, drifted to 11-10 from evens on Monday in the face of support for Henry de Bromhead's Workahead, the mount of Rachael Blackmore. Majborough (4-7), Lossiemouth (8-11) and Constitution Hill (8-13) all remain odds-on however, implying combined odds for the four-timer with most firms of around 8-1.
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