Willie Mullins backs decision to keep Cheltenham festival at four days

Champion trainer Willie Mullins has welcomed the decision to keep the Cheltenham festival at four days.

Persistent speculation about National Hunt racing’s showpiece event being extended to five days in 2024 was finally put to bed on Monday with confirmation that no change will take place.

The Jockey Club, which owns Cheltenham racecourse, held consultations over the last six months with various sectors and has opted to leave the festival untouched with seven races on each of the four days.

Proposals for six races across five days were examined but set aside with the Jockey Club stressing what it called consideration of the long-term future of jump racing and its role in society.

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“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 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,” said spokesman Ian Renton.

There had been widespread fears about a potential impact on competitiveness from any move to extend the world-renowned festival even further. It was stretched to four days in 2005.

Mullins, the festival’s most successful ever trainer with 88 winners, including a record 10 last March alone, is happy with the Jockey Club’s call.

“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,” he said on Monday.

Earlier this year, Mullins had suggested a five-day festival was in the offing while underlining his concerns about a possible dissipation in competitiveness.

On the logistical issues a five-day festival might have presented, the Irishman said on Monday: “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.”

Gordon Elliott also expressed satisfaction with the decision.

“To be honest, if it’s on four days, it’s on four days – we can’t change it,” he said.

“If it was on seven days, I’d be there seven days, so it’s not going to change things either way. If it was on 10 days in a row, I’d be there 10 days,” added Elliott who has saddled 33 festival winners since his first in 2011.

The temptation to extend the festival came on the back of bumper attendance levels at last season’s meeting. Gold Cup day attracted a record 73,875 crowd with a total of just over 280,000 attending over the four days.

However, the depth of kickback against any such move appears to have been considerable in the Jockey Club’s consultations with what it listed as owners, trainers, jockeys, racing staff, racing fans, broadcasters, the local community and commercial partners.

On the back of those talks it was also confirmed on Monday that the 2023 festival will have capacity capped at 68,500 each day. Complaints about overcrowding and difficulties in moving around the course had been made last March.

There was also support for the retention of four days from those who had previously backed adding an extra day.

Top British trainer Nicky Henderson said: “I think it is probably the right decision. 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.

“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.”