Fans saying ‘no’ to costs at turnstiles
ALARM bells must be ringing in the minds of the Cheltenham Festival organisers after only 46,711 punters passed through the turnstiles on Wednesday.
That figure is down almost 18,000 on the numbers for the same day in 2022 and it’s very easy to see the reason why.
Some will argue Willie Mullins’ domination on the track has something to do with it but I strongly believe that is not the case.
The most important thing for the majority of racing fans is backing winners and once Mullins is providing them with winning favourites, why would they be opposed to that?
It’s the high cost that is turning people off attending this great Festival – and who can blame them?
A club enclosure ticket for today costs £126 (€148) and that’s basically just to get into the best place in the racecourse to watch the action. It includes entry and nothing else.
I love horse racing as much as anyone but there is absolutely no way I would pay close to 150 quid just to get into a racecourse. It’s disgraceful.
On top of that, punters are being charged £7.50 (€8.78) for a pint of Guinness or lager served in a plastic container. Plus the racecourse is a nightmare to get in or out of.
The poor euro to pound exchange rate is another contributing factor for Irish punters.
The Cheltenham Festival will always be one of the world’s greatest but unless things change, fewer and fewer people will get to enjoy it.
It’s not hard to see why so many English racing fans now attend the likes of Leopardstown and Punchestown. It really says it all when a few days in Dublin works out cheaper...