Overcrowded, overpriced at Cheltenham this year
HAVING attended many Cheltenham festivals, it was wonderful to attend this year’s event, and see extraordinary achievements, both human and equine.
Leaving aside the incredible racing on view, it was a real shame to see this incredible showcase overshadowed by what happened at this great venue this year. I fully understand and acknowledge that the Jockey
Club needed to recoup some of the losses of 2021 due to Covid lockdown, but what happened this year is totally unacceptable. Taking Gold Cup Day (Friday 18) as an example, there were 73,875 in attendance, despite public capacity of Cheltenham being 67,500. Selling tickets for 10% more than capacity led to overcrowding in all areas, long queues for all facilities and many toilets overflowing.
Is this what a genuine National Hunt supporter expects, having paid £110 for a Club Enclosure ticket? It would seem that the Jockey Club, in their efforts to maximise income post-Covid, had complete disregard for health and safety, public comfort and customer service. When you add £10 burgers, £7 chips, and £6 pints, the 2022 Cheltenham experience will not be remembered for the on-course racing achievements only. If the March Festival is going to be an overcrowded party venue in the years ahead, I do feel many supporters will not travel, and instead will see the return of the many great champions from the comfort of their TV rooms.
Michael Dollard, Co. Kilkenny.
…ANOTHER Cheltenham Festival of top-class jumps racing has come and gone and there was no shortage of Irish star performers, four-legged and two-legged. Rachael Blackmore was again our history-making wonder woman and trainers Willie Mullins and Henry de Bromhead also set new records.
Despite their major successes, our winning trainers and jockeys had to be admired for their modesty and unassuming attitude when interviewed. The manner in which Willie Mullins doffs his hat to media people is an indication of how special the man is.
I also wish to include in my praise list Irish Mail on Sunday writer Philip Quinn for his informative article on the big meeting. Telling readers that Henry de Bromhead was the first Irish trainer to win the Gold Cup in successive years with different horses added to the reading enjoyment.
Willie Wilson, Waterford city.
Frontline bravery
LAST year we were dismayed for the people of Afghanistan when the Taliban took over the country to be in power for a second time.
We despaired for the progress made over 20 years for freedom for women and girls to access education and employment and to live free lives with the support of allied American and British and other forces until the decision to leave Afghanistan.
We didn’t expect, six months later, that Russia’s Putin would start a brutal war to invade its neighbour, Ukraine, to take over and install a puppet president and government to do what he wants. He reckoned Ukraine would not have the courage to fight and Ukraine’s president and government would flee. They fought back and fight fiercely.
President Zelensky is on the streets daily to encourage the army and console civilians. Men and women joined the army reserves. Brave women are fighting on the frontlines. Men from other countries fight with them. Turkey and others send military supplies to Ukraine.
The war will end at huge cost to Russia’s reputation. Its military has bombed hospitals, apartment blocks, reduced large parts of some cities to rubble and is causing immense suffering and up to three million refugees.
I agree with those who say the Nazis, over an 872-day siege of Russia’s city Leningrad in WWII, did similar to what President Putin is doing to Ukraine. He has partly used history as a reason for his actions but he forgot about Leningrad. Its citizens put up a fierce resistance too.
We hope the war will end soon. There are signs of compromise that Ukraine will promise not to join Nato and remain a militarily neutral country by Russia’s border. The important part is for the Russian army to then leave Ukraine immediately.