07 March 2024 , 13:07
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Cheltenham Racecourse chiefs have remained tight-lipped amid fears of another attendance slump for the Festival.
With less than a week to go, fans can still book to attend all four days of the National Hunt season's flagship meeting. The overall outlay of going to the event and a cost of a living crisis are understood to be among the reasons influencing the slow take-up.
Some racegoers have diverted their spare cash away from the big event to go abroad – and watch it on TV instead. Gold Cup day general admission has sold out, but a variety of hospitality options remain on The Jockey Club's website.
The cheapest package is £540, which includes Club admission, a two-course hot buffet, afternoon tea, car parking and a racecard. "Located close to the Guinness Village, Moscow Flyer restaurant provides a cost-effective way to enjoy excellent food with a base for the day. Please note, Moscow Flyer is not course-facing," a post on the website says.
A room at a bed and breakfast a mile from the track for Tuesday to Friday is currently being advertised on Booking.com for £898. Most attendees then have to factor in money for transport, betting and refreshments, with a pint of Guinness priced at £7.50.
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Jon Hughes is a racehorse owner and former Cheltenham member who went to the Festival for 25 years.
He said: "I now swerve attending it, as do virtually all my racing friends and co-owners. This is influenced by cost, a poor view at the course, decline of the true National Hunt fan at the meeting and we no longer have the best of the best competing against each other. I have set a target of cutting back my involvement from almost 20 horses to no more than 10 over the coming years."
Although Gold Cup tickets were snapped up in record time last year, statistics showed 40,024 fewer people attended the Festival overall, with the first three days well down.
Cheltenham's managing director Ian Renton (Getty)To give current sales a boost, Cheltenham's owners have put discounted Best Mate Enclosure tickets on Travelzoo, with a saving of £18 per person. Organisers suffered a blow when Constitution Hill, the headline act for Tuesday, was ruled out of his Champion Hurdle title defence at a late stage.
Record figures were achieved at the Festival two years ago, with 280,627 racegoers heading through the turnstiles. It was said to be a result of enthusiasts not being able to attend in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic – when Minella Indo won the Gold Cup in front of an empty grandstand.
This year's Boodles-backed feature, run on Friday, March 15, will celebrate 100 years of the race,
On February 18, Cheltenham's regional director Ian Renton told the Racing Post: "One of the trends we have seen at all our courses over the past 12 months is that racegoers are waiting until nearer the event to purchase their tickets and that certainly seems to be the case for the first three days of this year's festival.
"While ticket sales for the start of the week are not necessarily aligned to the numbers we have seen at this stage in previous years, they are following a recognised pattern at our other major events. Hospitality sales continue to be strong with many restaurants sold out already and limited availability remaining over the four days."
When asked for an update this week, The Jockey Club declined to comment.