One week to go...

[Gamebird]

One week until the flag drops for the Supreme (and we probably have our first false start of the week... ). Who is everyone most looking forward to seeing, and who do you think the big races will go to? Or maybe you have your eye on a sneaky outsider who can spring a surprise and claim some scalps?

 

[photo_jo]

Favourite week of the year!

 

[humblepie]

Need to check which of my favourites are running. Hope Constitution Hill shows a clean pair of hooves.

 

[Clodagh]

Need to check which of my favourites are running. Hope Constitution Hill shows a clean pair of hooves.

Oh yes I want him to romp home.
I support anyone not trained by Gordon Elliot. I have a tiny share in Stage Star so am waiting to see which race he runs in. I never miss Cheltenham and take the week off work every year to watch it but this year I have to go to Essex to inter my Dad’s ashes on the Wednesday so will miss that day (and therefore possibly also SS). I’m still there on Thursday but have arranged to go see my uncle who is racing mad . .
I just hope all horses stay safe, the grounds going to be dire I should think.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I'm not overly fussed for Cheltenham these days. Too much hype over a bunch of Handicap races. Don't get me wrong we send 2 horses with a good shout in their races again but it's not for me.

 

[bonny]

I'm not overly fussed for Cheltenham these days. Too much hype over a bunch of Handicap races. Don't get me wrong we send 2 horses with a good shout in their races again but it's not for me.

What racing do you like if you seriously think Cheltenham is too much hype over a bunch of handicap races ?

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

What racing do you like if you seriously think Cheltenham is too much hype over a bunch of handicap races ?

You could cut Cheltenham down to 2 days of good races. The Supreme, Triumph, Champion Hurdle, Arkle, Champion Chase, Jewson Chase, Brown Advisories, Gold Cup, World Hurdle, Albert Bartlett, Bumper & Cross Country Chase.

Cheltenham has become the be all and end all of the racing season. The good horses avoid each other all year until March. The Irish bring over way, way too many horses, the majority of which don't stand a hope in hell of winning which then pushes out the British trained horses.

There's so much press, hype and pressure to be there. It's not an enjoyable place to be these days, full of drunks who are just there to be seen to be there and don't actually care about the racing.

From a working perspective I would far rather spend a day at Kelso or Perth. Or like I am today - at Sandown with one of my favourite horses.

 

[MyBoyChe]

Im with Clodagh, week booked off work and afternoons cleared for the week. I must admit Im a little bit jaded with it, its become a little one sided now, not even GB v Ireland but WM & GE v The Rest of the World, however, I will watch the whole thing including the morning show and enjoy the spectacle of the best horses and jockeys doing their thing

 

[Clodagh]

Im with Clodagh, week booked off work and afternoons cleared for the week. I must admit Im a little bit jaded with it, its become a little one sided now, not even GB v Ireland but WM & GE v The Rest of the World, however, I will watch the whole thing including the morning show and enjoy the spectacle of the best horses and jockeys doing their thing

I admit I’m usually bored by Friday nowadays. But I’m not good at watching tv for hours anyway. I’d never go, I’m seriously crowd averse.

 

[reynold]

I will watch all week - perk of being retired.

I also hope all horses are safe and sound. I'm a big Henderson supporter so will be cheering those on. Also of the Irish I like Mullins and can't stand Elliot (even before his sitting on a dead horse episode). Will also be wishing Ahoy Senor well and loved the film of Elf's yard on ITV at the weekend.

Would like Rachel Blackmore to show the way again as she is terrific for a positive profile of racing.

I'm hoping that the aftermath of the week won't be headline grabbing jockey bans.

A dream would be for the British winners to outnumber the Irish for once............but I really don't see that happening sadly.

 

[Chiffy]

I do watch Cheltenham but I do agree with much that Elf says. All the hype and importance of the season resting on it as far as the media is concerned is annoying. Races during the season only spoken of afterwards as to what it means for the winner as far as Cheltenham is concerned rather than celebrating a win in its own right.
I have been there once about 15 years ago, not nearly as crowded as now . I am glad I understand the layout and have enjoyed it ’live’ but I wouldn’t go again.
I record and watch in the evening as I do with all the season. I can fast forward adverts and the endless discussions on form and just see the horses in the paddock and watch the races.

 

[olop]

I’d like to see Benson go for the £100k bonus after he won at Kelso on Saturday. Also fancy the French horse for the stayers (can’t think of his name he won at Cheltenham last month!).

 

[bonny]

I’ll be watching all of it and I look forward to Cheltenham for months. I like the fact that all the best horses come together to see who is the best in what are truely run races. Reputations will be won and lost and without Cheltenham jump racing would be poorer. Like every year I hope some British horses can triumph but I suspect they will be beaten again.

 

[humblepie]

I do agree the endless hype annoys me but just looking at the long list of entries and wow what some horses. I think my favourite race is the Queen Mother and that has some new stars in it and the names in the Gold Cup. Be brilliant to see a British trained horse win but also hope A Plus Tard and Galloping Des Champs fire.

 

[teapot]

You could cut Cheltenham down to 2 days of good races. The Supreme, Triumph, Champion Hurdle, Arkle, Champion Chase, Jewson Chase, Brown Advisories, Gold Cup, World Hurdle, Albert Bartlett, Bumper & Cross Country Chase.

Cheltenham has become the be all and end all of the racing season. The good horses avoid each other all year until March. The Irish bring over way, way too many horses, the majority of which don't stand a hope in hell of winning which then pushes out the British trained horses.

There's so much press, hype and pressure to be there. It's not an enjoyable place to be these days, full of drunks who are just there to be seen to be there and don't actually care about the racing.

From a working perspective I would far rather spend a day at Kelso or Perth. Or like I am today - at Sandown with one of my favourite horses.

Nice win too!


I'll try and watch the Grade 1s around meetings next week, but can't think of anything worse than being there!

 

[Gamebird]

I probably have a slightly different perspective, being a (temporary) part of the large Irish machine. I will arrive on Saturday afternoon, ahead of our first load of horses and staff, and usually be there until we have packed up all the horses and the oceans of kit to go home after the end of racing on Friday. I actually love Sat/Sun/Mon as the atmosphere is great - usually just Irish staff and horses, the odd French one, and then on Monday some of the northern British horses running on the Tuesday arrive. The team is great, the work is long and hard, but the craic is, as they say, mighty. And the dreams are all still alive.

Tuesday morning always comes as a bit of a shock - the atmosphere changes, and you can almost feel the air getting thicker and heavier to the point where you swear you could cut it. I love going down on the gallops on the Tuesday morning with the cameras of the world there to film riding out, though it's always a bit of a double edged sword - the horses feel the change in atmosphere, and there's the worry of getting run off with or falling off on TV. There's also some lovely photographers there who take great gallops photos.

Once the first race is off on Tuesday the week just accelerates and goes at top speed, and every day is at least a 14hr day.

I don't think I would enjoy going as a punter - I like being able to stay out of the crush - but it's my favourite week of the year and I privilege I would actually pay for instead of being paid for.

I do go racing elsewhere and particularly enjoy Aintree, as well as some of the smaller tracks, but it's the staff that make Cheltenham for me, and all the hours before the public arrive and after they leave.

I would love to see Benson pick up the bonus too! The ground is worrying me. It certainly won't be a week for the bog snorkellers! I know they've been trying to water but have been foiled by the need to have frost covers on this week. I wouldn't want Jon Pullen's job for love nor money! I bet his phone is ringing off the hook with trainers at the moment!

 

[photo_jo]

Tuesday and Wednesday are my favourites-Champion Chase and the championship novice chases-just the best

 

[McGrools]

I love cheltenham week, can watch it live except the friday and i dont really mind because i’m usually a bit bored by the friday. I love the tuesday and weds. Looking forward to Constitution Hill and Edwardstone the most.
i went in person a couple of years ago and the drunks were eye opening but they do keep them in enclosures as such, The Guinness Village!
It was like a scene from The Walking Dead at kicking out time 5pm
Very happy to watch it from the comfort of home.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Nice win too!


I'll try and watch the Grade 1s around meetings next week, but can't think of anything worse than being there!

Big Doug's is just awesome! He had an entry in the Grand Annual but he won't get in by a long shot. I expect Aintree will be next for him.

I will watch the Ultima on Tuesday for obvious reasons then I am off out for the night to Rocky Horror on stage in Edinburgh! And obviously I will watch the Gold Cup on Friday. The Champion Chase will be interesting. When it was just Energumene vs Edwardstone I was on team Edwardstone but I am now swopping teams to Editor De Gite. The other race I will make time to watch is the Cross Country Chase. The rest I can take or leave and will probably just watch on catch up.

 

[humblepie]

I’m lucky that can go without paying via my job and so go most years pre pandemic. I’m not the best in big crowds so tend to stay pre parade and the post race testing area as normally very quiet and see the horses close up. So many star horses and stars of the future. I’d love to go really early and watch the morning exercise but don’t have a legitimate job related reason to be there for that unfortunately