Cheltenham ‘nowhere near’ a decision on Festival scheduling switch

Cheltenham organisers are “nowhere near” making a decision on the possibility of moving the Festival meeting to run from Wednesday to Saturday in the future.

The fixture currently starts on Tuesday and finishes on Friday, with the Champion Hurdle the highlight on the opening day while the four days conclude with the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

However, following a decline in the Festival’s total attendance over the last three years, Cheltenham’s chief executive Guy Lavender has admitted a switch to a weekend finale for the meeting could have its merits, although it is only “a concept” at this point.

I think this one certainly has some merit for investigating, but we are a long way from getting to a firmer view or decision point.

Guy Lavender, Cheltenham’s chief executive

Investigation Has 'Merit' But No Decision Imminent

He told the Racing Post: “As a leader, you have a remit to investigate a range of options. I think this one certainly has some merit for investigating, but we are a long way from getting to a firmer view or decision point. There are different partners we would need to speak to and we would need to do modelling work on the financial implications to give us a view on the risk and opportunities.”

A spokesperson for Cheltenham added the racecourse was “nowhere near” making a decision on the future format of the Festival.

Other 2026 Changes Already Confirmed

Cheltenham has already announced a number of changes for the 2026 Festival, with the Grade One Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle moving from Tuesday’s card to Thursday in a switch with the TrustATrader Plate.

The track also revealed some customer-focused revisions last month, including a 30p reduction in the price of a pint of draught beer or cider – including Guinness – and a cut in daily capacity from 68,500 to 66,000 to avoid any issues of overcrowding.