THOUSANDS of Irish punters jetting off to the Cheltenham Festival will pump millions into the local economy.
Some 250,000 excited racegoers are expected to flock to the Cotswolds in England over the next few days for the major sporting event.
With the average spend of punters around €830, racegoers will be hoping for some big wins to cover their costs.
Accommodation in the area has seen an estimated 650 per cent inflation in prices compared to other times in the year, according to a report by the University of Gloucestershire.
In an attempt to tackle high prices, the Jockey Club engaged directly with hoteliers in a new “Room to Race” partnership with Venatour Racing, offering discounted packages including tickets, hotels, travel and more.
Cheltenham bosses revised ticketing policies and froze prices at 2024 levels for this year’s festival.
And a 20 per cent discount was also introduced for people attending multiple days.
To aid the smooth arrival and departure of racegoers, 18,000 aluminium trackway panels have been laid down covering an area of 129,600 square metres — that’s 17 football pitches.
This year’s festival will roll out new “surprise and delight scratchcards” which will be randomly distributed throughout the racecourse.
As punters eagerly anticipate this year’s event, an estimated €1billion worth of bets could be placed.
Former Ireland rugby ace Ronan O’Gara told racing website The Winners Enclosure how he sneaked out of Six Nations training for Cheltenham.
He said: “Rugby always got in the way of Cheltenham and I could never go as it’s in the middle of the Six Nations.
“Although I did sneak out for a couple of days and one night. It felt like two nights because it was very tough. We didn’t sleep.
“We started drinking on the Monday. The craic was mighty, and we were singing away. Then having a good day’s racing.
“You’re hungover and it’s tough, but it’s so enjoyable because you just get caught up in the whole thing. It is fantastic. What a festival. What a place.”
SPLITTING THE G-GEES
By ANDY ROBINSON and ALEX WEST
CHELTENHAM racegoers are set to drink almost double the amount of Guinness than last year during what is set to be the booziest festival ever.
Insiders reckon as many as 380,000 pints of the black stuff could be guzzled this week — up 43 per cent on the 265,000 sold last year.
Sales are set to rake in nearly €3.6million after the price of the Irish stout on course will cost the equivalent of €9.30.
The Gen Z trend of “splitting the G” for social media risked taps running dry over Christmas and New Year.
Ladbrokes is offering 1/2 odds on it being a record-breaking year for Guinness sales. Elsewhere, 3,500 glasses of Guinness 0.0%, 120,000 pints of lager and 10,700 bottles of Mini Moet champagne are expected to be downed across the four-day sporting event.
A Cheltenham Racecourse spokesperson said: “We remain comparable with other major sporting and entertainment events in terms of price and constantly review all aspects of the services and facilities we provide.”
Irish trainers won 18 of the 27 races during last year’s festival and even more impressively accounted for 12 of the 14 Grade One winners.
Last year, Willie Mullins scored eight Grade One successes while legendary owner JP McManus will be hoping to add to his 78 winners at the festival this week.
Rugby coach O’Gara said Mullins is a “force of nature”. He said: “He is a genius.
“I’ve known (jockey) Ruby Walsh for a long time, and Ruby would probably not have appreciated riding for Willie at the time because he was so driven by where his next winner was coming from.
“But now he has stepped back, he appreciates how good Willie Mullins is. Eight out of eight grade ones! The man is a force of nature.
“The quality and the standard of the racing is so high, and the prize money is so good too. There’s an appreciation for what Mullins stands for, with Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead chasing him.
“Ireland is thriving in rugby and racing — there are great narratives.”
FANS TELLING FIBS
Almost half of sports fans admitted they had lied or would lie to their employer in order to watch or attend horse racing at the Cheltenham Festival, bookmaker Coral revealed.
Coral’s David Stevens said: “Whilst we would never condone lying to the boss, we do understand that the Cheltenham Festival is such a special event, some people might tell a fib in order to follow the action.
“This year we have Galopin Des Champs going for the Gold Cup hat-trick, something only four horses have previously achieved, so this Friday’s feature race really will be too big to miss.”
Excitement is building in the town of Cheltenham as local boozers prepare for the crowds.
General manager Scott Leather at The Beehive Pub said it’s a “non-stop, buzzing week” and this year is “shaping up to be no different”.
He told The Irish Sun: “The atmosphere in Montpellier is electric in the lead-up to the festival, with racegoers filling the town, eager for a week of top-class racing and celebrations.
“At The Beehive, we go all out to make sure guests get the full experience. More than 400 bottles of wine and champagne will be popped as punters toast their wins — or drown their sorrows.”
William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps said: “The Cheltenham Festival is nearly upon us and naturally, with the number of short-priced favourites there are across the week, we’re wary of some heavy losses should the main hotpots do the business.
“Galopin Des Champs is our biggest loser of the entire festival for sure, having been backed at as big as 5/1 after his John Durkan defeat, and he will have us in serious bother should he secure an historic Gold Cup treble.”
