Is the Cheltenham Festival still the be-all and end-all? I'm pretty sure it is – but the definite answer will come in March
It was December 2020 when Michael O'Leary told me having a winner at the Cheltenham Festival was "as close as fat, old, middle-aged men get to playing in the Premier League".
The 2024 version of that quote probably reads "as close as as fat, old, middle-aged men get to playing in the Europa League" judging by his reaction to the radical overhaul of the festival roster which was announced on Thursday.
O'Leary described the changes as "inane and misguided" and was particularly disillusioned by the news that the Turners Novices' Chase and Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase were both becoming handicaps. He vehemently argued that the festival "should be about Grade 1s and quality horses, not more boring handicaps which benefit nobody except bookmakers".
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Published on inDavid Jennings
Last updated
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