John Dawson’s overzealous ban for Hunters' Chase winning ride ruined a wonderful story

Sine Nomine’s heartwarming victory at the Cheltenham Festival was marred by the unfair and wholly disproportionate 14-day suspension and £275 fine meted out to her amateur rider John Dawson for ­transgressing the whip rules.

No fair-minded observer could possibly have been offended by Dawson’s ride in which he was deemed to have used his whip nine times (two more than the permitted limit).

Rather than being tarred with harming racing’s public image, Dawson deserved praise for a very patient ride and for coolly switching and extricating Sine Nomine after she was tightened up by Its On The Line’s rider Derek O’Connor when in full stride approaching the last fence. 

Dawson’s ride and the willing response he got from Sine Nomine on the run-in contributed greatly to one of the highlights of the festival. 

The story of the race should have been about two very game horses and two accomplished riders giving their all. Instead we got some unwelcome publicity that conveyed a completely wrong impression of racing to the wider public.

Dawson’s ban did more harm than good to racing’s image, overshadowing a fine race and a marvellous story behind the thoroughly deserving winner. 

Unfortunately, such ‘own goals’ will arise for as long as the authorities remain fixated on a strict limit on the number of times a jockey can strike their mount. 

The emphasis in the rules should be on ensuring that the whip is used correctly, without excessive force, not on how many times it is used.
Geoff Greetham
Luddenden, Halifax

Change is clearly needed

I first attended Cheltenham in 1980 and then multiple days for every year from 1990, except of course 2001 and 2021. However, on this occasion I only went one day.

Why has the shine come off this excellent product, my annual highlight?

First of all, it is clear the 28-race make-up needs some attention.

Novice chases – four is too many so make the Turners a novice handicap.
Mares’ races – make them all Grade 2s or have a ceiling rating to force the better mares into open contests.
Cross Country Chase – should be a handicap.
Championship races – make the Ryanair a Grade 2 to help bolster entries for the Champion Chase and Gold Cup.

But there are other factors at play. The weather didn’t help this year, particularly with car-parking, but that needs better planning. Added to this, there were some awful traffic controls and some people seemed intent on making the journey worse, not better. 

The food stalls were either expensive or poor quality. Then there was the atmosphere, which is important for attendees, who want exciting, competitive racing with good build-up and better or no music.

Britain’s pre-Cheltenham race programme needs to encourage more competitive racing, as is the case in Ireland with Down Royal in the autumn, Leopardstown at Christmas and then the Dublin Racing Festival.

All this with the very dark clouds of affordability checks hanging over the sport.

Myself and other critics don’t want to win arguments, we are just looking for some positive changes now for the future.
Mike Strong
Andover, Hampshire

From a roar to a whimper

I work in the betting industry and have enjoyed watching Cheltenham for more than 40 years, but since 2005, when the extra day was added, the enjoyment has been coming down and this year was the worst.

Who wants to see or bet on heavily odds-on shots winning championship races pulling trains?

Punters want to see competitive races with decent-sized fields and great horses racing against each other. 

Right now, it is all designed for the likes of Willie Mullins to basically farm the big races and it won’t be long until punters and racegoers give the festival the big elbow. 

We all remember the Cheltenham roar before the first race on Tuesday, but it could become a mere whimper.
Gary Cocker
Aberdeen

The runners jump the first flight in this year's Supreme Novices' Hurdle. But the famous roar at the start could become a whimper if things don't improveCredit: Edward Whitaker

Decisions must be made

If I’m honest, I’m getting fed up with the current Cheltenham debate and the Irish/Mullins dominance. 

I have been going to the festival since 1993, when it was then three days before somebody thought it would be a great (greedy) idea to stretch it to four and dilute the quality of the racing. This has enabled certain horses to sidestep certain races, taking away the competitive edge.

However, I don’t remember anyone moaning and complaining about the British dominance in the Gold Cup, when the likes of Best Mate, Denman and Kauto Star were winning, and the strength among the home team was in its pomp.

Instead of moaning, Cheltenham’s leaders must act on some of the current festival races, but at the moment no-one seems to want to make a decision at all. 

Personally I would make the National Hunt Chase a handicap (Embassy Gardens and Corbetts Cross would have run in the Brown Advisory if this was the case) with the Cross Country Chase going the same way. However, we have been calling for these changes for a while and nothing gets done.

Ireland made a decision prior to Cheltenham and introduced the Dublin Racing Festival, bringing all their trials and top races together for one meeting. It made a direct decision and you could say it has worked in its favour. 

As for the cost, the hotel we stay in has put its prices up next year by more than £100. Unfortunately for them, we have now found cheaper accommodation, and tickets for the festival have stayed the same price which is a move in the right direction.

Hopefully some of the leadership team will now take action and start making decisions which will benefit the whole of the racing industry and not just the festival.
Andy Robinson
Bunbury, Cheshire

How about two festivals?

I would urge Cheltenham not to be hasty and abandon the National Hunt Chase, as so many people are ­advocating. Instead I would ask it to consider upgrading the race to a four-mile champion chase and remove the restriction that only allows amateurs to ride in it. 

As a novice chase, the National Hunt Chase no longer serves a purpose, yet in a sport where the long-distance chase is a chief staple, there is no actual championship race for long-distance chasers.

I would also ask Cheltenham to consider creating a winter jumps festival in the slot presently occupied by Trials day and extend the meeting to two cards with all the intermediate-distance races, the Ryanair, Turners, Gallagher, along with all or some of the mares’ contests, transferred from the festival.

The Mares’ Hurdle could be upgraded to a 2m champion mares’ hurdle. I would also suggest the ­International Hurdle could be upped in distance by four furlongs, thereby creating a version of the Ryanair over hurdles.

So Cheltenham would have a two-day winter festival and a three-day spring festival with the advantage that horses could take in both meetings, increasing both field sizes and competition in March.
Keith Knight
Bideford, Devon

These letters are exclusive to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Read more Members' Club content here:

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