ASKING FOR A FRIEND...

The crowds look to be down again, what's going on there?

- BRIAN FLANAGAN

It's a genuine concern as Cheltenham admitted last week that this year's Festival will fall short on last year's attendance of 230,000, which was already down 14 per cent from 2022 and four from 2023.

2022 was the first Festival post-Covid and attracted a record crowd of 280,267 over the four days but that fell by 40,000 in 2023 and a further 10,000 last year.

The drop has been blamed on the rocketing cost of attending the annual four days in the Cotswolds with ticket prices have risen in recent years to over £100 and the cost of accommodation in the town has also become very expensive.

The cost for Irish punters is also higher with the euro currently weak against sterling.