Festival features

What do you think? Tell us here.

Tony
To be honest not only has there been a few fatalities at this particular fence but it has ended many good horses careers NickDundee to name one was never right afterwards, I think as an owner its no harm to look at it and see what can be done to improve the slope before and after the fence.Improving one fence to minimize injuries will NOT effect how cheltenham is viewed For God sakes it was only a few years ago he grand national fences were improved for runners safety and its still the greatest race in the world.

Jayne Llewin
To be honest i have been a fan of jump racing for many years i used to work with horses and yes the racing industry has come on in leaps and bounds where ther safty of horses is concerned but even i feel its time to really take a long hard look at the cheltenham course i am not trying to be one of the so caled do gooders that bay for blood everytime a horse is killed but this race course has claimed more lives and injured more horses than the national the national is only run once a year cheltenham has more races on it so take a long hard look improvments can and should be made

Rob
I am totally fed up with these so called do gooders who say this sport is cruel. Ban it and you end up with 3,000+ highly strung thoroughbreeds who were born to run and jump, ending up being eaten by our continental neighbours or ending up as dog food. Racehorses cannot be retrained as pets. Only a tiny percentage a year get killed, doing the job that they obviously enjoy, as you would not be able to make half a ton of horse do otherwise. The majority of racehorses, within a relatively short racing career, live a tremendous life, with better living and food standards than some humans. stop moaning about about things you obviously do not have a clue about.

Paul Carroll
What I dont understand is at the festival the ground has to be good-soft whereas last week it was good ground.Why?

Lurdle8
Casualties of the Big Meeting 2006: Alfred The Great, Basilea Star, Bayard, Buck Whaley, Holy Orders, Millenaire, Mr Babbage, No Where To Hyde, Olaso, Sh Boom. Casualties of the Big Meeting 2007: Little Brick & Swift Thyne. Mr. Norris: Hardly inexperienced horses in Mickey Mouse Races. These numbers speak for themselves. Accidents will happen but not in these numbers. Mr. Edward Gillespie get up and do something about that racecourse and stop dishing out twaddle to the public. I love NH as much as the next person but quite honestly I can foresee demos happening at Cheltenham soon.

aaron berry
you cant put horses in cotton wool. either you get on with it or stop ALL racing including flat racing and gallops and anyone ever riding a horse. Fatalities can happen on the flat too. I say lets get on!

Eric
The second last at Cheltenham does not cause any problems the first time round it is when the horses in contention approach it with such speed,it makes for an exciting finish but it is sickening to see horses fall at that speed something must be done for the sake of horse and jockey

Liam Hall
i dont believe people are saying about the cheltenham fences being to difficult. The prize money at cheltenham is there because they want the best horses, the best jumpers there. Yeah its cruel for them to die but cheltenham is a track for kings and queens of the thouroughbred world and most horses wouldnt be heard of without racing. Take Kauto Star the best horse for some time. Noone would ever of heard of it until it won big races and a gold cup. The fence on the bottom of the hill is tough but alot of fans hold there breath at that fence because its diffivult but a huge chance to win the race after that fence. To be a good jump horse you have to jump well and stay on your feet.

Sean Bridgwood
What are you most distraught at, the loss of the horse or your money?

Ron Innes
I find it incredible that the horses so "loved" by owners, trainers, jockeys and pundits are in reality a commodity to earn money. Money is all, greed abounds among those you supposedly love horses.As Erica Allen states if this was deemed unsafe for humans there would be whole different set of rules.Shame on you, horse owners, trainers and the like. Shame on you.

chris minshull
and now detriot city- how cruel - I had a tenner on him

paul bradford
after watching the 150 at ascot seeing a horse fall is not a pleasant sight . more too is that all the bbc seem to want to do is get on with the next race as if nothing happened

MARK NORRIS
Only top rated horses should run at Cheltenham.Granit Jack had only previously run over in France and wasnt even rated.Also bring back the 3 Day Festival,and get rid of the Mickey Mouse support races.

Liam
Horse racing at any course is dangerous for both horse and jockey but obviously some courses seem to be more culpable than others, with Cheltenham probably the worst. The facet is WillyandWoody and Granit Jack were both kileed at Cheltenahm's open meeting, there was a big fuss about it but in a week's time it will be forgotten. The two horses are only a percentage of the horses killed in racing each year but they are undoubtably always brushed under the carpet. Horse racing is a cruel sport full stop! I don't buy this nonsense that 'horses love to run and jump in groups' and 'most horses enjoy their racing', others say that horse x wouldn't even have been born if it weren't for racing. Well I'm sure it is better not being born than being born to be whipped, kicked and possibly fall and break your neck! There are thousands of horses bred each year but only a very small percentage of them even make it to the racecourse. The so called 'under achivers' are left to a life of hardship or worse, killed for pet food. Horses are going to continue to be needlessly killed for public enjoyment and the suggestion about making fences safer is not going to help. Horses are being fatally injured on the flat too!

Brian Corbally
Every NH racecourse suffers fatalities its only the Cheltenham name that brings this particular track into the spot light. Of course zero would be better but this is Nh racing horses will fall and with the nature of their bones, some will break and that of course for horse is sadly fatal.

Erica Allen
Surely the owners of the racecourse itself are under a duty of care to ensure that the course (old or new) is safe for the horses to race upon and surely the racehorse owners should be taking this point up with the Racecourse owners/management. It it were deemed unsafe for humans, you can bet the risk assessment brigade would have closed the course down years ago!

Liz
This is awful something has to be done asap!

PAULINE KELLY
Cheltenham Racecourse asked for feedback in the racecard and I sent an e-mail and had a response the next day. One of the points I made was the 2nd last and 3rd last fence. I have been an annual member at Cheltenham for many years and it is the same 2 fences that cause the most havoc. I suggested that the racecourse could maybe look at lowering, moving or flattening out the ground on the landing side. I am in a synidate and we have a young horse who is destined to go chasing. Should he get to Cheltenham I and I am sure all the connections would be holding our breath when he jumped theese 2 fences. I am sure I am not alone in feeling this way. Racing in wonderful at Cheltenham but I amongst others last Saturday were very saddened by the two fatalities and felt like going home. Something must be done, as I am sure Tony McCoy would agree who appears to have problems over these 2 fences also.Kind regards Annual member Cheltenham Racecourse and Member of Chelteham and Three Counties Raceclub.

Gill
May I correct a factual inaccuracy in your article? Ruby Walsh's fall took place at the third-last fence, not the penultimate one.That aside, Edward Gillespie's comments are a little disingenuous. Yes, there may be only two fatalities in recent years, but as a percentage of fallers overall, the fence exacts a disproportionately heavy toll, and ironically it seems to catch out horses who are going well rather than those who are tiring. This fence completely changed the complexion of the Arkle Chase at the 2007 Festival to name but one recent big race - is it right that championship races are decided by a trappy fence designed not to test the skill and scope of horse and jockey, but to catch them out? There is nothing wrong with a big, imposing FAIR jump, but the second-last at Cheltenham doesn't seem to be a fair test.

Sheryl La Bouchardiere
No fatalities are acceptable. I find it extraordinary that people who claim to love horses can even begin to allow this.

gareth jones
2 fatalities in 7 years it would be better if it was zeroto dangerous