Wisely or not, racing fans defied the coronavirus fears and turned out in numbers for the Cheltenham Festival.
The crowd for the fourth day of The Festival™ presented by Magners at Cheltenham today was 68859.
This compares to 71593 on the fourth day in 2019, which was a record.
Overall attendance at The Festival in 2020 was 251684, compared to a record total attendance of 266557 in 2019.
Reuters report that the sight of such large crowds assembled followed the British government’s decision on Thursday not to ban large gatherings, despite moving their response to the ‘delay’ phase.
Earlier the Premier League and Football League suspended all matches while the weekend’s Six Nations match between Wales and Scotland was also postponed.
Cheltenham provided extra hand sanitizer stations and extra toilet facilities in an attempt to contain any spread.
Hi William, I asked you a few weeks ago what drives these crowds to UKs racing programme? I think it was just before you left to the Ukraine.
What love to hear your thoughts especially so now with the pandemic that’s dawned upon the UK yet they still attend the races….
Watch the numbers of Corona Virus cases in the UK spike after this event.
The English may live on an island but having an island mentality will not save them from their ignorance.
So let it spike…you can’t hide from this and with proper cleanliness everyday then all will be fine. It is already starting to drop off in China. Not sure why you think it is ignorance, maybe its been completely blown out of proportion ( the recovery rate is over 85% and most don’t even get sick, its the same vulnerable crowd that always get hit ). I remember not going to Granny if I had a cold and catching Chicken pox from my sister so I was immune after……..common sense. Ignorance, we have been on that Island a long time…..still there. The hysteria and dramatic reporting has reached the Post…..I will take a bet with anyone that this will be over by June….( end of flu season )……
Apologies for been so tardy Cameron.
In the UK and Ireland, the culture and weather play a huge difference to people’s pastimes and entertainment choices.
In the UK, racing is endorsed and supported by the Royals. This goes down just fabulous with all and sundry including the Aunty that pitches up at Folkestone or Chepstow with only homemade biscuits in her handbag.
Leave TV coverage out, We in CT have a choice of 7 or 8 beaches to go to when racing is rubbish/boring, the Winelands, Table Mountain, good weather in winter and many more out door places that are easily accessible.
At Redcar, Perth and 40 other town courses, everybody in those smaller towns/cities knows that they have 9 meeting programmed for that year.
So 10 000 people will pitch on a murky Wednesday… there’s not a lot close by to do.
There are many more other factors to mention, these small courses might not have massive on course bookmaking turnovers but the locals gather to chat, in the same vein as the much vaunted pub…any pub.
I’ll try explain the phenomena more, especially Cheltenham which cannot be compared to anything else.
It’s a special breed there !
I don’t know how I’m gonna handle waiting another 364 days for my favourite meeting
Ag wat William, ons speel maar local is lekker ?
William,one hung on to ever word you typed.Believed like a Bieber. But,come on, Cape Town has good weather in winter?
Are you comparing it to the Tundra regions?
haaa Pops ! I have often gone for a swim in False Bay in August @ lunchtime …22 degrees. That would qualify has a top summer day in England lol.
Just another angle… what would the attendance be if there was a racecourse in Mitchells Plain ? Say with 1 meeting a month.
A racecourse in Atlantis or a racecourse in Hermanus ? Every second inwoner would be there, I’m sure it would be packed out .
That’s how it is @ many of the UK and Irish racecourses.
Then, in particular to Ireland, children are brought up around the pony. Everybody has a pony…it’s just deeply routed in their culture.
At my first job in England, it was decided via an e-mail vote that our corporate office party would be held @ Sandown Park racecourse.
The woman insisted & at the racecourse all the ‘meek and mild conservative office types’ pulled out bundles of money to gamble with.
They explained that one way of celebrating the summer sun is going to the races, gambler or not.
Touche’ Graham!
Frankie Zackey…So what are the operators in SA horseracing doing wrong??? ?start listening to public complaints we are not all morons..In SA you’ll swear the Coronavirus has hit the racecourses the hardest but in England you need to shut gates because the racecourses CAN NOT HANDLE THE OVERFLOW NEVER MIND THE CORONAVIRUS…