A Day One Cheltenham Festival attendance of 57,242 was up on last year’s equivalent figure but well short of the track’s new 66,000 capacity limit.
In record 2022 crowd figures, the Tuesday attendance exceeded the new capacity. That was when more than 280,000 attended over the four days. That dropped 22 per cent in just three years to 218,839 a year ago. The 2025 Day One attendance was 55,498.
The Cheltenham chief executive Guy Lavender said: “Off the course the initial feedback from racegoers suggests the changes we have made to the customer experience have also been well received, and it was pleasing to see the largest crowd we have had on this day for some years enjoy some thrilling racing in the spring sunshine.”
There was one equine fatality on Tuesday. The Arkle Trophy outsider Hansard was pulled up before the second last when running on the flat and quickly dismounted.
READ MORE
A track spokesman said: “He was immediately attended to by a team of expert veterinary professionals and in their assessment, it was concluded that the best course of action for the horse’s welfare was for him to be humanely euthanised. Our heartfelt condolences are with his connections.”
Hansard was trained by Gary Moore in Britain.
No watering will take place ahead of Day Two where good to soft going is expected again.
Clerk of the course Jon Pullin said: “Having spoken to the forecasters there’s high confidence of between 2mm and 3mm tonight, so there will be no irrigating tonight as that should freshen it up nicely for tomorrow. Providing they are right, we will start on good To soft again tomorrow.
“A dry day is forecast for tomorrow and overnight into Thursday, and we should have a dry morning on Thursday before a band of rain comes in during the afternoon. We shouldn’t see too much rain in the afternoon, but heavier rain is expected to come through after racing.
“We could be looking at somewhere between 5mm and 10mm through Thursday into Friday.”
