There was a false start to the first race, a tangle of horses that delayed the famous old Cheltenham roar by a few seconds. But when it came it, was full-throated and passionate.
“It’s good to be back,” said race-goer John Knowles, a retired builder from Cheshire who was dressed top to toe in emerald green and gold – the colours of his favourite racehorse owner, JP McManus. “I missed Cheltenham last year. I watched it on the telly, but it’s not the same. I’ve been coming here for 30 years and this place grabs you; it’s very special.”
The 2021 festival took place behind closed doors because of Covid. The year before, it was staged under something of a cloud as the coronavirus storm loomed, and came to be regarded by many as a super-spreader event.
So this year’s festival has been much anticipated. Gold Cup day on Friday sold out more quickly than ever before, and a record crowd – approaching 70,000 – piled into the sun-dappled course for day one on Tuesday.
Lauren Hall, 25, a veterinary nurse, was drinking in the atmosphere. She worked at last year’s very different festival. “It was a really strange experience,” she said. “I remember there being drones everywhere filming everything, but there were no people. Walking into this year’s festival was such a thrill. The crowds look enormous. It feels like we have finally put the pandemic behind us. The atmosphere is incredible.”
The 2022 festival is once again that riot of colour and life which for many signals the start of spring. Tweed-wearing aristocrats rub shoulders with suited-and-booted reality TV stars, footballers, farmers and fun-seekers. Among the stars out and about on day one were pop stars Ronan Keating and Rod Stewart and the chef and presenter Prue Leith.
For some, the focus is to try to win a bit of money, but many others are there to sink as many pints of Guinness or glasses of champagne as possible. This time, after the long, hard years of Covid, Cheltenham is also a place of joyful reunion.
Steph Ackrill, who was busy in the tented shopping area selling silk scarves with designs based on the Cotswolds countryside, said she had woken up nervous but was relishing the day. “I’ve been meeting up with people I haven’t seen for two years. There’s lots of hugging going on. Seeing everyone coming in and being reunited is wonderful.”
The Irish, who make the pilgrimage to Gloucestershire in their tens of thousands, were also very much in evidence. Among them was a group of twentysomethings from Galway, brothers Cathal and David Newell and their pals Eoin Collins and Stephen Gavin. It was their first trip to Cheltenham.
“We’re first-timers; virgins, you could say,” said Collins. David Newell said they had been planning to come for several years. “It suddenly clicked and we could all come this time. We thought we’d be wearing masks and everything, and were worried that it might not go ahead. But there doesn’t seem to be a problem.”
Very few people wore masks, and the Guinness village, champagne bars and hospitality tents were packed. “It’s brilliant to be back,” said on-course bookmaker Elizabeth Jeal. “I cried last year. I’m not worried about Covid this year. We’ve just got to get on with it.”
John Payne, a councillor for the nearby village of Prestbury, had mixed feelings. “On the positive side it is another step on the path to normal, and the income will undoubtedly help the economy of Cheltenham.” The festival is a huge money-spinner for the area, bringing in an estimated £100m to the local economy. “On the downside, we are still living with Covid. Any large gathering presents a risk of spreading the virus, but it would appear that this is something we are prepared to accept.”
It wasn’t all fun and games, however. The horse Shallwehaveonemore suffered a fatal injury after falling at the final fence in the first race. Chris Luffingham, campaigns director at the League Against Cruel Sports, believes too many horses have died at Cheltenham, saying that “new, tighter safety measures need to be introduced to stop this senseless loss of life.”
The Jockey Club, which owns and runs the racecourse, is raising money for the people of Ukraine and has renamed a race “the Ukraine Appeal National Hunt Chase”. Jockeys were encouraged to wear armbands in the colours of the Ukrainian flag.
But, as ever, many were treating the event as a break from the troubles of everyday life. Maisie O’Reilly, 22, a student supporting her jockey boyfriend Charlie Todd, 21, said: “I had heard a lot about how great the atmosphere was, but it has taken my breath away. After everything we’ve all been through over the last two years, it’s fantastic to see so many people enjoying themselves.’’
