Horse racing legend AP McCoy has slammed Jockey Club proposals to extend the four-day Cheltenham Festival to a fifth day. The record-breaking former jockey said that the plans would make the legendary festival uncompetitive and unsafe.
In a no-holds barred interview with SkySports, McCoy called the four-day festival "diluted" and a five-day festival "the worst thing that racing could ever do". After complaining that some jockeys spend more on their victory parties than they receive in winnings, the 20-time Champion Jockey asked: "Cheltenham is meant to be the best prize money, the best horses, the most competitive, is it?"
Jockey Club management announced Friday, April 15, that they were beginning a formal consultation with owners and trainers over adding a fifth day to its March race meet, which this year saw larger crowds than ever flock to the Prestbury Racecourse.
Though this would draw in more ticket sales for the Jockey Club, McCoy said that, with all the races already at the site, "if they're going to have five days, there isn't going to be enough horses."
Cheltenham Festival ,for most of its history as the pinnacle of the racing calendar, was a three-day event. In 2005, this was expanded to be over four days and speculation around a five-day festival has been floated ever since.
Five day events are rare in horse racing, with only Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood currently hosting such long events. A poll conducted by Racing Post during this year's Cheltenham Festival showed that 93 per cent of respondents disagreed with the idea.
"I used to love when it was three days, it was so hard to win. My first festival was '95, my first four-day one was probably 2003 or 2004. I can only ever remember Istabraq being an even money favour or an odds-on favourite in those nine years.
"Now with four days, there's 5 or 6 or 7 odds-on favourites, if they're going to have five days there isnt going to be enough horses. It's so diluted, I think it's the worst thing that racing could ever do, is to let them have five days at Cheltenham.
"I mean no disrespect but a mare's novice hurdle at Cheltenham what does it mean? You know there are races there that shouldn't be at Cheltenham.
"Cheltenham is meant to be the pinnacle, the hardest to win, the most competitive, whether you're male or female, whatever you're in you're meant to be competing against one another. But there's a division for them all now you know.
You think, if it rains, is there gonna be enough good safe ground for that many horses to be competing on? To have two more races? You cant tell I ain't a fan.
"I think it'll be the worst thing that ever happens and someone keeps saying its going to happen, why's it going to happen? You know I think it's bad, I think Jockey Club racecourses could do better i think, they do could do better at marketing their other racecourses rather than that.
"You know I look at Cheltenham, a friend of mine won the Fred Winter three or four years ago with Band of Outlaws. I remember him telling me that he looked the next week or two weeks later he got £35000, that same horse won a premier handicap over a mile in August or September and got £79,000.
"He said his party cost more afterwards than what he won at Cheltenham. It is great to win at Cheltenham, but that shouldn't be the case. Cheltenham is meant to be the best prize money, the best horses, the most competitive, is it? do you think it is?
"Anyway that's the rant over, I don't think there's a place for it but, someone better with more brains than I, would think its a great idea."
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