CHELTENHAM is ready to take the plunge and scrap one of the current Festival races in favour of a new Mares’ Novice Chase.
The course revealed the plans in August and a decision will be made later this year on which contest will be ditched.
Ian Renton, regional director for Cheltenham, confirmed all Grade 1 contests are safe in a statement on New Year’s Day.
He said: “We’ll make a decision after we’ve fully reviewed this year’s festival, so it will probably be early summer. There’s a deadline, I think, of July with the Pattern Committee, so we’ll make sure we do it in early summer.
“Dropping a race that isn’t a Grade 1 means it probably is our decision, but we’ll discuss it with the BHA, owners and trainers.
“I think when we announced the mares’ chase the media coverage will it be this, will it be that was really helpful and we’ll welcome the views of the public as well. We’re very happy to hear anyone’s views as to which race should go.”
Bookies have priced up the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase as the favourite to get the chop, though the Kim Muir, Fred Winter and National Hunt Chase are also at risk.
Fans of the Festival’s current four-day programme could be set for a shock as Cheltenham chairman Martin St Quinton revealed adding a fifth day is not beyond the realms of possibility.
He said on Wednesday: “We’re very happy with our four-day Festival at the moment, but we’re always keen to look at ways of innovating and improving things and widening the appeal of racing.
“I wouldn’t rule anything in, but I wouldn’t rule anything out.
“It would get a lot of opposition, but people don’t like change. People complained when it went from three days to four, but now everybody loves the four-day Festival.
“Royal Ascot was very similar with the Heath meeting on the Saturday and now that is their most popular day, so you’ve got to be open-minded about these things.”
