Willie Mullins says Cheltenham Festival has 'got too expensive for ordinary punters'

The meeting's all-time winning trainer was responding to the raft of changes announced by the Jockey Club to assistance triumph fans backmost to the March jumps extravaganza

Willie Mullins has blamed declining involvement successful the Cheltenham Festival connected the fixture becoming excessively costly for punters.

The aggregate Irish champion jumps trainer and reigning champion successful Britain was giving his absorption to the raft of changes announced by the Jockey Club, which owns the track.

The Jockey Club carried retired a reappraisal aft attendance for the 4 time gathering declined for the 2nd twelvemonth successful a enactment since the gathering was held down closed doors owed to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The terms of tickets, the outgo of nutrient and portion and costly accommodation were blamed for the autumn portion disapproval was levelled astatine the competitiveness of the races which Mullins continued to dominate.

In summation successful March determination were scenes of racegoers waiting to beryllium rescued erstwhile their cars became stuck successful muddy car parks.

The Jockey Club announced connected Thursday determination would beryllium alterations to immoderate races, including the Turners' Novices' Chase and Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase becoming handicaps and the National Hunt Chase opened to nonrecreational riders, arsenic good arsenic amateurs.

Ticket prices would beryllium frozen, transport links and parking facilities upgraded, but the outgo of a pint of Guinness would spell up by 30p to £7.80.

The National Hunt Chase was 1 of 3 events for the amateur ranks astatine the Cheltenham Festival, alongside the Kim Muir and the Hunters’ Chase, but from adjacent twelvemonth that regularisation volition beryllium lifted.

Mullins has won the Turners a grounds 4 times with the likes of Sir Des Champs and Vautour, portion helium claimed the National Hunt Chase doubly arsenic a jockey and 4 times arsenic a trainer – with changes to the second contention attracting his criticism.

He told Racing TV: “It’s precise disappointing for amateur riders that they weren’t consulted and it’s a diagnostic contention for amateurs implicit the years with prestige and history.

“I thought that was a backwards move. They’ve been messing astir with the contention for years and person not made it immoderate better.”

The Jockey Club has besides announced measures to supply “a amended acquisition and worth for each visitors”, an country Mullins believes is truly successful request of attention.

He added: “We each cognize what is incorrect with Cheltenham and it has conscionable got excessively costly for mean punters to spell determination for a day’s racing – and if they privation to get the radical backmost there, past it’s cost, thing to bash with the horses that are running.”