Gambling giants Entain and Flutter warned that moving the Cheltenham Festival to a Saturday could be “very risky” amid concerns competition from other major sports would damage turnover and weaken the enormous appeal of the biggest betting week of the year.
The Jockey Club is exploring shifting the four-day fixture from Tuesday to Friday to Wednesday to Saturday to boost attendances following a recent slump, but the idea has been met with concern from bookmakers as Saturday’s card is unlikely to attract ITV1 coverage due to a clash with the final weekend of the Six Nations.
Competition from the Premier League could also lead to a diminished focus on jump racing’s most significant week, which currently enjoys a midweek monopoly in the sporting calendar.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlockRacing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racingExpert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul KealyReplays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecoursesForm study tools including the Pro Card and Horse TrackerExtensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales dataSubscribe
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on 21 October 2025inBritain
Last updated 18:18, 21 October 2025