"Last year's Wednesday attendance dipped below 42,000 for the first time, and also below the (record) figure for the New Year's Day fixture here two months ago. It might seem a little cursory to slap a Ladies' Day tag on the card and expect a significant boost to the crowd, but hey, it's worked like a charm for racecourses the length and breadth of the country over the last 20 years, so why not give it a try?"
"The Champion Chase is one of four Grade One races on the card – the other three days have only three – and while the feature race is typically low on numbers, and sadly missing a defending champion too after Marine Nationale was ruled out last week, the quixotic Majborough is an intriguing favourite, likely to divide punters fairly evenly over whether he should be backed or opposed."
Cheltenham racecourse hosts day two of the 2026 festival, highlighted by the Champion Chase and designated as Ladies' Day to boost attendance after three consecutive years of declining crowds. Last year's Wednesday attendance fell below 42,000 for the first time, prompting the track to implement the Ladies' Day initiative, a strategy successfully used by racecourses nationwide. The card features one of four Grade One races across the festival, with Majborough as the intriguing favorite in the Champion Chase despite the absence of defending champion Marine Nationale. Notable market movements include Jingko Blue shortening from 10/1 to 5/1 and Pied Piper improving from 22/1 to 10/1. The going conditions shifted slightly to good-to-soft with good patches, affecting race dynamics.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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