CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL
CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL © PA
Going for Gold
A full capacity crowd returned to Cheltenham Racecourse for Cheltenham Festival. Stand Out caught up with The Jockey Club’s David Mackinnon, head of operations, as he prepared to welcome thousands of race fans ahead of Gold Cup Day two weeks to go before The W ith Jockey Club welcomes capacity
crowds to Cheltenham Racecourse, David Mackinnon is taking a rare breather. He has just finished an important handover meeting with one of Cheltenham Festival’s key suppliers before he settles to talk to Stand Out. It’s been two years since our last chat about the renowned jump meeting. The 2021 event took place behind closed doors, but with the end of COVID restrictions, anticipation and excitement for four days of world-class jump racing is ramping up. “There’s certainly an appetite for racing,” says Mackinnon, as he steps inside from a cold site. “The 2021 event took place behind closed doors so it’s fantastic to know that spectators are coming back. We have sold out of tickets for the Thursday and Friday, which we’ve never done before, and so we’re looking forward to giving our guests the best possible experience.”
SITE CHANGES
Layouts within temporary structures have been adapted to “suit customer demand”, a new restaurant will serve guests with food sourced within a 60-mile radius of the racecourse, and the Best Mate Enclosure has had a revamp too. Mackinnon explains: “The Best Mate Enclosure is a 110-metre structure with a cellar at one end and toilets at the other. We looked at the site and realised that where the toilets were had a great view of the back straight and Cleeve Hill. So, for 2022, the entry-level enclosure has a new layout, and I am sure that our guests will love the new look. “Also, we’ve improved facilities for our riders. We’ve added more temporary facilities for our jockeys. We made changes in 2021 and gave them more space to change and so we’ve kept those improvements and we’ve increased the amount of accommodation on site for stable staff too.”
HUGE IMPACT
All these changes make the festival a better experience for everyone involved. It has resulted in huge demand for tickets, as customer confidence returns. In fact, record ticket sales resulted in all general admission enclosures for Gold Cup Day at the Cheltenham Festival selling out before the end of January. Plus, there has been a surge in private individuals buying hospitality packages for the jump racing event. However, Cheltenham Festival’s The Park – an entertainment and hospitality area introduced in 2020 and aimed at a younger demographic – has been removed. “We took a view that you can define an experience in year two. We didn’t build The Park in 2021, as we took place behind closed doors, so The Park has taken a pause.” But that hasn’t stopped Mackinnon and his team – Jon Pullin, head of racing, and Gemma Steve, with responsibility for building facilities and infrastructure – from pulling out all the stops. “Gemma is a new member of the team, and she has made a huge impact already,” Mackinnon adds. “She is looking after our facilities and the presentation of our buildings.”
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