Record crowds pack Cheltenham on Gold Cup day

Officials at Cheltenham hailed the return of crowds as a bumper 2022 Festival drew to a close on Friday.

After the 2020 meeting was run under the cloud of the coronavirus pandemic, last year’s fixture was staged behind closed doors due to Covid restrictions, with only a handful of essential personnel on course.

With all measures lifted this year, the crowds returned en masse with 73,754 witnessing Thursday’s Stayers’ Hurdle card – a record for a single day’s racing that was then surpassed on Friday when 73,875 spectators saw Rachael Blackmore create more history with her Boodles Gold Cup win aboard A Plus Tard.

Clerk of the course John Pullin felt Blackmore was fully deserving of the rapturous welcome she received, having missed out on the adulation after being crowned the leading rider 12 months ago, and also saw dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll’s swansong on Wednesday as another memorable moment.

He said: “It’s been a great week. We’ve had record crowds throughout the week and of course it was great to have them back.

“The racing this year has been superb with some great stories along the way and I’ve been delighted to be a part of it.

“People like to see returning champions so Allaho and Flooring Porter were great on Thursday defending their crowns, and of course Honeysuckle and Rachael Blackmore on Tuesday.

“The reception for Honeysuckle was tremendous, but crowds always have their favourites and I think we saw with Tiger Roll on Wednesday just what everyone thought of him. Having his final race here was touching and he was given a lap of honour, that was special.

“But when Rachael came in after the Gold Cup today that was something else, she certainly deserved it. What a 12 months she’s had, she deserved that reception as she had all those winners last year when there were no crowds, so to get a reception like that today will have meant a lot to her.”

The combined total attendance over the four days was a record 280,627, with Ian Renton, the Jockey Club’s managing director for Cheltenham and the West Region, describing an “unforgettable week”.

He said: “So many people have said to me this week how wonderful it has been to see the racecourse with sell-out crowds and back to its brilliant, vibrant best.

“There is no doubt that the record numbers of racegoers who have joined us over the four days have helped to create a truly unique atmosphere which only the Festival can deliver.

“In an unforgettable week we’ve seen some fantastic performances, crowned by yet another historic achievement by Rachael Blackmore which more than 73,000 people, including her own family and friends, were here to witness.

“I’d like to thank all the jockeys, trainers, owners, officials, racegoers and our dedicated teams across the racecourse for playing their part in making this a Festival to remember.”