Racing’s leadership in chaos but dramatic exits will be limited to track at Cheltenham

Greg Wood Mon, 9 March 2026 at 8:00 am UTC·6 min read In the long-forgotten time, about 30 years or so ago, when the Cheltenham festival was a three-day get-together for country types, no one gave much thought to attendance figures, the price of beer or maximising the customer experience. It was a coming together of the National Hunt clans, much anticipated and hugely enjoyed but not, in the grand scheme, an event with a story to tell about the overall health of the sport. But not any more. The state of the Cheltenham festival is a key indicator of the state of the racing nation as a whole, and perhaps more so than ever this year, as the sport heads to Gloucestershire rudderless after Lord...