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Cheltenham's New Year's Day Meeting Sells Out With Record 44,151 Crowd

The sell-out has strengthened Cheltenham's confidence in March Festival attendance.

Overview

  • The official attendance was 44,151, including 6,023 under-18s, setting a new high for the fixture.
  • The crowd exceeded the 41,949 recorded on last year's Champion Chase day at the Cheltenham Festival.
  • Chief executive Guy Lavender credited new facilities, family-focused attractions and staff efforts for the surge.
  • Organisers will review the raceday to sustain growth while noting lower non‑Festival capacity compared with the March setup that uses temporary structures.
  • The meeting has expanded sharply since the 2005 consolidation that drew 18,131, surpassing the previous best of 38,374.