As far as I am aware Brian all the irish fancied horses are crossing the water for the festival unless I have missed something. Cheltenham would not have the same buzz without the irish horses. — Jack Trotter
There were concerns over VAT payable on the Irish horses value related to Brexit, but it seems as the travel is temporary they wont have to pay any VAT.
There is nothing like it for me in a normal year, its everything you want from a sporting event. I think a lot will depend on how the participants react to the new festival environment and I hope we get plenty of great races and stories to cut through the gloom.
Its going to be very strange this year. No roar at the start, no cheering at the finish and no crowds to greet the winners in the enclosure. It will be very interesting to see what the tv audience is like and betting turnover etc. On the plus side there will be more people able to watch it at home, but will it still have the buzz?