Racing Post

Are attendances set to bounce back at the Cheltenham Festival? That is just one of the questions examined in this week's edition of The Front Page. Hopes are high that falling crowd numbers at the sport's biggest meeting could become a thing of the past after Cheltenham's New Year's Day fixture was a sellout for the first time in its history. With attendances having also risen at Kempton, Ascot, Leopardstown and elsewhere across the Christmas and new year period, the sport is enjoying a positive start to 2026. Lee Mottershead, Lewis Porteous and Scott Burton look at that recent development and also discuss Betfred's decision to so far reject a new media rights deal with a collection of British racecourses. The team debate what that means and consider a move by campaigners to persuade government that gambling advertising should be banned. In another packed edition, Lee, Lewis and Scott also salute Billy Loughnane after the young riding sensation set a major new record.