Racegoers complained of “absolute bedlam” at Cheltenham on Tuesday night after their cars got stuck in muddy car parks.
Scenes of car chaos were shared across social media from racegoers who had to wait for a tow before they could get away from the track. Some said they waited hours in the dark to be rescued after heavy rain had left conditions in the grassed areas of the enclosures impossible to drive away from.
Jake Russell said on X: “Racing finished an hour and 1o mins ago. Absolute bedlam in the car park. No cars moving at all, stuck, everywhere with no help. £30 per car. Come racing they say!!!!”
ITV Racing and Sky Sports Racing presenter Matt Chapman replied: “It’s unacceptable for sure. Just puts people off coming,”
First time visitor Marie Rohaut, who works for France-Galop, which runs horse racing in France, shared her own video of her marooned car. “I will remember my first trip to Cheltenham Festival for a long time,” she said.
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Anticipating problems leaving the course, Cheltenham had asked any racegoers whose cars become stuck to put on their hazard lights and wait for help.
BBC Radio 5 Live commentator John Hunt posted his own photo of the front wheel of his Mercedes in the mud with the comment, “Sensational start to Cheltenham 200 metres from the main entrance.”
He was only able to leave the course after being towed out by a tractor.
"I was waiting for about 50 minutes when local farmer Rob Jenkins and his flashing orange tractor emerged out the darkness like a celestial God to come to my rescue," Hunt said. "He was so helpful."
Tickets to park at the track cost £20 per vehicle, paid for in advance, and were sold out across all four days before the meeting started but the racecourse said a wet winter had left some areas saturated
“Many of our car parks are on grass and due to one of the wettest winters on record, with more than 100mm of rainfall in February alone, they are saturated," said a spokesperson.
“Our team have worked hard to ensure the areas available to us are usable for our racegoers by laying 40,000 square metres of additional trackway in the most vulnerable areas. A number of tractors are available throughout the week to support racegoers whose vehicles require assistance and this was the case on Tuesday.
“We would like to remind all racegoers that car park passes for all four days sold out before The Festival began and any visitors who have not already purchased them should make alternative arrangements.
"We advise all our racegoers to dress for the weather, arrive in plenty of time to ensure a smooth arrival and to be patient with our teams on the ground as they work in difficult conditions.”
ITV Racing and Sky Sports Racing presenter Matt Chapman slammed the chaosMeanwhile, the Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase was abandoned on Wednesday due to waterlogged ground on Cheltenham’s inside circuit. Following 11mm of rainfall throughout on Tuesday, there has been no improvement in the conditions on the Cross-Country course and areas of the track remain unraceable.
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The forecast for the remainder of the week continues to look unsettled, with further showers likely on both Thursday and Friday.
There will therefore be insufficient improvement to the Cross-Country course and the decision has been taken not to reschedule the Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase at this year’s Festival.
Due to the abandonment, the revised race times for today are as follows: Race 1 – 1345, Race 2 – 1430, Race 3 – 1515, Race 4 – 1600, Race 5 – N/A, Race 6 – 1650, Race 7 – 1730.
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