Hen Knight has warned a five-day Cheltenham Festival would “lose the quality”, telling the track’s bosses: “Keep it at four!”
Speaking at the home of jump racing’s New Year’s Day fixture, Cheltenham chairman Martin St Quinton said the course executive was “very happy” with the current four-day Festival - but, addressing the possibility of a move up to five, warned: “I wouldn’t rule anything out.”
But Knight, who saddled the legendary Best Mate to a hat-trick of Gold Cup triumphs between 2002 and 2004 - the final year of a three-day fixture - believes four days is “just right”.
“Keep it at four!” said Knight, who retired from the training ranks in 2012. “I think the balance is good as it stands.
“I think five days would water it down. Four days is enough - people are knackered enough after four days, never mind after five!
“With five days, you’ve got to make a whole load of new races and so on, and I think you would lose the quality.”
Knight, who assists Mick Channon in training a team of jumpers, added: “I think it’s just right as it is at the moment - I definitely think you want to keep it to four.”
Knight’s views received the backing of four-time Gold Cup hero Paul Nicholls, who said: “I think four days is about right.”
But the 11-time champion trainer added his voice to the call for British racing to beef up its Christmas programme.
Leopardstown staged seven Grade 1 races over four days from Boxing Day, and Nicholls said: “I would like to see something similar in this country to what they have in Ireland.
“The King George meeting is great, but looking at what they’ve done at Leopardstown, I do think what we have could be improved.”
