What's everybody's plans for a Cheltenham Festival behind closed doors?

[robith]

I severely doubt the pubs will be open by then, but could do one day if so. My living room is next to the spare room my wife uses as an office. Suspect her patience will wear thin if I'm pissed up and screaming and shouting while she's working.

I won way more than I ever have at Ascot last year having the FJ hive mind stuck at home too. Hoping our cumulative brain power will make us all rich

[ryanh97]

A few people here still planning on meeting with friends if the pubs are closed. Surely we're all expecting that if the pubs are closed, household mixing is still going to be restricted. Do people just plan on ignoring that?

[Quevega]

A few people here still planning on meeting with friends if the pubs are closed. Surely we're all expecting that if the pubs are closed, household mixing is still going to be restricted. Do people just plan on ignoring that?

Not me Ryan.

I may try and set up some sort of garden (got a detached garage now that could house the TV) viewing with just one or two other's but that may be weather dependant.
And as I've given up drinking, I'm not sure I could cope with the mates when they go full Nob-Ed, after 8 cans of stella.

[Lobos]

A few people here still planning on meeting with friends if the pubs are closed. Surely we're all expecting that if the pubs are closed, household mixing is still going to be restricted. Do people just plan on ignoring that?

I do believe ease in restrictions may allow households to mix to a certain extent by mid March. That's the minimum I'm hoping for. Can't imagine sitting watching with a can on my own and cheering on the winners with no one else and then getting 1 curry delivered. That would be shit !

[Craigy14]

Same as everyone else, stock the fridge with beer, 3/4 kegs for the perfect draught machine, who needs a pub takeaway menus at the ready!

Hopefully get a mate or 2 round if any have taken days off for cheltenham but similar to Kev, only a couple are as keen about racing as myself.

[Redbridge]

We have our jab on Thursday so on my reckoning we should be immune come the 18th Feb but as much as we would love to attend I am grateful the meeting goes ahead but good luck all whatever/wherever you are watching the greatest show on earth...........but just keep healthy.

[ryanh97]

I do believe ease in restrictions may allow households to mix to a certain extent by mid March. That's the minimum I'm hoping for. Can't imagine sitting watching with a can on my own and cheering on the winners with no one else and then getting 1 curry delivered. That would be shit !

It does sound rubbish and in the same boat myself. Plan 1 was attend, plan 2 was watch in a pub with mates, plan 3 was watch at home with mates and plan 4 is watching at home alone.

I've accepted plan 4 is all I will get, I just don't see the restrictions going by then. Previous tiers only allowed household mixing in tier 1, which just isn't going to happen.

[Penzance]

We have our jab on Thursday so on my reckoning we should be immune come the 18th Feb but as much as we would love to attend I am grateful the meeting goes ahead but good luck all whatever/wherever you are watching the greatest show on earth...........but just keep healthy.

Reminded me my second jab is scheduled for the Cheltenham Thursday. First one made me feel rubbish for 24 hours so hope my Gold Cup day is ok!!

[Leman14]

I normally attend on the Thursday and Friday.

This year, I've already planned to have the afternoons off work Tuesday to Friday, but the rest of my plans have to remain fluid.

If the kids (8 and 11) are still off school and with the Mrs working from home upstairs - it's not going to be great.

I'm hoping to set up zoom calls with the lads that I go with, between races, but as they.re not as interested/devoted/addicted as I am, they may just "work" and keep an eye on the races

Hoping that we can get together around someones house, but not counting on it.

[BigChaang]

Always jealous when I read about "a group of us".... if there was one thing I'd tweak in my very fortunate life, it'd be a few close mates who love Cheltenham/Horse racing/ante-post gambling as much as I do!... and do the "holiday" somewhere.... or rent a cottage, hot tub, beers, pizza's, debate, more beers, more heated debate


I've got a few mates who are aware of it, but borderline whether they even have the week off.





Not that I'm ungrateful, I have all of you
but it's nice to actual 'debate' in person isn't it!

F.J ........ Chaos in the Cotswold's ... The Official Tour ... ??. Rent a house , D.G run's the Comp , Top 6 get to spend the week in Equine Heaven ..

[Middle_Of_March]

Always jealous when I read about "a group of us".... if there was one thing I'd tweak in my very fortunate life, it'd be a few close mates who love Cheltenham/Horse racing/ante-post gambling as much as I do!... and do the "holiday" somewhere.... or rent a cottage, hot tub, beers, pizza's, debate, more beers, more heated debate


I've got a few mates who are aware of it, but borderline whether they even have the week off.





Not that I'm ungrateful, I have all of you
but it's nice to actual 'debate' in person isn't it!

That’s the best thing for me about uni. In first year I met a lad who loved a punt on the footy and over the year got stuck in to my betting tips on the Friday Romford dogs and the Saturday horses. He gradually started coming to days at the racing.. Newmarket, ascot and Epsom that summer, Cheltenham in the spring for a day at the fez.

By that April, when booking my hotel for the whole week for the year after, he was fully in love with the festival and decided he wanted to be a yearly ‘whole weeker’. So last year there he was with me In Cheltenham for the week. I’ve loved going in previous years but having someone in live time there who liked racing made it even better. And someone to drink with during the day obviously helped after Benie got beat

We’ve already agreed after uni ends, no matter where we are in the world, even if we’re both 60 with grandkids, we’d be meeting up for Cheltenham week in the grand stand with a Guinness in hand.

What a soppy post...

[Middle_Of_March]

As for this year... we’re hoping to watch in a sports bar somewhere if it’s open in London/Essex.

With that in mind, if anyone knows a pub that shows the entire coverage with sound and isn’t going to be switching to sky sports news every 17 seconds, I would very much appreciate the DM.

If boozers are shut, we will meet in one of our houses - providing it’s not peak lockdown as nobody is at uni during these times as obviously they’re shut. So he’s in Chelsea and I’m in Romford.

[robith]

I do believe ease in restrictions may allow households to mix to a certain extent by mid March. That's the minimum I'm hoping for. Can't imagine sitting watching with a can on my own and cheering on the winners with no one else and then getting 1 curry delivered. That would be shit !

Indoor household mixing only allowed in tier one though Lobos. Something enormous would need to change for us to be back there in 50 days.

IMO absolute best case scenario for pubs by the fest is 6 people, outside. And I think even that is a huge stretch

[Spectre]

I have another plan. And it's even better than the first one.

1. One of us sets a racing business up.
2. The business is a gambling business, that specialises in betting on the Cheltenham Festival.
3. We all become employees of that business for four days. We work together and out work is vital.
4. We have to attend a vital meeting for four days from the 16th to the 19th March.
5. We pay to attend the meeting becuase it's vital for our future development, and ability to do our job.
6. The amount we pay is equal to the amount we have to pay the farmer for his remote barn
7. The meeting has conferencing facilities. I.e. overhead projector and giant screen which is permanantly tuned into Racing TV.
8. It's needs to be a stay over because of the nature of the meeting.
9. Catering is supplied.
10. The beer isn't Carling and costs less than $5.05p.
11. We don't get fined ?800.
12. We do get paid ?500 by the Government to stay at home after our positive covid test on our return

[ryanh97]

That’s the best thing for me about uni. In first year I met a lad who loved a punt on the footy and over the year got stuck in to my betting tips on the Friday Romford dogs and the Saturday horses. He gradually started coming to days at the racing.. Newmarket, ascot and Epsom that summer, Cheltenham in the spring for a day at the fez.

By that April, when booking my hotel for the whole week for the year after, he was fully in love with the festival and decided he wanted to be a yearly ‘whole weeker’. So last year there he was with me In Cheltenham for the week. I’ve loved going in previous years but having someone in live time there who liked racing made it even better. And someone to drink with during the day obviously helped after Benie got beat

We’ve already agreed after uni ends, no matter where we are in the world, even if we’re both 60 with grandkids, we’d be meeting up for Cheltenham week in the grand stand with a Guinness in hand.

What a soppy post...

Similar for me MoM. Met a lad who liked racing as well so attend all the Cheltenham meetings with him. My best mate from uni isn't a huge fan, but when we was at uni we watched each day of the Festival in a bar so he was happy enough with that. Since uni we've made it a plan to meet in Nottingham every Gold Cup day, watch Cheltenham in a sports bar with a 15ft screen, happy hour prices all day, then carry on drinking all evening and a nightclub until the early hours. Painful Saturday morning train back home