Cheltz Fest 2021 Behind Closed Doors ?

[Quevega]

I plotted Aintree as well, and it’s usually three weeks after Cheltenham apart from every 4th year on average, when it’s a four week gap.

I bow to your knowledge and dedication with determining these sort of things.
Whilst simultaneously (slightly) worrying about you.

I've always believed we all have some form of autism. And I'm pretty sure you have. And that's not a criticism.
Here are a list of qualities and skills many people with Autism have.

• Learning to read at a very early age (known as hyperlexia).
• Memorising and learning information quickly.
• Thinking and learning in a visual way.
• Logical thinking ability.
• May excel (if able) in academic areas such as science, engineering and mathematics as they are technical and logical subjects that do not heavily rely on social interaction.
• Having an extraordinarily good memory (being able to remember facts for a long period of time).
• Being precise and detail orientated.
• Exceptional honesty and reliability.
• Being dependable in regards to schedules and routines.
• Having an excellent sense of direction.
• Be very punctual.
• Strong adherence to rules.
• Able to concentrate for long periods of time when motivated.
• A drive for perfection and order.
• A capability for alternate problem solving.
• A rare freshness and sense of wonderment.

An Autistic President who communicated by twitter alone would be brilliant.
In preference to a sociopath who lies to himself.

[Saxon Warrior]

I bow to your knowledge and dedication with determining these sort of things.
Whilst simultaneously (slightly) worrying about you.

I've always believed we all have some form of autism. And I'm pretty sure you have. And that's not a criticism.
Here are a list of qualities and skills many people with Autism have.

• Learning to read at a very early age (known as hyperlexia).
• Memorising and learning information quickly.
• Thinking and learning in a visual way.
• Logical thinking ability.
• May excel (if able) in academic areas such as science, engineering and mathematics as they are technical and logical subjects that do not heavily rely on social interaction.
• Having an extraordinarily good memory (being able to remember facts for a long period of time).
• Being precise and detail orientated.
• Exceptional honesty and reliability.
• Being dependable in regards to schedules and routines.
• Having an excellent sense of direction.
• Be very punctual.
• Strong adherence to rules.
• Able to concentrate for long periods of time when motivated.
• A drive for perfection and order.
• A capability for alternate problem solving.
• A rare freshness and sense of wonderment.

An Autistic President who communicated by twitter alone would be brilliant.
In preference to a sociopath who lies to himself.

I can be most of those, but by no means all.

If I was displaying autistic tendencies would that make me aspire to completing the whole list?

[Kevloaf]

I plotted Aintree as well, and it’s usually three weeks after Cheltenham apart from every 4th year on average (sometimes every third year, occasionally every fifth year), when it’s a four week gap.

I think Aintree is affected more by Easter, moving from Saturday 3rd April to Saturday 14th April in the last 20 years.

Haha, you're so funny - an absolute legend.

[Saxon Warrior]

Haha, you're so funny - an absolute legend.

It was all done to calculate Cheltenham Festival 2022, and get a head start booking accommodation, as I’d lost this years.

I started doing Cheltenham and Aintree dates together in case Aintree affected the Cheltenham dates, but........it doesn’t.

At least, now, I can predict all future Festival dates, year after year now, before they come out.

[Quevega]

I can be most of those, but by no means all.

If I was displaying autistic tendencies would that make me aspire to completing the whole list?

I think we all should.

[Saxon Warrior]

I think we all should.

My wife said I tick a lot on the list.

[Ice]

Will be 15th - 18th.

[Pendil]

Will be 15th - 18th.

Yeah its the 2nd Tuesday in March unless St Patrick's day fits within the Tuesday to Friday which happens this year and next year so 15th to 18th in 2022

[charlie]

Champion Bumper hope to be Willie Mullins' first British runner since travel ban

https://www.racingpost.com/news/late...er-hope/468184

Pretty encouraging news I'd say. Bet the thought of 'lets send one over to prove it can be done safely pre Cheltenham crossed their mind'

[Liammet]

Champion Bumper hope to be Willie Mullins' first British runner since travel ban

https://www.racingpost.com/news/late...er-hope/468184

Pretty encouraging news I'd say. Bet the thought of 'lets send one over to prove it can be done safely pre Cheltenham crossed their mind'

If you look at the new rules and regulations for sending a horse from Ireland to England post Brexit it appears to be a right ball ache without the coronavirus travel
restrictions

[charlie]

If you look at the new rules and regulations for sending a horse from Ireland to England post Brexit it appears to be a right ball ache without the coronavirus travel
restrictions

Yeh it's defo more Brexit than Covid. They'll be working on the paperwork now I'm sure

[Istabraq]

If you look at the new rules and regulations for sending a horse from Ireland to England post Brexit it appears to be a right ball ache without the coronavirus travel
restrictions

I’m not aware of the detail but you’d expect the process to be simplified if it is onerous, there’s no way anyone in authority wants to penalise racing or any sport from attracting overseas competitors at this level, it may take a while to do all the admin but you have to have faith those in power will get it right eventually...

[charlie]

I’m not aware of the detail but you’d expect the process to be simplified if it is onerous, there’s no way anyone in authority wants to penalise racing or any sport from attracting overseas competitors at this level, it may take a while to do all the admin but you have to have faith those in power will get it right eventually...

Kevin Blake made a good point that behind the scenes there are an army of employees handling logistics for people like Willie Mullins etc, so hopefully they are on the case, figure it out, share with others and we reach a conclusion soon where the road to cheltenham is clear for all. Would quite like that to happen in the next week, but Willies runner on Saturday would be a start! If 1 can come then why can't 100!

[Istabraq]

Kevin Blake made a good point that behind the scenes there are an army of employees handling logistics for people like Willie Mullins etc, so hopefully they are on the case, figure it out, share with others and we reach a conclusion soon where the road to cheltenham is clear for all. Would quite like that to happen in the next week, but Willies runner on Saturday would be a start! If 1 can come then why can't 100!

Yeah I’m not surprised, all good news....

[charlie]

https://www.racingpost.com/news/members/latest/mullins-fears-colossal-cheltenham-vat-costs-as-he-tests-uks-new-travel-waters/468292

Willie Mullins fears 'colossal' VAT costs as he tests UK's new travel waters

I'm told we have to pay 19 per cent of her value in VAT and we might not get that back for three months so that would be a bit of a worry

Connections sending horses from Ireland to race in Britain face a potentially "colossal" bill due to new VAT charges as a result of Brexit, trainer Willie Mullins warned on Thursday.

Mullins, whose Grangee will on Saturday become the first Irish-trained runner in Britain since the UK exited the European Union, said he has been informed he will have to pay VAT on the value of the horse. Although the charge is refundable, the payments are expected to take months to process by HMRC.

Should the situation remain the case by Cheltenham, the cost – even if only temporary – to Irish connections would be potentially astronomical.

Mullins said: "I got word that we are checked in and everything has gone well at Dublin Port so that is good news, although coming back could be a bit trickier. A department vet called down and checked the filly at 10.30am this morning so that was all fine.

"I'm told we have to pay 19 per cent of her value in VAT and we might not get that back for three months so that would be a bit of a worry. The sums of money involved in bringing a big team of horses over, let's say to Cheltenham, could be colossal so there has to be a better mechanism in place for Cheltenham."

Cheltenham is already well aware of the issue and the Jockey Club is investigating ways of making the process more cost effective for the Irish-trained horses making the trip over in March.

There were 181 Irish runners at the 2020 festival, with Mullins responsible for 56 of those. His seven winners were for six different owners and it will be the owner who incurs the VAT cost.

A spokesperson for Jockey Club Racecourses, which owns Cheltenham, said: "We are well aware of the current issues of bringing horses into the country from Ireland and are exploring ways to help to minimise the difficulties encountered by Irish owners and trainers. This includes working with the various authorities, including HRI, to seek to resolve financial burdens, including VAT costs."

With regard to Grangee's trip to Market Rasen on Saturday, Mullins believes coming back from Britain may be a more arduous task than getting there. He is not sending any of his Closutton-based grooms with the horse, therefore avoiding the current requirement for a negative Covid-19 test before travelling back into Ireland as well as the 14-day quarantine stipulation.

He said: "I would say coming back through the port might be trickier and we hope we won't have to wait too long for a vet to do the checks. We'll see how it all works. We will just have to get used to all this stuff and hopefully in time it will become second nature. The shippers are going to have a lot of work on, but let's see how it goes.

"I would say sorting out all the vaccinations for Cheltenham two years ago was probably an even trickier task and we managed to do that so I'm hopeful it will all work out okay."

Mullins won the Listed event at Market Rasen last year with Panic Attack but he is under no illusions as to the magnitude of the task facing Grangee this time around with the Pam Sly-trained Eileendover in opposition. She has won her two starts by a combined distance of 45 lengths.

Mullins said: "Grangee is a really nice filly, but she will have plenty on her plate against the Pam Sly-trained filly. She has looked very good so far. It will be a very interesting race."

On the new issues facing Irish-based horses heading to Britain, HRI's chief executive Brian Kavanagh said: "Work is ongoing on these issues. They are complex. We always knew there would be a settling-in period in every sector of the economy once Brexit kicked in."