Racegoers at this year’s Cheltenham Festival are set to indulge in an unprecedented amount of Guinness, with estimates suggesting nearly 380,000 pints will be poured—marking a staggering 43 per cent increase from last year’s total of 265,000.
With the price of a pint rising by 30p to £7.80, sales of the iconic Irish stout alone are expected to generate close to £3million – according to The Sun.
The surge in demand is partly fueled by the viral social media trend known as ‘splitting the G,’ where drinkers attempt to pause their sip precisely at the midpoint of the letter ‘G’ on the Guinness glass.
The festival, which kicks off on Tuesday, is set to be one of the liveliest yet, especially with Thursday’s early St. Patrick’s Day celebrations expected to drive even higher consumption.
While Guinness remains the star of the show, racegoers will also knock back around 120,000 pints of lager and 10,700 mini bottles of Moet Champagne. Even non-drinkers are getting in on the action, with an estimated 3,500 pints of alcohol-free Guinness expected to be enjoyed over the four-day event.
To balance out the revelry, the festival boasts an impressive array of food options, with three miles’ worth of food stalls if laid end-to-end. This year’s upgraded facilities offer more choice, increased indoor seating, and enhanced hospitality experiences.
Racegoers at this year’s Cheltenham Festival are set to indulge in an unprecedented amount of Guinness, with estimates suggesting nearly 380,000 pints will be poured
That marks a staggering 43 per cent increase from last year’s total of 265,000
With the price of a pint rising by 30p to £7.80, sales of the iconic Irish stout alone are expected to generate close to £3million
Around 12,000 guests are set to enjoy premium three- and four-course meals across 17 award-winning restaurants and hospitality areas as they watch the prestigious festival unfold.
A Cheltenham festival spokesperson commented, ‘We’ve made several improvements for this year’s Cheltenham Festival, all with the aim of enhancing the racegoer experience. Our goal is to ensure everyone leaves with incredible memories—whether it’s for a day or the entire week.’
This year’s iconic week of racing runs from Tuesday, March 11 to Friday, March 14, with racing getting underway from 1:20pm each day. It is expected that on average there will be over 65,000 attendees each day.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is one of the most eagerly-anticipated days in the horse racing calendar. It will take place on the fourth and final day of the Cheltenham Festival – which means it will be held on Friday March 14 in 2025 with the race itself beginning at 3:30pm.
Paul Townend is determined to secure further glory at the Gold Cup, while JP McManus is ready to give Inothewayurthinkin an unexpected spot in the race at Cheltenham.
Townend is the finest National Hunt rider of his generation, a man on the brink of history. As a stable jockey for the Willie Mullins yard, he is set to be festooned with prizes when the Cheltenham Festival ends on Friday — the one he craves most is a third straight Gold Cup on Galopin Des Champs.
Inothewayurthinkin is the ante-post favourite for the Randox Grand National on April 5 and was being prepared for the Aintree showpiece by his astute trainer Gavin Cromwell after a superb performance in the Irish Gold Cup.
But such is the gelding’s well-being, McManus is almost certain to pay the £25,000 supplementary fee to add him to the field for the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup and another showdown with Galopin Des Champs.
Galopin Des Champs is the odds-on favourite to win at Cheltenham for third consecutive year
Inothewayurthinkin is the ante-post favourite for the Randox Grand National on April 5
It was at this point 12 months ago when Inothewayurthinkin started to blossom, as he ran away with the Kim Muir Chase at the Festival before going onto win the Mildmay Novice Chase at Aintree in the style of progressive animal.
He has not managed to win so far this season but the seven-year-old has kept the very best company and improved with each of his three runs, which came in the John Durkan Chase, the Savills Gold Cup and the Irish Gold Cup.
Galopin Des Champs is the odds-on favourite to win at Cheltenham for third consecutive year but Cromwell, whose strong Festival team includes Hello Neighbour in the JCB Triumph Hurdle, Stumptown in the Cross Country Chase and Sixandahalf in the Mares Novice Hurdle, is happy for Inothewayurthink to run in the Blue Riband event.
