ALL races at the Cheltenham Festival will require final declarations 48 hours in advance.

The change has been introduced by the British Horseracing Authority in response to feedback from punters, bookmakers and the media.

Previously, only the non-novice Grade 1s declared two days in advance, with the other races sticking to the usual National Hunt 24-hour stage.

BHA chief operating officer Richard Wayman said: “We have taken on board feedback from racing fans, the betting public and the media, and we’re pleased to introduce 48-hour declarations for all races at the Festival, which we believe will have a positive impact on the promotion of the event and be welcomed by the sport’s various customer groups.

“We appreciate that, in some circumstances, this could create an extra challenge for trainers but we want to ensure that the sport is in a position where it can make the very most of what are such an important four days in the British racing calendar.”

With the exception of the non-novice Grade 1s, no horse will be able to be declared for more than one race – unless it has been eliminated from another contest or declared as a reserve.

All the handicaps will have two reserve slots, the deadline for which will be 1pm the day before the race, as is the case for the Grand National at Aintree and the Scottish National.

The BHA says it will liaise closely with the rest of the racing industry to monitor the changes as they come into effect, particularly in relation to horses being declared for more than one of the championship races, which will be kept under review annually.

Ian Renton, Regional South West Director of the Jockey Club and effectively the manager of Cheltenham Racecourse, added: “This is a progressive move by the BHA which we believe makes sense on a number of levels.

“We have been part of the ongoing discussions and after listening to the views of everyone regard this as a sensible decision which will enhance the Cheltenham Festival experience for racegoers and provide assistance to the media.”

Simon Rowlands, chair of the Horseracing Bettors’ Forum, said: “This move is welcomed by the HBF, which received a fair amount of correspondence from the public around the time of the last two Cheltenham Festivals suggesting declarations be made 48 hours, or even longer, in advance.

“All roads over jumps in the winter lead to Cheltenham in March, and this initiative should help to ensure that racing can promote the occasion itself more effectively, to the benefit of the betting public and the wider sport.”