THE build up to the Cheltenham Festival will reach its zenith after this weekend which marks the last appearance of many of the meeting’s top contenders before the four-day spectacular gets underway on March 15th.

This is not to say that the month of February doesn’t contain its share of meaningful contests beyond this weekend but over the coming weeks much of the build up to Cheltenham will be dominated by what has already taken place as opposed to what will transpire on the track between now and then.

As the focus shifts from one race to another talk will, invariably, at some point switch to the merits of expanding the meeting to five days.

Some believe this could be a good thing but many, correctly, believe that this would be a retrograde step and one that would do little to enhance the overall quality of a meeting where quality has already been significantly diluted in some divisions.

For anyone wondering about the merits of further expansion, the release of last week’s entries for the four novice hurdles at the meeting provided considerable food for thought as well as making for somewhat unsettling reading.

Entries

Without getting into the minor details of the various entries the Sky Bet Supreme attracted 61 entrants, there were 95 in the Ballymore, 59 in the JCB Triumph and 52 are currently engaged in the Albert Bartlett.

Last week there were comparisons made between the level of entries this year compared with those from five years ago but it might be even more instructive to go back further in time to 2007 and the pre-recession era which provides a stark contrast in the level of entries.

Indeed, back in 2007 all four of the novice championships at the meeting attracted three-figure entries with the Ballymore attracting some 137 initial acceptors.

So despite playing host to by far the biggest entry of the four races in question when the novice hurdles closed last week, the Ballymore has seen its level of entries drop by 30% since 2007.

It gets even more sobering when you look elsewhere. The Supreme has seen its entry figures drop from 131 to 61 in 14 years which represents a decrease of some 53%.

An even bigger fall has taken place in the Albert Bartlett where 116 acceptors in 2007 has been whittled away to 52 this year which represents a drop of 55 points. Meanwhile, the Triumph entries have fallen from 103 to 59.

Worthy champions

Before going any further the point here is not to denigrate or undermine the races in question as they will serve up some tremendous clashes and will crown some worthy champions.

The likes of Constitution Hill, Dysart Dynamo, Sir Gerhard, Ginto and Pied Piper are immediate testament to the quality of the novice hurdlers around this season.

However, the purpose of comparing entries from last week with 14 years ago is to illustrate that any further dilution in competition at Cheltenham would be an unwelcome and backward step.

Admittedly, the expansion to a five-day meeting might only lead to the creation of two more races.

Where are those races going to come from though and surely there will be some sort of a drain on other existing races at the meeting.

Thus the question has to be asked is this what will best serve the interests of the most iconic meeting in National Hunt racing?

Competition between the best is what drives excellence and interest and anything that would undermine such competition on the greatest stage must be avoided at all costs.

Just consider the recent Clarence House Chase clash at Ascot between Energumene and Shishkin.

It was an enthralling and engaging spectacle, it remains a major talking point two weeks later and will continue to be a focal point of attention until the next clash between the pair which will hopefully take place next month.

That Ascot race was the very embodiment of what Cheltenham is meant to be – the best from both sides of the Irish Sea taking each other on and providing a spectacle to stand any test of time.

That is what Cheltenham will hopefully continue to be and happily we have a number of such clashes to look forward to this season.

However, entries for the various novice hurdling championships offer clear and compelling evidence that any further dilution in competition, no matter how apparently minor, would be a most unwelcome development.