While the town’s economic chiefs feel their hearts beat a
little faster at the prospect of the boost that the Cheltenham Festival brings
to the town, my heart sinks. Not because I don’t appreciate how valuable the
enthusiastically dressed punters are to our local economy. It’s not even the increased
levels of traffic congestion around the town.
The annual invasion of bacon sandwich guzzling, Guinness
quaffing chaps dressed in country tweed with a copy of the Racing Post under the
arm, along with sartorially challenged young women who look like they have been
tangoed has become a fascinating tradition.
‘Portaloos’ in the Promenade? Bring them on, I don’t
mind. Tired and emotional race goers playing a game of Chance as they stagger
randomly across our roads? That’s manageable; we Cheltenham residents are
skilled in dodge the drunkard after years of experiencing Race Week.
Everyone has their own reasons for loving the Festival
and I get that. Indeed for many years I did actually feel a little excited
about Race Week. It was when the penny dropped about the number of horses that
are killed at this annual shindig that I realised this type of knees up wasn’t
for me. I can’t help thinking that in the 21st Century we should not
put animals in the way of unnecessary harm for entertainment or to boost the local
economy.
In 2013 Animal Aid’s Racehorse Deathwatch report named
131 racehorses that were killed on British racecourses. In 2014 the number was
160, with 8 horses killed at Cheltenham Racecourse alone. According to Animal
Aid, Cheltenham racecourse ranks joint top with Wetherby in terms of the rate
of horse deaths to days’ racing.
The number of deaths of horses at Cheltenham racecourse reflects
badly on our town. We make such a big deal out of how vital the festival is to
us but that importance is based on racing taking place here on a course which
(based on recent years) on any one day of racing there is a 50% chance of a
horse dying.
Another dark side of Race Week is the proliferation of
lap-dancing and other sexual entertainment that has become such a big part of
it. I'm not sure what drunken men leering at scantily clad/naked women has to
do with horse racing although I can guess what the common dominator is. Money may
make the world go round but too often it limits the progress of humankind.
