According to new reports and analysis, there is a worrying trend emerging in the world of British horse racing as the cost of attending Cheltenham and Aintree continues to rise, with both crowd attendance and television viewership falling to the lowest level in years.
The team here at BettingTools has analysed the data post COVID, from 2022 to 2025, to highlight that the UK’s most popular racing festivals are becoming increasingly expensive to punters, which is having a big impact on course attendances and TV viewership.
Cheltenham
| Year | Day | Attendance | Best Mate Enclosure | Tattersalls Enclosure | Club Enclosure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Tuesday (Champion Day) | 68,567 | £37 | £55 | £86 |
| Wednesday (Ladies Day) | 64,431 | £37 | £55 | £86 | |
| Thursday (St. Patrick’s) | 73,754 | £37 | £55 | £86 | |
| Friday (Gold Cup Day) | 73,875 | £47 | £70 | £102 | |
| Total | 280,627 | ||||
| 2023 | Tuesday | 60,321 | £47 | £70 | £96 |
| Wednesday | 50,387 | £47 | £70 | £96 | |
| Thursday | 61,451 | £47 | £70 | £96 | |
| Friday | 68,444 | £60 | £82 | £114 | |
| Total | 240,603 | ||||
| 2024 | Tuesday | 60,181 | £70 | £91 | £126 |
| Wednesday | 46,771 | £70 | £91 | £126 | |
| Thursday | 53,918 | £70 | £91 | £126 | |
| Friday | 69,129 | £88 | £112 | £150 | |
| Total | 229,999 | ||||
| 2025 | Tuesday | 55,498 | £70 | £91 | £126 |
| Wednesday | 41,949 | £70 | £91 | £126 | |
| Thursday | 53,300 | £70 | £91 | £126 | |
| Friday | 68,000 | £88 | £112 | £150 | |
| Total | 218,747 |
Cheltenham has always been considered a huge date on the horse racing calendar, but the festival has seen a dramatic decline in physical attendance. When you consider that in 2022, over 280,000 fans passed through the gates across the four-day event, however, two three years later, that figure had dropped to just over 218,000. That is a decline of more than 60,000 racegoers over the four days.
Ticket prices also went up during that same period. The popular Club Enclosure cost £86 in 2022, but was £126 by 2025. The Tattersalls price rose from £55 to £91, while the budget-friendly Best Mate Enclosure nearly doubled in price, jumping from £40 to £70.
Refreshments are also hitting fans in the pockets. In 2025, a pint of Guinness at Cheltenham will set you back £7.80, while a glass of wine cost £9.70 and a soft drink came in at £3.10. These types of prices have got people turning or other events, such as a concert or even considering a holiday if you are attending all four days, such is the price of horse racing these days.
Grand National Day
It is a familiar tale at Aintree, but the ticket prices aren’t as expensive as they are at Cheltenham. Grand National Day, a day when even non-racing fans watch the event and have a bet on the event, has typically attracted around 58,000 spectators from 2022 to 2025.
Although Festival Zone ticket prices were reasonably priced at in 2022 at £30, they have increased in price by over 20% o £36.90. Prices for the more premium enclosures have hit triple digits. Prices for food and beverages have also massively jumped up in price, with similar prices for pints of beer and wine as Cheltenham.
TV Viewership Plummets
| Grand National | Cheltenham | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Peak Viewership | Year | Peak Viewership |
| 2022 | 7.5 million | 2022 | 1.6 million |
| 2023 | 7.5 million | 2023 | 1.68 million |
| 2024 | 6.1 million | 2024 | 1.59 million |
| 2025 | 5.2 million | 2025 | 1.8 million |
It is not just in-person numbers that have seen a decline. Television audiences have also suffered. The Grand National had a strong 7.5 million viewers in 2022, but that number dropped alarmingly to 5.2 million in 2025. Cheltenham’s Gold Cup has fared slightly better, with the numbers in the same period hovering around the 1.6 million to 1.8 million mark. However, they aren’t increasing, which suggests that the interest may not be there anymore.
Cost-of-living a big factor
Of course, it has also not been a good time for the UK economy. Inflation reached record highs a few years ago, and household budgets are under pressure, meaning families are cutting back on non-essential spending. Horse racing was traditionally seen as working-class day out, but regular people are now being priced out. Instead of going to the event, people are watching at home and betting on one of the many betting sites and horse racing betting apps now available online.
Where does British racing go from here?
Although racing’s governing bodies will continue to invest in trying to improve the fan experience and attempt to attract a new, younger audience, the data suggests that this will be a challenging task unless restoring some form of affordability occurs. If this does not happen, then viewership numbers will continue to decline, and horse racing will be seen as an activity for the rich.
There needs to be a new outlook on pricing and improving the access for a new audience. If this does not happen, you will continue to see grandstands that are nowhere near full to capacity.
