Could Cheltenham Festival be cancelled due to Coronavirus? Odds shorten on racing NOT going ahead
Horse Racing News :: Everything Horse
Could the Cheltenham Festival be cancelled? There’s now a 30% chance it’s cancelled, according to the exchange
Odds have been released on the 2020 Cheltenham Festival being cancelled, amid severe concerns of the deadly coronavirus.
The Betfair Exchange is currently offering punters either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as to whether the Festival will go ahead on March 10th. Over £25,000 has been traded on the market already, with odds shortening on the Festival not going ahead this year.
In the last few hours, odds have shortened from 5/2 into 23/10 that it does not go ahead. In percentage chances, that’s a jump from 28% to 30% that Cheltenham Festival is cancelled.
On the other side, it’s now 4/11 that racing goes ahead on March 10th.
Concerns have been raised over the safety of sporting events going forward amid the outbreak, with Ireland’s Six Nations match against Italy cancelled this weekend.
Back in 2001, the Festival was postponed and then cancelled due to the foot-and-mouth disease, with an exclusion zone being placed around the course.
Oddschecker spokesperson Callum Wilson:
It’s halted the Chinese Super League, its halted Serie A, but could the coronavirus outbreak now scupper this year’s Cheltenham Festival?
Being the highlight of most racing fans’ calendars, it would be an absolute disaster if Cheltenham is cancelled due to the COVID-19 fears, leaving many avid punters desperately twiddling their thumbs during the barren four days of revoked action.”
Will Cheltenham Festival go ahead?
Yes – 4/11
No – 23/10
To keep up to date with the Cheltenham Festival events and news, visit www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/events-tickets/the-festival/
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.