Nearly 40% of 2026 races at showpiece meeting affected
Track layout and listening devices for stewards on menu
The British Horseracing Authority said on Thursday that it aims to introduce a series of measures before next year’s Cheltenham festival to tackle a significant rise in the number of false starts at National Hunt’s showpiece meeting. The percentage of false starts has climbed steadily over the past five years, from 18% in 2022 to nearly 40% at the 2026 meeting. The rate of false starts in jump racing is around 4% over the same period.
A review of this year’s meeting identified particular problems at the starts for races over two and two-and-a-half miles, which begin near a bend.
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