Fights broke out at the Cheltenham Festival while the opening day’s racing was underway on Tuesday (Image: @plusEVbacker)
Violence erupted at the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday afternoon as viral footage circulating on social media shows a mass brawl breaking out during the day’s racing. Video of the incident shows punches being thrown while the 3.20pm Trustmarque Ultima Handicap Chase was underway, with punters involved in this unseemly punch-up on day one of the meet.
Chaotic scenes kicked off inside one establishment, with flat caps and furniture flying inside the packed room with bodies all over the place, as a 30-second clip shows, which has the caption: “Looks like it’s kicked off in William hill at Cheltenham”. The post on X has over 250,000 views, and The Express has reached out to the Jockey Club, owners of Cheltenham Racecourse, regarding a response to the incident.
In a statement released on Wednesday morning, Cheltenham Racecourse confirmed police attended the scene but no arrests were made. “Our focus is always on providing safe and enjoyable experiences for all our racegoers and we operate a strict zero-tolerance policy towards any form of antisocial behaviour,” a spokesperson said.
“There was an isolated incident yesterday involving a small number of racegoers which was dealt with quickly by our security team on site. Police based at the racecourse attended but no arrests were made.
“Millions of people enjoy a day at the races every year while behaving perfectly safely and responsibly.”
Gloucestershire Constabulary made clear how they are tackling anti-social behaviour in Cheltenham yesterday. The local police force said: “Concerns have been raised about anti-social behaviour (ASB) related to the Cheltenham Festival, and we are once again working with our partner agencies such as Cheltenham Borough Council and the Jockey Club to deter it from taking place.”
The Constabulary added: “During the Festival, we adopt the same neighbourhood-style of policing we practice throughout our communities all year round, and this involves regular visible patrols of the site by uniformed officers and officers on horseback. Other resources, including armed officers, plain-clothed officers and the police drone, will also be on site.”
The 3.20pm Trustmarque Ultima Handicap Chase was well underway while some punters started a punch-up (Image: @plusEVbacker)
Johnnywho won the race underway when the brawl broke out. AJ and Jonjo O’Neill’s horse was ridden to victory by Richie McLernon over 3m1f. The 3/1 favourite Jagwar finished second, ahead of Quebecois in third.
The winning jockey McLernon said: “I travelled nicely through the race, thought the ground was a little quick. Everything just unfolded for me; he jumped when I needed him to, and he answered every call, so absolutely thrilled.”
AJ O’Neill added: “Absolutely fantastic. Richie gave him a great ride and he was in the right place all the time. Just great to see it all work out.”
Jonjo O’Neill said: “Richie, he’s done a great job for us since the day he came, really. He’s a great rider, he’s a great judge and a lovely fella to be around. What more do you want? There’s a few good horses for him to ride and everybody’s happy.”
