As if punters weren’t parting with enough money at the bookie’s enclosure at Cheltenham this week, beer prices at the famous horse racing festival are enough to leave race-goers feeling sick. The action got underway on Tuesday, with one of the highlights being Golden Ace winning the Champion Hurdle.
Previous winners, Constitution Hill and State Man, both fell during the race. That opened the door for the 25-1 outsider, ridden by Lorcan Williams for trainer Jeremy Scott, to romp home. Also, Lossiemouth retained her Mares’ Hurdle crown in style, and favourite Kopek Des Bordes landed the Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
But after the opening day, social media discussion was as rife about the bar prices as it was about the action. One punter posted a picture of a receipt that proved they paid £31.20 for just four pints of Guinness, a rate of £7.80 per drink and a 30p increase from 2024.
Photos of the drinks menu also went viral. A 500ml can of Doom Bar costs £7.80, and a 330ml can of premium lager is priced at £7.40, the same as a pint of alcohol-free Guinness, which is growing in popularity.
Spirits set you back £7.20 for a single measure, with the exception of Jameson’s whiskey, which is £7.30. Wine is hitting spectators the hardest, though, with a house red, white, or rose priced at £9.70.
Despite the extortionate costs, Plejmo has predicted that around 270,000 pints of Guinness will be downed this week in Cheltenham, around 5,000 more than last year’s figure. That would mean that festival revenue from the famous black stout alone would surpass £2million.
Under venue rules, visitors to Cheltenham are restricted to buying up to four alcoholic drinks at a time. Stringent bag checks are also conducted upon entry to prevent people from bringing their own drinks.
However, despite the criticism of bar prices, Welsh rugby fans have more reason to moan than racing fans. In the Principality Stadium, a Guinness is still more expensive at £8, the most expensive of all the Six Nations venues.