Cheltenham to reshape track layout as part of five key changes recommended by review into farcical festival starts

A BHA-led review following the 2026 Cheltenham Festival has recommended five key changes to address a dramatic rise in false starts, including physical alterations to the track layout at the two-mile and two-and-a-half-mile starting positions on both the Old and New courses. False start rates at the festival have surged from 18 per cent in 2022 to nearly 40 per cent in 2026, far exceeding the three-to-four per cent average seen across British jump racing. Fourteen-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls had criticised the situation as 'ludicrous' after two false starts in the Turners Novices' Hurdle reportedly cost favourite No Drama This End any chance of winning.