THE wheels of change tend to turn at a glacial pace in the world of horse racing, so the alterations announced this week to the Cheltenham Festival’s race programme can be considered reasonably prompt - six months on from the 2024 meeting.

A number of the tweaks are rational and proactive, particularly the revised penalty structure for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and qualification system for the Pertemps Final, but the removal of amateur-rider-only status for the National Hunt Chase feels like a lamentable move.