Racing in Cheltenham

Every year, in the middle of March, over 200,000 racing enthusiasts from all around the world, and almost 500 horses, descend on Prestbury Park in Cheltenham for the climax of the National Hunt season, competing for 25 prizes, including the Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle.

Racing in Cheltenham dates back to 1815 when the first meeting was held on Nottingham Hill.  Three years later, the first races took place on Cleeve Hill and over the following decade racing’s popularity soared, with the annual two-day event attracting a crowd of over 30,000 each July.

Trouble came in 1929 when Cheltenham’s Parish Priest, Reverend Francis Close, preached about the evils of horseracing, inciting such strong feelings among his congregation that they disrupted the races and burned down the rudimentary grandstand.

This destruction of the Nottingham Hill racetrack did not, however, signal the end of racing in Cheltenham. Instead, in 1831, it was moved to Prestbury Park where regular meetings continued. In 1845, the first ever steeplechase was organised in Cheltenham which saw riders racing across the countryside between Noverton Lane and Hewletts.

In 1898, Prestbury Park was bought by developer Baring Bingham.  Straightaway he began developing facilities at the racecourse; erecting a rail around the racetrack and constructing a new grandstand. The improvement in the course's facilities resulted in better races and bigger crowds and so the venue grew from three fields for flat racing, into a 500 acre site, which is still the home of National Hunt racing today.

The Festival

The first official Cheltenham Festival took place at Prestbury Park in 1902, marking the official reopening of the racecourse.  Tens of thousands of spectators flocked to Cheltenham to watch the racing at the two-day festival. 

The following year, the first four-mile National Hunt steeplechase was incorporated into the festival and soon became established as a major racing event, however, it was another twenty years before this race was renamed the Cheltenham Gold Cup; one of the most desirable prizes in National Hunt racing today (the prize money for the Festival is second only to the Grand National).

Over the next 50 years, the Cheltenham Festival slowly established itself as the most important meeting in National Hunt racing but it was not until 1949 that the event was extended to three days.  Then in the late 1950s, another of the Festival’s most popular and prestigious races, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, was established.

As the race increased in popularity and the crowds grew larger, work began in 1979 on the new £30 million stands.  These new facilities would bring the festival into the forefront of racing events and, ten years later, in 1989, a further £5 million grandstand was added.

Since then, the event has continued to gain prominence in the annual racing calendar and is now recognised as one of the UK’s premier sporting events, alongside such prestigious events as Wimbledon, The British Open and the British Grand Prix. 

Today, the entire jump season is dominated by the build up to Cheltenham and the Festival has heightened the attraction of national hunt racing worldwide, bringing thousands of new followers to the sport.  In 2005, the event was extended to its current four days, with six races on each day.  Crowds now exceed 200,000 and the event is one of the world’s most anticipated racing spectacles.  It is also the county’s biggest single revenue earning event, generating around £50m for local hotels, shops, pubs and clubs.  The event has only been cancelled once in its entire history and that was in 2001, courtesy of the foot and mouth crisis.

Each year, the quality of the entrants to the Festival is of the highest standard and there is an increasingly international feel to the event each year, as runners from France, Eastern Europe and Germany are all becoming common but there is one nationality in particular who give the Festival its unique atmosphere, and they are the Irish.

The Irish

The Irish are a particularly competitive nation and there is always a great deal of competition between Irish and UK competitors.  For generations, they have been making the annual pilgrimage to Cheltenham to see their equine heroes take part in the National Hunt.  Many great jockeys, trainers and horses from previous Festivals have hailed from Ireland, including: Jonjo O’Neill, Dawn Run, Arkle, Vincent O’Brien and Istabraq.

Many of the Irish supporters enjoy participating in a spot of gambling at the event and probably the most famous gambler amongst them is horse-owner, JP McManus.  For over 20 years he has bet and won huge sums at the Festival, including wagers on his dual hurdle winner, Istabraq.

However, with the ups come the downs and the Irish have had their fair share of downs.  In 1997, former Irish jockey, Shane Broderick, was paralysed from the neck down after he fell from his horse at Fairyhouse.  Despite this, he courageously commented on how lucky he was to ride a Cheltenham winner.

In 2006, the Irish took home the three most prestigious prizes on offer at Cheltenham Festival, filling the first three places in the totesport Cheltenham Gold, Cup, as Hedgehunter came home two and a half lengths behind War Of Attrition, with Forget The Past in third, and French raider, L’Ami, in fourth.  Fittingly the victories took place on St Patrick’s Day!

Hospitality at Cheltenham Festival

Cheltenham Festival is more than just a racing event; it is an entire social experience and a fantastic occasion at which to entertain clients.  Keith Prowse is delighted to be a part of such a popular and prestigious sporting event, offering official hospitality at the event in the all-new Front Runners Restaurant and Private Suites which are perfectly positioned overlooking the last fence, providing fantastic views of the final straight.  For more information on the packages we have available at Cheltenham, please click here.

Cheltenham Festival Order of Events

Tuesday

On the first day of the Festival 6 races are held, beginning with the Supreme Novice Hurdle, a fast and furious event which is run for just over two miles of the course.  Next, the Arkle Challenge Trophy is held, which is run over two miles of the racecourse.  Competitors need speed and good jumping to succeed in this event.

Tuesday’s feature race is the Champion Hurdle, a favourite with the Cheltenham betting markets.  The National Hunt Handicap Chase is held shortly after and is run over three miles.  The Cross Country Chase is a popular event with both spectators and competitors alike as it adds a different dimension to the Festival.  The final race of the day is the Juvenile Novices Handicap Hurdle.

Wednesday

The first of Wednesday’s six races is the Sun Alliance Novices Hurdle which, at two miles and five furlongs long, challenges competitors’ stamina.  Next is the Sun Alliance Handicap Chase, a favourite with experienced racers.

The Queen Mother Champion Chase is one of the highlights of the whole festival. This feature race is feared by most bookmakers, as favourites often perform well. The Coral Cup is a relatively new race to the festival but has already established itself as having a strong Irish winning connection. Also on Wednesday is the Kim Muir Challenge Cup Race, in which only amateur jockeys are allowed to compete.  Events are rounded up with the Champion Bumper, a flat race run over two miles and under National Hunt rules.

Thursday

The first race on Thursday is the Jewson Novices Handicap Chase, one of the season’s top races for handicapped racers.  Next comes the Daily Telegraph Festival Trophy, but Thursday's predominant event is the Ladbrokes World Hurdle, arguably the most eagerly anticipated race of the festival.  Also on Thursday is the Mildmay of Flete Handicap Chase, a race mainly for experienced competitors. 

The penultimate race of the day is the Cheltenham National Hunt Amateur Hunt; one of the most difficult races to predict in the entire festival. The final race is the Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, a new race which is fast becoming favoured by the Irish.

Friday

The final day of the festival is by far the most popular. The meeting begins with the Cheltenham Triumph Hurdle, the most notable event of the festival for the betting world. This is followed by the Brit Insurance Novices Hurdle, a race which was previously held at Sandown Park.

Undoubtedly the feature festival of the entire meeting is the Cheltenham Gold Cup. At three miles and two furlongs long, this race is a real challenge to its competitors. The Gold Cup is closely followed by the Cheltenham Festival Foxhunter Chase, with strong competition between Irish and UK based trainers.

The penultimate race of the festival is the Grand Annual Chase.  Novices often do well in this event. To round up the Festival, there is a final betting stampede with the Country Handicap Hurdle, although this is one of the most difficult races to back.

Cheltenham Festival Timeline

1902: Festival is established.

1924: The First Gold Cup is run at the Festival and won by Red Splash with prize money of £685.

1927: The First Champion Hurdle.

1932-1936: Golden Miller runs up an amazing sequence of five Gold Cups

1948-1950: Cottage Rake’s hat-trick in the Gold Cup marks the birth of the annual pilgrimage from Ireland.

1954: First locally trained winner, Four Ten, trained in Prestbury by John Roberts.

1963-1965: Arkle’s hat-trick of Gold Cups creates a legend.

1978: The Gold Cup is abandoned because of snow and is run in April instead.

1989: Desert Orchid brings the house down by winning the Gold Cup.

1990: Norton’s Coin, at 100-1, the longest-priced winner of the Gold Cup, triumphs for Welsh dairy farmer Sirrell Griffiths.

1997-2000: Istabraq runs up a Festival sequence of four victories, first in what is now the Ballymore Properties Novices Hurdle, then a hat-trick in the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle.

2001: Festival is abandoned because of foot and mouth disease.

2002-2004: Best Mate dominates the Gold Cup, the first three-timer since Arkle.

2005: The Festival is extended from three to four days.

2007: Kauto Star wins the richest ever totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup and picks up a £1m bonus.

2008: Day two of the Festival is cancelled due to high winds, with all Wednesday races moved to Thursday and Friday.

Cheltenham In Numbers

• The racecourse employs over 60 permanent staff, which rises to approximately 1,000 for a race meeting and over 5,000 at the Festival.
• The Festival is worth an estimated £50m to the local economy and hosts the largest Tented Village of any kind at a sporting event. Over £2m is spent each year on temporary facilities alone.
• Festival drinkers get through 18,000 bottles of Champagne and 214,000 pints of Guinness.
• Prize money at Cheltenham exceeds £6m throughout the season with £3.67m on offer at the Festival alone, making it the most valuable and prestigious fixture in jump racing.
• Throughout the year, 700,000 people visit the racecourse.