The History of Cheltenham Festival

As the year quickly speeds ahead, so too does the countdown to one of the most exciting festivals in the horse racing calendar. Cheltenham Festival, featuring a fine selection of the best horses, jockeys and trainers offer spectators a fantastic variety of excitement, skill and socialising. Whilst festivals may appear to be a more modern day occurrence, horse racing at Cheltenham has an extremely rich and varied history. We take a look at the origins of this special history below.

Origins of Racing at Cheltenham

Horse racing at Cheltenham dates back to 1815, when the first recorded race took place on Nottingham Hill. The next meeting didn't take place until 1818, when the venue was changed to Cleeve Hill, overlooking the present racecourse. The new venue proved a success and organisers built a new grandstand and increased the duration of the meeting to three days. In 1819, the very first Cheltenham Gold Cup was run, but as a three mile flat race, rather than the jump race we know today.

As the races became more and more popular with the elegant gentry from the nearby spa town of Cheltenham, a thriving sub-community of pickpockets, prostitutes and gamblers sprang up. In 1829, the local parish priest, Francis Close, stirred up such strong feeling against racing that the venue had to be moved from the original site of Cleeve Hill to the current venue, Prestbury Park, following an arson attack on the grandstand.

The new venue proved a success, and in 1861 the National Hunt Meeting was held at Cheltenham for the first time. After moving to other venues, it returned to Cheltenham in 1904, 1905 and finally 1911, and has remained there ever since. Although still officially called the National Hunt Meeting, the event is now better known as the Cheltenham Festival.

The Gold Cup

The most famous race of the festival is the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which takes place on the last day. The modern version of the race, which includes jumps, was first held in 1924 for a purse of £685. The festival is now held in March, usually to coincide with St Patrick’s Day. Perhaps due to its timing, the event draws many of the best Irish horses to compete against the cream of the British crop. The total prize money for the festival is £3.67 million, of which almost half a million is set aside for the winner of the Gold Cup, making the race the most valuable non-handicap race in Britain. It still covers a distance of around three miles and incorporates 22 fences.

The Gold Cup is so prestigious that it's only been cancelled a handful of times in its entire history. The first of these occasions occurred in 1931 when the course froze, and the second in 1937 due to flooding. During the Second World War the race was only cancelled twice, in 1943 and 1944. Most recently, the entire festival was cancelled in 2001 due to the then-ubiquitous foot and mouth disease.

Cheltenham Festival Hospitality

Cheltenham Festival is more than just a racing event; it is an entire social experience and a fantastic occasion at which to entertain corporate clients.  Keith Prowse is delighted to be a part of such a popular and prestigious sporting event, offering official corporate hospitality at the event in the fabulous Front Runners Restaurant and Private Suites which overlook the last fence, providing fantastic views of the final straight. 

Find out more about Cheltenham hospitality >

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 has 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.
 

Famous Winners

The most successful competitor remains Golden Miller, who won every race between 1932 and 1936 (five in all), with a succession of different jockeys.

Other multiple winners are Arkle, who won three times between 1964 and 1966 with jockey Pat Taafle, and Best Mate, who also notched up three wins between 2002 and 2004, paired each time with jockey Jim Culloty.

Although many people associate Desert Orchid with the Gold Cup, he in fact only won it once in 1989; however, the win was made memorable by the extremely difficult weather conditions on the day.

According to the gate receipts, over 200,000 people attend the four days of the festival, with 65,000 on Gold Cup Day alone.

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.