Category: Cheltenham Festival

The so-called ‘championship’ races at the Cheltenham Festival, one of which forms the feature race on each of the four days, are the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Stayers’ Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup. The first two are run on the slightly sharper Old Course, while the last two are run on the New Course, which places more emphasis on stamina.

A race known as the ‘Cheltenham Gold Cup’ was first run on Cleeve Hill, overlooking the current racecourse, in 1819, long before the establishment of the Cheltenham Festival. However, that race was run over three miles on the Flat and restricted to three-year-olds. In its current guise, as a level weights steeplechase, the Cheltenham Gold Cup was not added to the Cheltenham Festival programme until 1924. Nevertheless, the Cheltenham Gold Cup pre-dates the Champion Hurdle, which was inaugurated in 1927 and, as such, is the oldest of the ‘championship’ races in their recognisable, modern form.

To avoid any confusion, a version of the Stayers’ Hurdle has been run at the Cheltenham Festival, with a few interruptions, since 1912. However, the original incarnation, the Stayers’ Selling Hurdle, ceased to be in 1938 and its successor, the Spa Hurdle, was replaced by the Stayers’ Hurdle, as we know it today, in 1972. The Queen Mother Champion Chase, too, is a relatively recent addition to the Festival programme, having been inaugurated, as the National Hunt Two-Mile Champion Chase, in 1959.

 

The most important part: horse racing betting

 

Let’s discuss one of the most exciting parts of the preparation for the Cheltenham Festival!

Odds provided by bookmakers do not always reflect the current state of competitors. For example, we can look back to the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2021, where Minella Indo became the 1/9 winner of the race. That’s why it is indispensable to build your own opinion based on all the available analytics of the participants and stand your ground while making predictions. Another part of getting profit is finding the best odds in the market. There are a lot of websites that could provide you with a list of the best odds available at the moment. But the more you bet, the more you get, so it’s a good idea to multiply your betting budget with the help of the best payout online casino UK from a reputable source.

 

Some facts about Cheltenham Festival

 

Added to the National Hunt racing calendar, Cheltenham Festival is a four-day event hosted by Cheltenham Racecourse. According to the prize fund, it takes second place of all horse racing events in the UK, second only to Grand National. This year the Festival takes place from the 14th of March to the 17th of march.

The event was named Grand National Hunt Meeting when first set in 1860. It used to be hosted in several locations, but since 1911 it is held in Prestbury Park, Cheltenham.

Since 1860, the festival was cancelled only once in 2001 due to the outbreak of FMD (Foot-and-mouth disease). The disease affected more than 2,000 farms across the United Kingdom. More than 6 million ships and cows were euthanised, and all the horse racing events in the UK were called off to stop the disease.

 

The most anticipated races

 

Traditionally, Supreme Novices and Champion Hurdle make up the most attractive events on the first day for visitors. The favourite, for the Supreme Novices is Facile Vega and Constitution Hill for Champion Hurdle.

On the second day, the most competitive rivalry will occur at Champion Chase and Cross Country, Energumene and Delta Work being the favourites.

The third day will be remarkable for Ryanair Chase, where Fakir Doudairies is likely to take the trophy and Stayers’ Hurdle with Blazing Khal contenders for first place.

The most prestigious Gold Cup race takes place on the 4th day of competitions, and Galopin Des Champs is considered the most obvious contender to be awarded.

 

The top list of favourites is based on the bookie rates, so take advantage of the current odds because the dark horse isn’t always that obvious.

Remarkable jockeys

 

Here are the best performers in the horse racing history of Cheltenham. Check these out to make the most out of the races!

Ruby Walsh twice won Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2007 and 2009, riding the same horse. Also, he has a streak of winning the most races over the four days on five festivals in a row, from 2013 to 2017. He won 7 races during the event, and this result hasn’t been surpassed yet, since 2016.

Tony McCoy, was twice awarded Jump Ride of the Year. In 2009 he won William Hill Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival, and in 2012 he won Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Make sure to book tickets on the official website and have fun!

Along with the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Stayers’ Hurdle, the Champion Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup are ‘championship’ races in their respective divisions of National Hunt racing, run during at the Cheltenham Festival in March each year. Obviously, winning one race or the other is a notable achievement for any jockey no matter the cheltenham betting odds, but winning both races in the same season is an extraordinary accomplishment.

Indeed, the last jockey to complete the Champion Hurdle – Cheltenham Gold Cup double was Sir Anthony McCoy who, having won the National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship twenty years running and broken just about every record in National Hunt racing, was no stranger to ‘extraordinary’ accomplishments. At the 1997 Cheltenham Festival, McCoy, who was, at the time, stable jockey to Martin Pipe, won the Champion Hurdle on Make A Stand, trained by Pipe, who made all the running to win, unchallenged, by 5 lengths. In the Cheltenham Gold Cup, McCoy rode Mr. Mulligan, trained by Noel Chance, in preference to two, shorter-priced, Pipe-trained entries; his decision proved correcr and he was rewarded with a comprehensive 9-length win n the largely unconsidered 20/1 chance.