Cheltenham Festival – The Days

The Cheltenham Festival is widely regarded as being one of the most prestigious events in the British jump racing calendar, comprising four days during which almost a quarter of a million people come to see the biggest names in the sport compete against each other.

Alongside red letter classics such as The Derby, Cheltenham Festival is one of those meets at which success or failure can make or break the season, sometimes even the career, of the trainers, jockeys and horses lining up for glory.

These four days offer the yardstick by which success can be measured. And for the revellers who flock to the Gloucestershire countryside to be part of the action, the whole event promises thrills, surprises and non-stop sporting greatness.

Champion Day

It all starts on the Tuesday as the eagerly awaited Festival gets going with seven races including the ever-popular Stan James Champion Hurdle. In addition to the day’s racing, there is a parade of former champions and plenty of entertainment around the various enclosures, including celebrity interviews in the Parade Ring.

Ladies Day

Almost as popular for the action off the course (including the famous Ladies Day Fashion Awards) as for the races on it, Ladies Day is the part of the Festival that generates the most interest from the UK press. The schedule includes the sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Chase, in which the country’s best chasers compete over two miles.

St Patrick’s Thursday

A couple of days before St Patrick’s Day, Cheltenham traditionally celebrates the Irish saint’s day on the Thursday of the Festival. There are Irish-themed fashion events for the ladies and, on the course, the Ryanair Chase and the Ladbroke World Hurdle, which has been won by the Paul Nicholls-trained Big Buck’s for the past three years.

Cheltenham Gold Cup Day

The jewel in the Cheltenham Festival crown is the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup, which adds a triumphant full stop to the jump racing season. There are also six other races on the final day of the Festival, including two Grade 1 events and three handicaps.