Champion Day Race Schedule

For full details on the Cheltenham Champion Day race schedule and runners, see below:

Race Time	Race Name	Race Length
1330	Supreme Novices’ Hurdle	2m 1/2f
1405	Irish Independent Arkle Challenge Trophy Steeple Chase	2m
1440	Festival Handicap Steeple Chase	3m 1/2f
1520	Stan James Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy	2m 1/2f
1600	Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Steeple Chase	3m 7f
1640	David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle Race	2m 4f
1715	Centenary Novices’ Handicap Chase	2m 4 1/5f

As the tapes for the first horse race rise on Champion Day, a roar can be heard from the crowd. This celebration signals the beginning of the widely anticipated Cheltenham Festival, a yearly horse racing event that takes place at Prestbury Park.

On the first day of Cheltenham Festival, many of the horse races occur on the Old Course. Horses start at the top of a hill, and over the years some have gotten caught out by travelling too fast and gathering momentum quickly. There are also two challenging fences on the home straight. One of the obstacles was moved 239 yards away from the bottom of the hill during Cheltenham Festival 2010, as horses would run into the fence due to their fast declines and early jumps.

There are a total of seven horse races in the Cheltenham Champion Day race schedule. The highlight of day one tends to be the Stan James Champion Hurdle, which is considered by many horse bettors as the most esteemed hurdle run of the season. It is open to horses aged four and above and at Cheltenham Festival 2011, there was a prize fund of £370,000. Last year, Hurricane Fly crossed the finish line first, resulting in a win for trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Ruby Walsh.