Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the meetings in UK’s National Hunt racing calendar. A lot of the best Irish and British trained horses compete against each other during this event. Scheduled to occur in the month of March of every year at the Cheltenham Racecourse located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, the event normally takes place together with Saint Patrick’s Day which is really well-known among Irish horse racing fans.
The festival is participated by the bravest and best jockeys and horses, anxious and fired up owners and trainers and a large crowd that gather together annually to enjoy the exciting races. The glory of the festival gives memories that last a lifetime and define careers. The Cheltenham Festival is among those uncommon events that entice all those who know about it. The four days are full of excitement, enjoyment and sporting excellence that a lot of horse racing fans will surely enjoy.
History of Cheltenham Festival
The history of the festival can be tracked back centuries ago. According to legend, the races in Cheltenham were held more than a couple of centuries ago. Horseracing was a well-known pastime that a clergyman became furious and decided to burn down all of Nottingham Hill’s facilities.
Because all of those who love horse racing were not discouraged easily, it did not take a while for the races to be organised again. The festival finally found its permanent racetrack in Prestbury Park by the turn of the 20th century. In 1902, the official launch of the Pretsbury Park’s racing facilities occurred with a 2 day festival. This signified Cheltenham Festival history’s start. The Cheltenham Gold Cup was introduced a couple of years later and was successfully won by Red Splash. This allowed the festival to become one of UK’s largest yearly sporting events.
Cheltenham Racecourse
The Cheltenham Racecourse is located at Prestbury Park in Prestbury’s suburban village on Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Cheltenham is regarded as the “home of National Hunt racing” since it is the home of the 4-day Cheltenham Festival that is scheduled annually on the month of March.
The racecourse has a natural amphitheatre that is in a scenic location found below Cotswold Hills at Cleeve Hill. It can hold up to 67,500 audiences. There is also a steam railway station found on the racecourse.
Facts & Figures
- An audience of almost 250,000 spectators visit the Cheltenham racecourse during the 4-day event and this produces receipts of over £7million.
- The only horse who has achieved the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup is the Kauto Star. If he could race and win again, he could already match the post-war record of 3 wins in the race.
- Over a billion pounds is being gambled in the Festival’s 27 races.
- Each day of the event, more than 250 bookies are present in the racecourse.
- The all-time leading jockey of the festival is Ruby Walsh with a record of 32 winners.
- Half a million pints of Guinness and bottles of lager are being consumed during the 4-day event.
- The Ladbrokes World Hurdle’s victory will be a record 4th success in the hurdles.
- Around 10,000 visitors stay in B&Bs and hotels around the area of Cheltenham. The event brings around £50 million for the area’s economy.
- In the event Paul Nicholls will send out the Gold Cup’s winner for the 5th time, he will match Tom Dreaper’s achievement.
- The festival’s day one had the biggest opening day crowd with almost 53,318 people.
Cheltenham Racecourse Address:
Location: Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, England
Address: Prestbury Park, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 4SH, UK (see map)
Phone: +44 01242 513014
Website: http://www.cheltenham.co.uk/
