The Cheltenham Festival (or National Hunt Festival) is one of the most popular events on the National Hunt racing calendar. It takes place over the course of four days and as the name indicates, is held at Cheltenham Racecourse (Prestbury Park) during March of each year.
Most years it coincides with the Irish holiday of Saint Patrick’s Day, as a result most years most of the punters at the course are Irish. This creates a fantastic atmosphere, which tens of thousands of people enjoy each year. People, who love a flutter, love this festival they place hundreds of thousands of bets each year both at the course and via betting offices and on-line betting websites.
The History of the Cheltenham Festival
One of the main races of the meeting the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup has been ran since 1860. Initially, it was run at various locations including Cheltenham, but did not find a permanent home there until 1911. It has been run there every year since.
However, the main race The Cheltenham Gold Cup was not run at the festival until 1924. In 1927, The Champion Hurdle was introduced. In 1959, The Queen Mother Champion Chase was added and finally in 1972 the Stayers Hurdle was added to the itinerary.
Initially the festival took place over 3 days, but due to its popularity, a 4th day was added in 2005. At this point, 5 more races were introduced, to ensure that a minimum of 6 races could be run on each day of the festival. Each year 26 races are run making it one of the biggest horseracing events in the world.
Betting on the Cheltenham Festival
Given that it is such a big event, most people who like to gamble place at least one bet on a Cheltenham Festival race. The majority of the bets are placed on the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but the other big races see nearly as much action. The amateur races, such as the Foxhunter’s race, attract a lot of attention too. It is the perfect event for those who enjoy accumulator bets.
To place a bet or find out more about the runners visit us at the Cheltenham Festival website.