Cheltenham races is home to he Cheltenham Festival every March; a four day National Hunt racing event that attracts tens of thousands of people from both Britain and Ireland. It offers an incredible atmosphere as well as a massive itinerary of some of the best races in the national hunt calendar. Culminating with the Gold Cup signature event, visitors can enjoy drinking champagne or Guinness, staying in great quality local accommodation, and having a flutter on some of the biggest races of the year.
You should book everything early in order to avoid disappointment. There are 27 races throughout the 4 day festival including more than 10 Grade 1 events and there is a feature race in the afternoon of each of the days. With more than £3m in prize money during the four day event and a total of £7m prize money throughout the year for events taking place at Cheltenham Races, it is one of the most popular courses in the country.
There have been many instances throughout the history of Cheltenham Races and the event itself has undergone many changes. What is one of the biggest national hunt races in the calendar actually started out as a flat race and the Gold Cup itself was not the prestigious event that it is now considered. Many race goers attend as much for the atmosphere and the refreshments as they do the racing and betting.
The 2012 event begins on Tuesday March 13th and the feature race for this day is the Champion Hurdle. The other feature races are the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the World Hurdle and, of course, the Cheltenham Gold Cup is held on the Friday. The first race typically begins early in the afternoon, the daily main event is the fourth in the daily card, and the final racers are home by tea time.
Cheltenham races is, of course, open for various other events throughout the year and not just horse racing. However, it is the Cheltenham Festival that most people think of when they do consider Cheltenham and with such a history and heritage there is little surprise that this is the case.
Cheltenham racesis home to some of the biggest and best race meetings in the country including the Cheltenham Festival, featuring a dozen Grade 1 races including the prestigious Gold Cup event. Visit CheltenhamFestival.co.uk for more details on this years festival.