The
Cheltenham Festival is the most prestigious meeting in the
National Hunt racingNational Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland where the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences .-Outline:...
calendar in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, and has race prize money second only to the
Grand NationalThe Grand National is a famous National Hunt horse race which is held at Aintree in England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of about 4 miles and 856 yards , and during its running there are thirty fences to be jumped...
. It is an event where many of the best
BritishGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
and
IrishIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
trained horses race against each other, the extent of which is relatively rare during the rest of the season.
The festival takes place annually in March at
Cheltenham RacecourseCheltenham Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing events, located at Prestbury Park, in the suburban village of Prestbury on the outskirts of the English town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire...
in
CheltenhamCheltenham , or Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, England with a population of 110,013 at the 2001 census. The inhabitants are known as "Cheltonians". Its motto is: Salubritas et Eruditio ....
,
GloucestershireGloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. The meeting is often very popular with
IrishIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
visitors, mostly because of that nation's affinity with horse racing, but also because it usually coincides with
Saint Patrick's DaySaint Patrick's Day , colloquially St. Paddy's Day or simply Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick , the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on 17th of March.The day is a national holiday of Ireland: it is a bank holiday...
, a national holiday in celebration of the
patron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges...
of Ireland.
Huge amounts of money are bet during festival week, with hundreds of millions of
poundsThe pound sterling , often simply called the pound, is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory...
being gambled over the four days.
The
Cheltenham Festival is the most prestigious meeting in the
National Hunt racingNational Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland where the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences .-Outline:...
calendar in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, and has race prize money second only to the
Grand NationalThe Grand National is a famous National Hunt horse race which is held at Aintree in England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of about 4 miles and 856 yards , and during its running there are thirty fences to be jumped...
. It is an event where many of the best
BritishGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
and
IrishIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
trained horses race against each other, the extent of which is relatively rare during the rest of the season.
The festival takes place annually in March at
Cheltenham RacecourseCheltenham Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing events, located at Prestbury Park, in the suburban village of Prestbury on the outskirts of the English town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire...
in
CheltenhamCheltenham , or Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, England with a population of 110,013 at the 2001 census. The inhabitants are known as "Cheltonians". Its motto is: Salubritas et Eruditio ....
,
GloucestershireGloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. The meeting is often very popular with
IrishIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
visitors, mostly because of that nation's affinity with horse racing, but also because it usually coincides with
Saint Patrick's DaySaint Patrick's Day , colloquially St. Paddy's Day or simply Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick , the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on 17th of March.The day is a national holiday of Ireland: it is a bank holiday...
, a national holiday in celebration of the
patron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges...
of Ireland.
Huge amounts of money are bet during festival week, with hundreds of millions of
poundsThe pound sterling , often simply called the pound, is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory...
being gambled over the four days. Cheltenham is often noted for its atmosphere, most notably the "Cheltenham roar", which refers to the enormous amount of noise that the crowd generates as the horses enter the home straight for long run in to the winning post.
History
The first Cheltenham Festival was held in 1902 at Prestbury Park, Cheltenham, which still remains the same venue for the festival to this day. It was in 1904 that the first National Hunt Steeplechase was introduced to the festival, a race which would become known as the
Cheltenham Gold CupThe Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 3 miles and 2½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...
in 1924, when it was won by a horse called Red Splash. The Gold Cup was the first of the festivals four Championship races, with the
Champion HurdleThe Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 110 yards , and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped...
being introduced in 1927, the
Queen Mother Champion ChaseThe Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles , and during its running there are twelve fences to be jumped...
in 1959, and finally the
Stayers HurdleThe World Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 3 miles , and during its running there are twelve hurdles to be jumped...
, which was first run in 1972.
In 2001 the Festival was cancelled due an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Britain. The meeting had initially been postponed to April, but when a case of foot and mouth was confirmed locally, putting the racecourse within an exclusion zone, all racing had to be called off. In 2008 the second day of the festival was cancelled due to heavy storms which hit Britain during the week. The races scheduled for that day were instead run on the Thursday and Friday of the Festival.
Until 2005, the Festival had traditionally been held over the course of three days, but this changed with the introduction of a fourth day, meaning there would be one championship race on each day, climaxing with the Gold Cup on Friday. To ensure each days would still have six races, five additional races were also introduced. Two further races have since been added bringing the total to 26 races overall, with Grade One events including the
Champion BumperThe Champion Bumper is a Grade 1 National Hunt flat race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four to six years. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 110 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.The...
,
Triumph HurdleThe Triumph Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race in Great Britain. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 1 furlong , and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped...
, Ryanair Chase,
Supreme Novices' HurdleThe Supreme Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 110 yards , and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped...
, Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle, Arkle Challenge Trophy, RSA Chase, Champion Hurdle, World Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and the feature race, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The Festival also includes one of the two biggest Hunter Chases of the season, the Foxhunter's, which is run on the Friday over the same course as the Gold Cup, and is sometimes referred to as the amateurs' Gold Cup.
Criticisms
For several years there have been concerns about the high number of injuries and fatalities to horses. This was brought to a head in 2006 when 11 horses died. In response the racecourse decreased the number of runners in certain races and resited one of the more difficult fences. However, some
animal rightsAnimal rights, also referred to as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of humans...
groups do not accept that this is sufficient.
Race schedule
The following table contains the race schedule for the 2009 festival, with each days feature race in bold.
| Time | |Wednesday | |Friday |
|---|
| 13:30 |
Supreme Novices' Hurdle The Supreme Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 110 yards , and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped...
|
National Hunt Steeple Chase Challenge Cup |
Jewson Novices' Handicap Chase |
Triumph Hurdle The Triumph Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race in Great Britain. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 1 furlong , and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped...
|
| 14:05 |
Arkle Challenge Trophy |
Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle |
Pertemps Final |
Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle The Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle is a Grade 3 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 1 furlong , and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped...
|
| 14:40 |
William Hill Trophy The William Hill Trophy is a Grade 3 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 3 miles and 110 yards , and during its running there are nineteen fences to be jumped...
|
RSA Chase |
Ryanair Chase |
Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle The Spa Novices' Hurdle, also presently known as the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle, is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 3 miles , and during its running there are...
|
| 15:20 |
Champion HurdleThe Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 110 yards , and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped...
|
Queen Mother Champion ChaseThe Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles , and during its running there are twelve fences to be jumped...
|
World HurdleThe World Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 3 miles , and during its running there are twelve hurdles to be jumped...
|
Cheltenham Gold CupThe Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 3 miles and 2½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...
|
| 16:00 |
Cross Country Handicap Chase |
Coral Cup The Coral Cup is a Grade 3 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 5 furlongs , and during its running there are ten hurdles to be jumped...
|
Freddie Williams Festival Plate The Freddie Williams Festival Plate is a Grade 3 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 4½ furlongs , and during its running there are fifteen fences to be jumped...
|
Christie's Foxhunter Chase |
| 16:40 |
David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle The David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt horse race in Great Britain which is open to mares aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs , and during its running there are nine hurdles to be jumped...
|
Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle The Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle is a Grade 3 National Hunt horse race in Great Britain. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 110 yards , and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped...
|
Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup |
Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle The Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle is a National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 4½ furlongs , and during its running there are nine hurdles to be jumped...
|
| 17:15 |
|
Champion Bumper The Champion Bumper is a Grade 1 National Hunt flat race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four to six years. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 110 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.The...
|
|
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase is a Grade 3 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles and 110 yards , and during its running there are fourteen fences to be jumped...
|
Top Jockeys
The top jockey for the festival is the jockey who wins the most races over the four days. The winners since 1980 with wins in brackets are:
- 2009 Ruby Walsh
Ruby Walsh is the reigning Irish National Hunt champion jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen.-Success:...
(7)
- 2008 Ruby Walsh (3)
- 2007 Robert Thornton
Robert "Choc" Thornton is an English National Hunt jockey currently employed as stable jockey to Alan King....
(4)
- 2006 Ruby Walsh (3)
- 2005 Graham Lee
Graham Lee is a successful Irish National Hunt jockey in Great Britain and Ireland. Prior to May 2006, he was the main stable jockey for Howard Johnson, but was replaced by Paddy Brennan, allegedly after a disagreement over his return from an injury. Lee became the main stable jockey and deputy...
(3)
- 2004 Ruby Walsh (3)
- 2003 Barry Geraghty
Barry Geraghty is an Irish jockey. Geraghty rode his first winner in January 1997, three years later he became the Irish Champion jump jockey for the first time. He won the Grand National in 2003 on Monty's Pass...
(5)
- 2002 Richard Johnson
Richard Johnson Richard Johnson Richard Johnson (born 21 July 1977 in Hereford is an English National Hunt jockey. He comes from a racing family with his father being an amateur jockey and his mother, Sue Johnson, a successful trainer....
(2)
- 2001 Cancelled - foot & mouth
- 2000 Mick Fitzgerald
Mick Fitzgerald is an Irish National Hunt jockey who rode mainly in Great Britain. He has ridden the winners of the Grand National, on Rough Quest in 1996, and the Cheltenham Gold Cup on See More Business in 1999. He was the stable jockey for Nicky Henderson and was leading jockey at the...
(4)
- 1999 Mick Fitzgerald (4)
- 1998 Tony McCoy
For the football player of the same name see Tony McCoy .Anthony Peter McCoy, MBE , more commonly known as A.P...
(5)
- 1997 Tony McCoy (3)
- 1996 Richard Dunwoody
Thomas Richard Dunwoody MBE is a retired Irish jockey in National Hunt racing. He was a three-time Champion Jockey, riding 1699 British winners in his career...
(2)
- 1995 Norman Williamson (4)
- 1994 Charlie Swan (3)
- 1993 Charlie Swan (4)
- 1992 Jamie Osborne (5)
- 1991 Peter Scudamore
Peter Scudamore is a former jockey and trainer in National Hunt racing. He was an eight-time Champion Jockey , riding 1,678 winners in his career....
(2)
- 1990 Richard Dunwoody (2)
- 1989 Tom Morgan (2)
- 1988 Simon Sherwood (2)
- 1987 Peter Scudamore (2)
- 1986 Peter Scudamore (2)
- 1985 Steve Smith Eccles (3)
- 1984 Jonjo O'Neill
Jonjo O'Neill is an Irish National Hunt racehorse trainer and former jockey. He is a native of Castletownroche, County Cork in Ireland. Based at the Jackdaws Castle training establishment in England, O'Neill is the private trainer to J. P. McManus, one of the largest owners of steeplechasers and...
(2)
- 1983 Graham Bradley (2)
- 1982 Jonjo O'Neill (1)
- 1981 John Francome
John Francome MBE is a former National Hunt Champion Jockey.Born in Swindon the son of a railway fireman, his family had no connection with the horse racing world. At sixteen years old he became apprentice to Lambourn trainer Fred Winter and so began his career as a jockey. He rode a total of...
(3)
- 1980 Jim Wilson (3)
External links