The Cheltenham Festival – Live Online
Watch All The Races Live On Your PC, Mobile Or Tablet
The History Of The Course – The much loved UK racecourse, Cheltenham, can trace its beginnings back to 1815 on Nottingham Hill when the very first flat race took place. Over the next ten years, the racing popularity took hold over the nation and crowds of up to 30,000 people swarmed the field to watch the two day event held every July. The race was moved to Prestbury Park (where it’s still held to this day) in 1831 after a Cheltenham priest touted the evils of horse racing and disrupted the event in 1830 because the grandstands were burned to the ground in religious fervour. It wasn’t until 1898 that steeplechasing became popular at the Prestbury Park venue and continued–somewhat shakily–through the 1960s before the Jockey Club Racecourses (formerly Racecourse Holdings Trust) secured the property and guaranteed the future of Cheltenham. From the 1960s to the 1970s, steady improvements were made the racecourse. The Tattersalls Grandstand opened in 1960 to handle the ever-growing crowds while the racecourse centre was finally completed to become one of the most popular race day enclosures on site. It wasn’t until the ’90s that the new stable complex was opened and a stable staff hotel was finished to accommodate over 120 staff members. The Cross Country Course was opened in 1995 and is used just three times a year, one of which is during the Festival. Currently, the Festival is worth over £50m to the local economy and plans to expand the weighing room and media centre as well as improve the current paddock viewing.
Stand Out Cheltenham Moments – By far, the most famous horse to ever run on the Cheltenham racecourse was Golden Miller, owned by Dorothy Paget. He ran five successive Gold Cups starting in 1932 and ran every single race, upping the incredibility because he was ridden by a different jockey during every Cup race. He also won the 1934 Grand National on top of his Gold Cup Win, causing society to dub him “God on four legs”. To this day, he is still the most successful horse in the Gold Cup history. The 1980 Cup winner, Tied Cottage, was later disqualified and forced to give up his win after he tested positive for doping, which was found to have been added to his feed. One of the biggest successes in Gold Cup history came in 1983 when trainer Michael Dickinson had five horses all place in the top five. In 1990, a horse named Norton’s Coin won the Gold Cup–with 100-1 odds, making it the biggest upset in the race’s history. Unfortunately, some of the Festival’s history revolves around non-race excitement, such as the 2001 Festival being cancelled due to a large outbreak of foot and mouth disease, a highly contagious and painful disease.
2023 Cheltenham Festival Race Schedule And Information (Race Distances Approx)
Champion Day – Tuesday 14th March
1:30 – Supreme Novices Hurdle – Raced over 2 miles 87 yards
2:10 – Arkle Challenge Trophy – Raced over 1 mile 7 furlongs 199 yards
2:50 – Ultima Handicap Chase – Raced over 3 miles 1 furlong
3:30 – Champion Hurdle – Raced over 2 miles 87 yards
4:10 – Mares Hurdle – Raced over 2 miles 3 furlongs 200 yards
4:50 – Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurlde – Raced over 2 miles 4.5 furlongs
5:30 – National Hunt Chase – Raced over 3 miles 6 furlongs
Ladies Day – Wednesday 15th March
1:30 – Ballymore Novices Hurdle – Raced over 2 miles 5 furlongs
2:10 – Brown Advisory Novice Chase – Raced over 3 miles 80 yards
2:50 – Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle – Raced over 2 miles 5 furlongs
3:30 – Queen Mother Champion Chase – Raced over 1 mile 7 furlongs 99 yards
4:10 – Cross Country Handicap Chase – Raced over 3 miles 6 furlongs 37 yards
4:50 – Grand Annual Handicap Chase – Raced over 2 miles 87 yards
5:30 – Champion Bumper – Raced over 2 miles 87 yards
St Patrick’s Thursday – Thursday 16th March
1:30 – Turners Novices Chase – Raced over 2 miles 3 furlongs 166 yards
2:10 – Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle – Raced over 2 miles 7 furlongs 213 yards
2:50 – Ryanair Chase – Raced over 2 miles 4 furlongs 127 yards
3:30 – Stayers’ Hurdle – Raced over 2 miles 7 furlongs 213 yards
4:10 – Festival Plate – Raced over 2 miles 4 furlongs 166 yards
4:50 – Mares Novices Hurdle – Raced over 2 miles 179 yards
5:30 – Kim Muir Challenge Cup – Raced over 3 miles 2 furlongs
Cheltenham Gold Cup Day – Friday 17th March
1:30 – Triumph Hurdle – Raced over 2 miles 179 yards
2:10 – County Handicap Hurdle – Raced over 2 miles 179 yards
2:50 – Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle – Raced over 2 miles 7 furlongs 213 yards
3:30 – Cheltenham Gold Cup – Raced over 3 miles 2 furlongs 70 yards
4:10 – Festival Challenge Cup Hunters Chase – Raced over 3 miles 2 furlongs 70 yards
4:50 – Mares Steeple Chase – Raced over 2 miles 62 yards
5:30 – Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle – Raced over 2 miles 4 furlongs 56 yards