When is the Cheltenham Festival, where can you watch it and who will win it?
By Molly Hunter, Press Association
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most recognisable and well-attended race meetings of the year, hosted at Prestbury Park in Gloucestershire across four days in March.
Here, the Press Association lays out everything you need to know about the event.
When is it?
The Cheltenham Festival begins on Tuesday, March 10th, and runs until Friday, March 13th. On each day there are seven races, the first being at 1.20 and the last being at 5.20, with 40-minute intervals in between.
Where can I watch the Cheltenham Festival?
The Cheltenham Festival is covered extensively on ITV, with Racing TV also broadcasting from the meeting with coverage of every race. The ITV1 coverage begins each day of the meeting at 12.45, with Racing TV going on air much earlier in the morning.
Which are the key races?
On each day there is a feature race, which is the most prestigious on its respective racecard. On Tuesday it is the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Wednesday, Thursday is the Stayers’ Hurdle and on Friday it is the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the most coveted race of the meeting and indeed of the jumps season.
Is the event just for British horses?
Jump racing is most prominent in Britain and Ireland and the Cheltenham Festival has developed into a contest between the two, with the winning nation being awarded the Prestbury Cup. It is not unheard of for other nations to send runners to the meeting, however, and the French have had some success over the years.
Who are the horses to look out for?
Nicky Henderson is one of the leading trainers at the meeting and he has high hopes for Old Park Star in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Lulamba in the Arkle and Jango Baie in the Gold Cup.
Irish trainer Willie Mullins has dominated the fixture in recent years and he has plentiful chances across the four days, with Majborough (Queen Mother Champion Chase) and Gaelic Warrior (Gold Cup) among his leading chances.
The Champion Hurdle looks an open contest this year, but The New Lion is one of the ante-post favourites for Dan Skelton while last year’s shock 25-1 winner Golden Ace defends her title.