 The initial day of the Cheltenham Festival comprises of six races, with the meeting getting underway with the Supreme Novices Hurdle early on Tuesday afternoon. There is traditionally one race less on the first day than the other two but in no way is the quality of racing inferior. The feature race is the Champion Hurdle which despite attracting large fields is normally taken by those more favoured in the Cheltenham betting markets. Closely behind the Champion Hurdle with regards prestige comes the the Arkle which tends to comprise of small highly competitive fields.
Day two of the Cheltenham meeting features seven equally fascinating events including the Champion Bumper which is a flat race run under National Hunt rules and the showpiece event, the Queen Mother Chase. The later of the two, the Queen Mother Chase is often viewed as one of the bookmakers most feared races, as favourites tend to perform exceptionally well in this event. Another of the horse races which takes place on the Wednesday is the The Coral Cup and although being one of the latest additions to the racing meeting it already has a strong Irish winning connection to it.
The final day of the Cheltenham Festival commences with the Triumph Hurdle which is probably the most spectacular betting event of the entire meeting. The huge field assembles and once underway the best term to describe the race is a cavalry charge. With so many competitors involved, betting on the race is substantial and shocks are often on the cards. The third race of the day is unquestionably the race meetings main event, the Cheltenham Gold Cup which becomes the sole focus of millions of pounds within the betting industry. The entrants for the Gold Cup tend to be the elite of UK National Hunt racing and picking the winner is never easy. The final race of the Cheltenham race meeting is the County Handicap Hurdle which quite often resembles a last minute betting stampede with many hoping to win back lost stakes from the previous nineteen races. Click here for the latest 2004 Cheltenham Festival Betting |
