History Of Cheltenham Festival
Every year, the Cheltenham Festival is one of the largest and most prestigious horse meetings, attracting world-class horses, trainers and jockeys from across the world. This four-day festival is held annually at the iconic Cheltenham Racecourse down in Gloucestershire, with it becoming especially well-known thanks to its thrilling races and electric atmosphere from the passionate spectators. Although it is a staple on the horse racing betting calendar today though, the history of Cheltenham Festival is a seasoned one, with this event being steeped in tradition and iconic moments, all of which we have broken down for you at BoyleSports .
What Is Cheltenham Festival?
To understand the history of Cheltenham Festival, though, we must first fully understand what it is and how it typically operates. As we have already mentioned, Cheltenham is an annual horse event that takes place in March each year. This marks one of the biggest occasions in jump racing on the horse racing betting calendar, with this being due to the course being a challenging one, resulting in an abundance of competitive races.
Cheltenham Festival is often considered the pinnacle of National Hunt racing, with this being aided thanks to its 4-day running period. Each of the days at Cheltenham features elite races, with the Champions Hurdle, Queen Mother Chase and the Gold Cup being amongst some of the most notable.
One of the things that has made Cheltenham Festival such a staple over the years, however, is the fierce rivalry between Irish and British-trained horses, with this being a rivalry as old as the festival itself. Due to Irish jockeys and trainers enjoying frequent success over the course of this festival, it has developed an exciting subplot, with this especially being the case when it comes around to the Prestbury Cup, which sees competitors from the two nations face off.
When Was The First Cheltenham Festival?
The history of Cheltenham Festival as a whole actually dates back all the way back to 1860, with this being the year in which the first organised meeting was recorded. The roots of the festival itself, however, stretch back even further, with the first traces of the races taking place in 1815 at the Nottingham Hill track. This was before the festival moved to Prestbury Park, now the iconic home of the festival.
As the decades have progressed, the Cheltenham Festival has evolved drastically, with the introduction of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1924 elevating the prestige of the event even further. Since then, the Gold Cup has become one of the most coveted prizes in Grade 1 National Hunt racing, with the addition of the Champion Hurdle 3 years later in 1927 further solidifying the esteemed status of Cheltenham.
The meeting continued to expand in popularity as the years went on, so much so that Cheltenham expanded from the original 3 days up to 4 in 2005. In turn, this allowed for there to be even more feature races added to the lineup, with the increased time frame of the festival remaining to this day.
How Many People Go To Cheltenham Festival?
As it has become arguably the pinnacle of horse racing in the UK, the Cheltenham Festival now attracts crowds in the hundreds of thousands. Over the 4 days, the festival regularly sees the number of spectators at the racecourse surpass 250,000, with Gold Cup Day, the final day of the festival, often being the most highly attended. 2019 actually saw the biggest crowd on opening day, with a whopping 67,934 attendees visiting the racecourse.
All of these spectators are accommodated by the bustling grandstands that have become a staple of the festival itself. From the famous Guinness Village all the way to the Best Mate enclosure, Cheltenham Festival sees all of its main enclosures full to the brim each year.
Famous Cheltenham Horses
Throughout the history of Cheltenham Festival, the top-tier meeting has been graced by some of the greatest horses ever to compete in the National Hunt category. Some of the most famous Cheltenham horses include the following, with each of these horses claiming some of the best horse racing results the festival has seen as well as picking up their own impressive accolades over the years:
Best Mate: A modern-day icon who won three Gold Cups in a row between 2002 and 2004.
Arkle: The first horse to win 3 Gold Cups in a row between 1964 and 1966, cementing its place in history doing so.
Kauto Star: The first horse ever to regain the Gold Cup after losing it, doing so on two separate occasions in 2007 and 2009.
Dawn Run: The only horse in Cheltenham Festival history to win both the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup, doing so in 1984 and 1986, respectively.
Istabraq: One of the finest hurdle racers, this horse won the Champion Hurdle 3 times between 1998 and 2000.
It is thanks to these legendary horses and countless others that have helped shape the history of Cheltenham Festival, establishing its reputation as the ultimate stage for National Hunt racing. Consequently, the festival as a whole has remained up there as the most anticipated event in horse racing, with it continuing to look to build upon its steeped tradition and history going forward.