Cheltenham Course Guide
Undisputedly THE home of National Hunt racing, Cheltenham and its four-day Festival represent the pinnacle of the sport. Put simply, no horse can be considered a jumps ‘champion’ without proving itself on the biggest stage of all in the Cotswolds in March.
For most professionally-involved in the sport, leading in or riding a winner at the Festival is an achievement equal or greater than any other, be it in a blue riband event such as the Champion Hurdle or Gold Cup or in one of the clutch of competitive handicaps that are an equal hallmark of the meeting.
Cheltenham’s position at the top of the tree is further boosted by its racing calendar outside of the Festival, which is possible due to the course having two tracks – the ‘Old’ and ‘New’ courses - at its disposal. The opening October meeting is viewed by many as the unofficial start of the season, whilst the standard of the three-day Open meeting a month later is almost as high as the Festival itself. Valuable races are staged at the mid-December and New Year meetings whilst the late January fixture is rightly billed as ‘Trials Day’. After the Festival there is also a popular two-day meeting in April and the season ends with the Hunter Chase evening in early May.
Advance Going
Left handed, undulating. Stiff fences; the fourth last comes soon after a turn at the top of the hill and catches out plenty. The last half mile is uphill, although the lead changes hands on the run-in less frequently than expected. Horses who race prominently often fare well on the chase course, especially in races up to 2m 4f 100yds. The hurdles course has just two flights in the last six furlongs, resulting in more emphasis on stamina; large-field races over two miles often go to hold-up horses, as there can be a tendency to go for home too soon.
To the naked eye, or to the layman, Cheltenham looks very stiff, but the two courses are actually totally different and I rate the Old Course much the quicker. So, especially on that, you need a horse that can travel easily within itself. Without one of those, you invariably find yourself snookered, because you’re always trying to get into a position to improve. Ideally, therefore, you need a horse that can get into a gap as soon as one appears, because there’s so little time to manoeuvre. If you have to think about going for a gap, nine times out of ten it’s too late - someone else will have got into it before you. As for the uphill finish, it only rides really testing if you’re on one that’s tying up. Then, it feels like an eternity from the last to the line.
View from the saddle: Mick Fitzgerald
Upcoming races
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17:20 Skybet Supreme Novices' Hurdle (Class 1) (Grade 1) (GBB Race)
(Class 1) (2m 87y) -
18:00 Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase (Class 1) (Grade 1) (GBB Race)
(Class 1) (1m 7f 199y) -
18:40 The Hallgarten and Novum Wines Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Registered As The Fred Winter) (Premier Handicap)
(Class 1) (2m 87y) -
19:20 The Ultima Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
(Class 1) (3m 1f) -
20:00 Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Class 1) (Grade 1) (GBB Race)
(Class 1) (2m 87y) -
20:40 The TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
(Class ) (2m 4f 44y) -
21:20 Princess Royal National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices' Handicap Chase
(Class 1) (3m 5f 201y)
Results
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Trainer Runners Wins Prize Money Strike-Rate P/L G P Cromwell 65 13 £705K 20% £9.48 Dan Skelton 82 12 £779K 14.63% -£4.26 W P Mullins 72 11 £1,755K 15.28% -£26.37 H De Bromhead 58 9 £706K 15.52% £35.20 N J Henderson 48 9 £370K 18.75% £11.83 P F Nicholls 65 8 £408K 12.31% -£21.10 Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies 60 6 £182K 10% -£29.28 Miss V Williams 77 5 £194K 6.49% -£54.95 J Tizzard 47 4 £129K 8.51% -£5.17 A J Honeyball 20 4 £73K 20% £1.20 Trainer Runners Wins Prize Money Strike-Rate P/L Dan Skelton 92 19 £653K 20.65% £45.73 N J Henderson 101 15 £662K 14.85% -£30.89 W P Mullins 149 14 £1,210K 9.4% £14.30 G Elliott 104 9 £622K 8.65% £15.75 H De Bromhead 49 6 £453K 12.24% -£0.75 O Murphy 43 5 £69K 11.63% -£24.25 F O'Brien 64 5 £98K 7.81% -£26.67 P F Nicholls 49 5 £223K 10.2% £6.50 James Owen 32 5 £208K 15.63% £12.05 Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies 63 4 £93K 6.35% -£56.55 Trainer Runners Wins Prize Money Strike-Rate P/L W P Mullins 26 3 £105K 11.54% -£12.00 T Cooper 4 2 £30K 50% £12.25 Dan Skelton 13 1 £13K 7.69% -£10.50 F O'Brien 11 1 £10K 9.09% -£10.50 P A Kirby 4 1 £8K 25% £63.00 O Signy 3 1 £8K 33.33% £12.00 B Brookhouse 3 1 £14K 33.33% £0.25 Mrs J Williams 3 1 £14K 33.33% £1.50 Toby Bulgin 3 1 £8K 33.33% £18.00 Miss H C Knight 3 1 £14K 33.33% £14.00 -
Jockey Runners Wins Prize Money Strike-Rate P/L H Cobden 68 11 £400K 16.18% £6.90 Harry Skelton 60 10 £735K 16.67% £0.74 Keith Donoghue 35 10 £288K 28.57% £11.95 Sam Twiston-Davies 65 8 £312K 12.31% -£11.03 N de Boinville 38 8 £330K 21.05% -£7.17 S Bowen 62 7 £234K 11.29% £9.33 Charlie Deutsch 58 6 £220K 10.34% -£30.75 Paul Townend 17 6 £1,196K 35.29% -£0.89 Darragh O'Keeffe 29 5 £210K 17.24% £32.20 Miss Gina Andrews 29 5 £38K 17.24% -£13.29 Jockey Runners Wins Prize Money Strike-Rate P/L Harry Skelton 64 17 £585K 26.56% £35.23 H Cobden 71 11 £411K 15.49% £10.85 N de Boinville 56 11 £531K 19.64% -£16.51 Paul Townend 31 11 £988K 35.48% £8.30 Sam Twiston-Davies 64 8 £218K 12.5% -£14.75 S Bowen 76 6 £74K 7.89% -£36.25 James Bowen 22 5 £97K 22.73% -£0.13 Rachael Blackmore 26 5 £430K 19.23% £10.25 Danny Gilligan 19 4 £103K 21.05% £7.50 Mark Walsh 25 3 £319K 12% £25.50 Jockey Runners Wins Prize Money Strike-Rate P/L S Bowen 11 2 £30K 18.18% -£5.50 J J Burke 12 2 £18K 16.67% -£5.25 Harry Skelton 14 1 £13K 7.14% -£10.50 H Cobden 13 1 £15K 7.69% £0.00 G Sheehan 7 1 £8K 14.29% £8.00 B S Hughes 6 1 £8K 16.67% £15.00 J M Quinlan 6 1 £14K 16.67% -£2.75 Mr P W Mullins 4 1 £46K 25% £1.50 Joe Williamson 3 1 £8K 33.33% £64.00 Miss J Townend 3 1 £46K 33.33% £2.00
Future Fixtures
Address & Contact
Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL50 4SH
01242 513014
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