The 2018 Cheltenham Festival is just a week away now with the first race getting underway at 1.30 on 13th March. Here’s everything you need to know about the most prestigious jumps event in horse racing.
When is it?
The 2018 Cheltenham Festival takes place between Tuesday 13th March and Friday 16th March.
What are the big races?
There are four headline races in the festival, each of them at 3.30. On Tuesday, known as Champion Day, the Champion Hurdle is the highlight. Wednesday is Ladies’ Day and features the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Thursday presents the Stayers’ Hurdle and the Ryanair Chase, while Friday is one of the biggest days in horse racing’s annual calendar. It’s Gold Cup day and the race gets underway at 3.30. It’s the most coveted prize in the world of jumps racing.
There’s more than just the Champion races right?
Cheltenham Festival has been named as the Olympics for jump racing and almost every division is covered across the four days. There’s a full schedule below for you to sink your teeth into across the four days.
Tuesday
- 30 – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
- 10 – Arkle Challenge Trophy
- 50 – Festival Trophy Handicap Chase
- 30 – Champion Hurdle
- 10 – David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle
- 50 – National Hunt Challenge Cup
- 30 – Centenary Novices’ Handicap Chase
Wednesday
- 30 – Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
- 10 – RSA Chase
- 50 – Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle
- 30 – Queen Mother Champion Chase
- 10 – Cross Country Chase
- 50 – Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
- 30 – Champion Bumper
Thursday
- 30 – JLT Novices’ Chase
- 10 – Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle
- 50 – Ryanair Chase
- 30 – Stayers’ Hurdle
- 10 – Festival Plate Handicap Chase
- 50 – Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
- 30 – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup
Friday
- 30 – Triumph Hurdle
- 10 – County Hurdle
- 50 – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
- 30 – Cheltenham Gold Cup
- 10 – Foxhunters’ Chase
- 50 – Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle
- 30 – Grand Annual Handicap Chase
Who should I look out for?
In terms of horses, there are two of last year’s champions looking to defend their titles. Buveur D’Air (1/2*) is the current favourite for Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle, while Sizing John (6/1*) is a good bet for the Gold Cup.
Last year’s Champion Chase winner, Special Tiara (14/1), is also back, but has struggled so far this season and that race could be made for Altior, who’s unbeaten over hurdles and fences.
As for humans, Irish champion trainer and jockey Ruby Walsh have been prolific in terms of winning over the last few seasons. It promises to be a big week for British champion trainer Nicky Henderson, who cares for both Altior and Buveur D’Air. Gordon Elliott was last year’s leading trainer and has a banker in Samcro at this year’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.
Where can I find the racecards?
You can already find all the racecards and odds on NetBet Sport’s horse racing page.
Where can I find tips?
Stay tuned to the NetBet Sport blog for tips ahead of all the champion races and others in the run-up to the start of Cheltenham Festival.
I was looking for another Cheltenham Festival…
Ahh, it looks as if you’ve come to the wrong site at the wrong time of year. The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Festival of Literature runs for nine days in October and has a programme of almost 500 debates.