Day Four Of The Festival

The fourth and final day of the Cheltenham Festival, which this year falls on the 19th of March, is the highlight of the Festival, as it is the day that holds the illustrious Cheltenham Gold Cup. The Gold Cup is the feature race of the day and the festival, starting at 15:20, but the lead-up to the big race includes the JCB Triumph Hurdle which starts at 13:30. The JCB Triumph is a grade one event for four year old novice hurdlers run over two miles one furlong. The race was first held in 1965 following the closure of Hurst Park, the original venue for the Festival. This race traditionally has a field of twenty-eight, but has been reduced in recent years with the introduction of an alternative handicap for juveniles, leading to a better quality of horses lining up.

The Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle kicks off at 14:05 and is a class one grade three handicap hurdle, run over two miles and one furlong. It is renowned as one of the most difficult races of the Festival on which to back a winner, due to the varied field of handicappers – you have been warned!

The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle is the third race out of the day’s seven, starting at 14:40. Run over three miles, this race was previously known as the Brit Insurance Novices Hurdle and was introduced to the festival in 2005. It was backed by Albert Bartlett for the first time in 2009, which coincided with its upgrade to Grade One race status. A Class A Grade One hurdle open to novices aged four years old and above, who are just below the Ladbroke World Hurdle standard, and has a total prize of £100,000. This is one race where it is not as difficult to establish the winner – in the past four years none of the winners have returned in double figures.

The fourth race, the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase is the main event, and the definite highlight of the Festival. Run over three miles two and a half furlongs, this is a Class A Grade One chase open to horses five years and above. This is the race that brings the best European horse to public attention, and this year there is much speculation about Paul Nicholls’-trained stablemates Denman and Kauto Star, both who have won the Gold Cup previously – if Kauto Star wins this year it will be his third win of the race. The prize fund for the Gold Cup is £475,000!!!!

Following the excitement of the Gold Cup is the Christie’s Foxhunter Steeple Chase at 16:00. A Class B chase run over three miles and two and a half furlongs, this race is open to horses five years old and upwards. One of the oldest races of the Festival, having first been run in 1904, it is now the most high-status hunter chase of the season. The prize fund for this race may seem meagre after the Gold Cup, but is still substantial at £40,000, and there is huge competition in this race between UK and Irish trainers.

The second last race of the day and the Festival is the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at 16:40. A two mile four and a half furlong race, this is the newest race at the Festival, giving a chance to up-and-coming jockeys to ride at the Festival. The race is named in honour of Martin Pipe who is the most successful National Hunt trainer of all time, having trained thirty-four winners at the Festival, including the Champion Hurdle twice, with Granville Again (1993) and Make A Stand (1997), though victory in the Gold Cup eluded him.

The last race of the Festival, the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Steeple Chase begins at 17:15, a Class A Grade Three chase run over two miles half a furlong. Open to horses five years old and above, the total prize fund is £80,000, and offers those horses who can only manage the distance of over two miles the chance to partake at the Cheltenham Festival. Named after Nicky Henderson’s father, it makes it difficult for him to not try and win it every year!