Irish domination
The Prestbury Cup is an award for the most wins between Irish and UK stables at the Cheltenham Festival. With the UK barely reaching double-figures in recent years it’s been a procession for the Irish since a 14-14 draw back in 2019. Before those shared spoils, the UK last got their hands on the trophy outright in 2015. Expect Ireland to go ahead on Day 1 and not be pegged back.
People moaning about the Cross-Country race
It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s been a feature of the Festival for a long while now – even if its abandonment caused a shorter card on the Wednesday of last year. The Cross-Country is back after an enforced absence and it’s best to enjoy it as a spectacle, as long as the jockey’s take the right course - in 2012 horses were disqualified for going the wrong way on the complicated circuits!
Footballers and celebrities having a day out
The Cheltenham Festival is the place to be, but even if you’re watching from home expect the TV cameras to pick out a smattering of celebs and sport’s stars winding down with a wager.
Superstar & crossover sport horses
On Friday, Harry Redknapp's Jukebox Man goes for a third consecutive win in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Aiming to join names that will live long in the game. A spectacle worth waiting for on the final day.
People celebrating St Patrick’s Day early
A genius marketing ploy by Cheltenham Racecourse is to ignore the fact that St Patrick’s Day is March 17th, by just designating the Thursday of the Festival as ‘St Patrick’s Day’ anyway.
Bad tipsters
Everyone knows someone who is happy to share their tips on the biggest horse racing event of the year, but you’ll get proper satisfaction from working out the puzzles yourself. Each-way bets in the big handicaps at big prices is always a sensible strategy.
Horses suddenly improving
This is the ‘World Cup’ of National Hunt racing, but some horses are tenderly handled to ensure they arrive in Gloucester in tip-top condition. Therefore, you can forgive horses a bad run in January or February as they focus on the big one in March.
The Sun
Cheltenham has been plagued with bad weather in recent years as the rain has come down and changed ‘the going’ to soft or heavy across most of the last few festivals. This year, barring Thursday, we’re likely to see clear skies and sunshine. While you bask in it, expect hoses and sprinklers to do the job of the rain and make a lush surface for jumping.
Royalty
the late Queen Elizabeth II did enjoy her racing, but was more a patron of the Flat game. The race named after her mother, ‘The Queen Mother Champion Chase’ on the Wednesday usually has at least a royal in attendance to hand over the prizes.
