The beautiful horses, interesting trails, and professional jockeys – this is all about Cheltenham Festival. This magic horse tournament will immerse you in the atmosphere of England during the 18th century, with noble horses and old traditions of riders. But how do you prepare to visit the Cheltenham Festival? What are the best places to buy tickets? Today, we’ll tell you all we know about this stately horse competition and will touch on a little bit of its history.
History of Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is an old horse-rising festival in England, held since 1860. Initially, it was named the Grand National Hunt Meeting. As time passed and the number of participants grew, the founders renamed it the Cheltenham Festival. The Cheltenham Tournament includes a series of horse riding competitions. This includes the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, and Stayers’ Hurdle. For each race, the organizers set aside one day, so the tournament takes 4 days. The Cheltenham Festival passes annually in March, close to St. Patrick’s Day.
Overview of Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham Racecourse is located in Prestbury Park in Gloucestershire, England. The course has scenic landscapes and beautiful trails. It can accommodate up to 67,500 visitors and serves as the largest auditorium in England’s South West. There are more than 2,000 seats for spectators and 4,000 standing places. This course is also a venue for multiple concerts, such as the Greenbelt and Wychwood Music Festival.
The Cheltenham course is very tricky and even challenging for some jockeys. It can be divided into old and new course distances. If the old one was plain and more understandable for riders, the new racecourse is way more windier, thus interesting. Moreover, the racecourse presents a big and reliable amphitheater for all spectators.
Recent updates
In 2008, the founders of Cheltenham Festival talked about the possible moving of this tournament to another course. However, due to financial reasons, they canceled this offer. Instead, they started to renovate the initial Cheltenham course. In 2015, visitors were able to evaluate the updated course. Cheltenham racecourse opened the new 6,500-capacity Princess Royal Stand and showed the increased number of seats.
Key Races and Events
Before 2005, the tournament was traditionally held for 3 days, but since then, it has had to be prolonged to 4 days. This was done to pick one day for each of the 4 traditional races. The 4th, final race was supposed to be the Gold Cup, thanks to which the winner of the whole festival would be defined.
Major Races and Notable Winners
During over 100 years of holding the Cheltenham Festival, the world has seen many major races. What is more important is that Cheltenham opened new paths in career for its winners. For example, in 1983, the woman Caroline Beasley won the tournament. Caroline was the first female jockey to win the Foxhunter Chase on Eliogarty.
Ruby Walsh won the festival a record number of times in a row. Ruby is an Irish jockey who was a Cheltenham champion from 2008 to 2017. Rachael Blackmore is another female leading jockey who has won the Cheltenham six times. In 2021, she even grabbed the Gold Cup, further strengthening her positions.
Notable Jockeys and Horses
Horses play a crucial role in the successful ride. Many famous jockeys have their own horses, on which they obtain the best results. All of this is because they find a proper approach to the horse and get used to it. In this part of our article, we’ll look at the most notable jockeys and highlight horses that helped them earn their titles.
Famous Jockeys and Standout Horses
Despite the fact that the Cheltenham Festival is famous across the world, it doesn’t attract many international participants. So, generally, jockeys and trainers represent the host country – England.
Jockey | Horse | Race | Title |
Ruby Walsh | Kauto Star | Cheltenham Gold Cup | Won 59 Cheltenham races and remained the most successful jockey in history |
Rachael Blackmore | Honeysuckle | Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup | The first female jockey to win at the Cheltenham Festival |
Barry Geraghty | Sprinter Sacre | Queen Mother Champion Chase | Multiple-time Cheltenham winner |
AP McCoy | Synchronised | Cheltenham Gold Cup | The greatest jump-jockey |
Davy Russel | Tiger Roll | Cross Country Chase | Won the Grand National twice with the same horse (Tiger Roll) |
Paul Townend | Al Boum Photo | Cheltenham Gold Cup | Won the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice |
Richard Johnson | Native River | Cheltenham Gold Cup | Won over 20 races at the Cheltenham Festival |
Festival Experience
The next Cheltenham Festival will be held from 11-14 March at Cheltenham Racecourse. Many people dream of visiting this tremendous horse tournament every year. That’s why, even a year before the tournament, many booking websites already sell tickets and packages. Let’s find the best ticketing sources and consider things you can bring to Cheltenham!
Fan Traditions and Ticket Tips
The official Cheltenham Festival’s website every year offers its visitors a wide range of hospitality packages. These options are made to ensure high-level comfort and the best views for their guests.
Champion Day Hospitality
- Platinum Suite Marquees
- The Privilege Suite
- Date: 11/03/2025
- Price: $730 and $1165,78
Style Wednesday Hospitality
- Platinum Suite Marquees
- The Privilege Suite
- Date: 12/03/2025
- Price: $730 and $1165,78
St. Patrick’s Day Hospitality
- Platinum Suite Marquees
- The Privilege Suite
- Date: 13/03/2025
- Price: $730 and $1165,78
Gold Cup Day Hospitality
- Platinum Suite Marquees
- The Privilege Suite
- Date: 14/03/2025
- Price: $885 and $1477
For those who like to buy just a ticket to the festival (without the full package), organizers present tickets from $55 to $300. Before making a purchase, every fan should know what viewing angle suits him better. For instance, the ticket price for the Parade Ring viewing is typically lower than the price for a seating place at the Grandstand of the Racecourse.
What to Bring?
Own food and water are strongly prohibited at the Racecourse. However, you can buy all the necessary things at the local shops. Don’t forget to wear a warm jacket and reliable shoes, in case you’re standing. The car parking places are not included in the price, but you can add one parking place for just $20 when purchasing.
Wear comfortable clothes, and make sure you have phone charges so as not to miss anything.
Betting at Cheltenham
Betting on horses occurs during many horse-riding championships, and the Cheltenham Festival is not an exception. People started placing bets on their favorite horses in the 1600s during the reign of King James I. Gamblers made bets on the final outcome of the tournament and waited for their winning. However, offline betting at the Cheltenham tournament right now is strongly prohibited. Yet, many bettors use their favorite online website to place a stake in a particular outcome or the horse. But how do you bet on a horse-riding sport, and which markets are the best in this case?
Betting Markets and Tips
If you happen to be in America, there people bet using three main markets: to win, to place, and to show; during European horse festivals, bettors like to use each way, accumulator, and Lucky 15, 31 bets.
Each Way Bet
Each way bet consists of two different bets: one on winning while the second on the particular place. Bettors receive the payouts if the horse wins or takes the planned place. The total amount of money from this bet is split into two parts.
Accumulator
An accumulator is also a collective bet. It includes four or more selections in one stake. The bettor wins if all the selections win.
Lucky 15
This option is very popular among bettors, especially in horse-rising tournaments. It consists of four selections and 15 bets. These 15 bets include six doubles, four singles, four trebles, and fourfold. Only one selection must win to guarantee you great results.
Lucky 31
This wager includes five selections and 31 bets (five singles, ten trebles, ten doubles, one fivefold, and five fourfolds). The same as with Lucky 15, only one selection must win to guarantee a payout.
Due to the large number of horses and the high risk of injuries during competitions, horse betting is quite a challenging type of wagering. To make your winning real and payouts big, you need to investigate information about horses and jockeys. You are to know which horses are considered to be winners and place your stakes accordingly. You can also have recourse to bookmakers and realize their predictions. This way, you can choose the correct horse and maybe win a large amount of money.
Media Coverage
The Cheltenham Festival is a very large and exciting tournament that takes place annually. The people who don’t feel well enough to visit the actual competition or those who prefer watching it from their homes are waiting to immerse themselves in its atmosphere through TV. Many TV channels change their schedule to broadcast the championship in real-time.
Media Partners and Online Presence
If you prefer watching TV channels, you can observe everything that happens at the festival on the ITV1 channel. Normally, live broadcastings begin at about 1:00 p.m. GMT, but stay focused to see if there are any changes in time next year.
For those who like online streams, Cheltenham Festival will be broadcasting on ITVX and Racing.tv. Also, anyone can visit the official website of Cheltenham and search for the online broadcast there. The festival is translating online all four days of the competitions, so you won’t miss anything.
Economic Impact
The Cheltenham Festival is growing every year. The impact this tournament will have in 2025 will greatly improve the economy of England. For example, the Cheltenham Festival was worth about £274 million to the local economy in 2024. It’s worth mentioning that the festival is not held as a loss to the economy, and all money is recouped practically on the first day.
Local Economic Influence
According to the results of the report made by the University of Gloucestershire, the total sum of £274 million is three times bigger than the overall funds that were used for organizing the festival in 2016. Analytics also found that in 2024:
- The total economic impact, direct and indirect, was £274 million.
- More than half of the visitors come back to Cheltenham on the day they attend the championship.
- A third of overall attendees come a day early and leave the hotel the day after the festival.
- The average expenditure has been about £697 since 2022.
- More than half (about 53%) of attendees visit the Cheltenham Festival every year.
- Every year, the festival is attended by 63% of new participants.
Conclusion
The Cheltenham Festival can gift you an unforgettable experience and many new friends in the horse-rising sphere. From observing strong and beautiful horses and well-trained jockeys to immersing yourself in the atmosphere of the old England parks and amenities, this tournament will cover all. So, if you haven’t been to Cheltenham yet, maybe 2025 will be your lucky year!