Tuesday 15th to Friday 18th March 2011
The Festival at Cheltenham is the shining jewel in Jump racing’s crown. It is four days of magic, madness and magnificence, played out on a stage framed by the breathtaking vista of the Cotswold Hills. It features a cast of the best horse, jockeys and trainers playing to an audience of 220,000, all of who are determined to have the time of their lives. For racing’s professionals, victory at The Festival is how greatness is measured and how careers are defined. Witness the sheer elation of winning connections as they return to the cheers of the crowd and you are seeing dreams fulfilled and years of planning and effort coming to fruition. The Festival is one of those rare events that exude pleasure, passion and fun in equal measure. For anyone who appreciates top class sport and the opportunity to share a special experience with like-minded people, it truly is a life affirming four days.
To find out more about each individial day, click on the badges below or the links to the left. See you there!
Tuesday 15th March – Centenary Day
A special day in 2011 with plenty of nostalgia as we celebrate the centenary of The Festival, which found its permanent home at Cheltenham in 1911. Tuesday features the most important hurdle race of the season, The Champion Hurdle. Binocular, owned by JP McManus, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by AP McCoy, will be defending his crown. Six other cracking races and the unique first day atmosphere make this one of the most eagerly awaited racedays of the year.
Wednesday 16th March – Ladies Day
This season, Wednesday at The Festival is Ladies Day, giving us an opportunity to celebrate the role that women play in Jump racing and to have some fun with Ladies Day fashion awards. The feature of a fantastic seven race card is the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase, won in 2010 by Ireland’s Big Zeb. There is also a special ticket offer on this day, with a Tattersalls ticket costing just £25 on the day for racegoers under the age of 25 (proof of age is required). For more information on the fashion awards, please click on the Ladies Day link to the left of this page.
Thursday 17th March – St. Patrick’s Day
A real Irish flavour to this day as we mark St. Patrick’s Day in style. The St. Patrick’s Day fashion awards and St. Patrick’s Day Derby will be run, with funds raised for Cancer Reserach UK, the day’s charity. The racing is as competitive as ever, with Big Buck’s hopefully attempting to win the Ladbrokes World Hurdle for the third year in a row, a feat which has never been achieved before. Don’t miss the craic!
Friday 18th March – totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup Day
The climax of the entire Jump racing season is the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, the highlight of the best day’s racing of the year. A huge crowd will witness history in the making and see whether Imperial Commander, trained just a few miles from the course by Nigel Twiston-Davies, can repeat his epic victory of 2010, when he beat the two previous champions, Kauto Star and Denman. Six other scintillating races make this a day not to miss.
