If you’re keen to visit what is considered to be one of the pinnacles of the British sporting year, then a trip to the Cheltenham Festival is definitely a good bet.
With over 150 years of history, the festival has provided the perfect example of what horse racing should be all about. The festival is packed full of four days of top-class racing, many tempting betting opportunities and some seriously glamorous fashion styles to check out. And so here’s a quick checklist of what to expect from the Cheltenham Festival this year.
The festival takes place on the edge of Cheltenham which is a pretty spa town conveniently located near the beautiful Cotswolds. And from 15 to 18 March, the racecourse will be overrun by thousands of racing fans keen to check out the competition from the best thoroughbreds in Britain and Ireland.
The main focus of the racing action is undoubtedly the Gold Cup race which takes place on the final day. Although it’s still too early to say which horse is looks like a dead cert, Coral’s site offers a huge range of intriguing tips and news for all of the races over the weekend, and could provide a lucrative payout for anyone lucky enough to spot this year’s Coneygree.
A big part of the Cheltenham Festival is always the celebrities and fashionistas. In particular, Ladies Day provides a spectacular showcase of styles as many of the UK’s aristocrats and showbiz stars take to the racecourse to display their finest tweed and fascinator ensembles.
And after Ladies Day has passed with the popping of a thousand champagne corks, it’s the St Patrick’s Day racing on 17th March that will provide quite an eye-opening event as thousands of Irish race fans converge on the track to indulge in over 200,000 pints of Guinness.
As Cheltenham is one of the UK’s hidden gems, it has a great range of boutique hotels to check out on your racing excursion. In particular, 131 Hotel has earned rave reviews for its evocative Georgian architecture and wholesome British cuisine with the likes of roast pheasant being the suitably rustic accompaniment to your raceday activities.
