Cheltenham 2024 ante-post betting and Gold Cup preview

Sports | July 28, 2023, Friday // 10:15
Bulgaria: Cheltenham 2024 ante-post betting and Gold Cup preview https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/events-tickets/the-festival/

The Cheltenham Festival is a great and reputable horse racing event worldwide. It is held annually at Cheltenham Racecourse in Cheltenham, England, over four days in March. The 2024 festival will be held from 12 to 15 March 2024. Over the four days, several championship races take place, including the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Stayers' Hurdle, and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Racing was first organised in Cheltenham in 1815 on Nottingham Hill, with the first races on Cleeve Hill in August 1818. Crowds of 30,000 attended the racecourse's annual two-day July meeting, featuring the Gold Cup--a three-mile flat race.

Some of the most notable winners of the Cheltenham Festival include Golden Miller, Arkle, Desert Orchid, and Kauto Star. These horses have all gone down in history as some of the greatest steeplechasers ever.

Jockey Ruby Walsh has won more races at the Cheltenham Festival than anybody else and retired with 59 wins. He was the leading jockey at the Festival on 11 occasions, riding a record seven winners on two occasions.

2024 Cheltenham Festival: The races to watch

Champion Hurdle: The Champion Hurdle is the most prestigious hurdle race in the world and is the highlight of Champion Day. The race is run over two miles and four furlongs and is open to horses aged four and over.

Mares' Hurdle: The Mares' Hurdle is a Grade 1 hurdle race for mares aged four and over. It is run over two miles and two furlongs and is one of the world's highly anticipated races for mares.

Stayers' Hurdle: The Stayers' Hurdle is a long-distance hurdle race worldwide and is the highlight of St. Patrick's Thursday. The race is run over three miles and two furlongs and is open to horses aged four and over.

Cheltenham Gold Cup: The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the most prestigious steeplechase race in the world, and it is the highlight of Gold Cup Day. The race is run over three miles and two furlongs and is open to horses aged four and over.

  

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Notable Developments and Changes for 2024

The Jockey Club is gearing up for a distinctive 2024 lineup, featuring a number of events leading to the highlight of the year, the Gold Cup day in March. Among the plans is a 100-day tour, starting in December, which will travel across various places including schools, hospitals, and care homes.

Festivities kick off with the Gold Cup trophy journey, which will begin at Carrauntoohil, and continue on to Mount Snowdon, Scafell Pike, and finally reach the peak of Arkle in Scotland, a place that shares its name with a renowned race winner. Another important event planned between June 26 and June 30 is the Dawn Runs, which aims at raising funds and promoting Racing Welfare.

Gold Cup day, set for March 15, 2024, will honour legends of the race through a parade, adding a nostalgic touch to the celebrations. The Jockey Club is also set to host a charity lunch on the Monday before the Cheltenham Festival 2024, underlining the event's increased commitment to social responsibility.

  

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Key Horses to Watch for

The attention of fans is riveted on Constitution Hill, an exceptional horse that dominated the 2022/23 National Hunt season. The six-year-old thoroughbred stunned the racing world by clinching four Grade 1 victories and being titled the best hurdler in Britain and Ireland.

Undeniably a natural at hurdling, Constitution Hill displays extraordinary agility and speed as he navigates the obstacles, making it plausible for him to retain his title in the Champion Hurdle. This is, however, contingent on his team's decision. Trainer Nicky Henderson and owner Michael Buckley have hinted at a possible shift to fences in the approaching autumn season. If this transition proves successful, Constitution Hill could make an appearance in the Sporting Life Arkle rather than the Champion Hurdle at the next Cheltenham Festival.

For fans who fancy a punt on Constitution Hill's potential for another Champion Hurdle triumph, the best Cheltenham betting offers are available online on various platforms.

One horse that might rise to the occasion is Impaire et Passe, who made a noteworthy mark under the guidance of trainer Willie Mullins last season. Winning all four of his starts, this horse stole the spotlight at the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, earning widespread acclaim. His impressive performance continued at the Cheltenham Festival, where he outperformed his stablemate, Gaelic Warrior.

His showing at the Punchestown Festival further validated his skills, and even though he put up a slightly subdued performance in the Champion Novices' Hurdle at the same festival, he could be excused given the rigours of the season. The future for Impaire et Passe could see a shift to chasing, yet if Constitution Hill takes this route, Mullins may opt to focus Impaire et Passe on the Champion Hurdle. Given his outstanding profile and the potential for further progress, Impaire et Passe is certainly one to watch in the upcoming race.

Irish vs. England: A Great Competition

The Prestbury Cup is a competition between the two main racing nations in the UK and Ireland to see which country can produce the most winners at the Cheltenham Festival.

The rivalry between Ireland and England at the Cheltenham Festival is one of the most intense in all of sport. The two countries have a long and rich horse racing history, and the Festival is the perfect stage for them to go head-to-head.

Ireland has had a clear edge over England at the Festival recently. Irish-trained horses have won 166 races in the past ten years, while English-trained horses have won just 111. The dominance has been led by some of the greatest horses in the world, including Honeysuckle, Altior, and Al Boum Photo.

Summary

The Cheltenham Festival is one of the greatest horse racing events in the world. It is a festival of racing, but it is also a festival of atmosphere. The crowds at Cheltenham are some of the most passionate in the world, and they create an electric atmosphere that makes the Festival one of the most exciting sporting events of the year.

The 2024 Cheltenham Festival is shaping up to be very exciting, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top in the big races.

 

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