Cheltenham Festival is one of the biggest horse racing events in the UK, if not potentially worldwide, too. The first Cheltenham Festival took place in 1911 and has grown to become one of the most prestigious horse racing fixtures, bringing in over 250,000 visitors over the four-days it spans, with around 70 jockeys taking part.
With it being one of the biggest annual events in the horse racing calendar, let’s take a look at some facts that you may not have known about in regards to the annual spectacle.
Cheltenham’s Betting System
Cheltenham Festival is widely known for its large crowds, intense racing, and betting opportunities, but this has not always been the case. Placing a bet at Cheltenham is a very popular practice and is one of the main activities people partake in during the races. With 28 races across four days, there are plenty of opportunities to utilise some of the Cheltenham free bets on offer.
But, for the first 10 or so years of the event, betting was completely illegal and not a standardised setup. It wasn’t until the 1920s that bookmakers were introduced as an official formal betting system with people betting amongst themselves in the crowds. This was completely secretive and unauthorised; however, the introduction of bookmakers to the festival has shaped the way spectators watch and get involved with the races for decades to come.
The Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the event that everyone waits for. It is by far the biggest race over the four-day festival, with the most anticipation built up around it. However, did you know the trophy has remained the same since the first race in 1924? The Gold Cup was made from 3.5kg worth of gold designed by London Silversmiths Bernard & Sons. The cup is made from pure gold, costing around £1,000 at the time to produce it.
To put that into perspective, in today’s market, the trophy will be worth around £150,000, making it one of the most expensive trophies in horse racing. As a result of the historical value and incredibly high cost of producing the entirely golden prize, replicas are given to the winner to display, and the original is kept by the event organisers for display purposes only. The trophy that is awarded to the winners of the event each year is made out of silver and gold plated in order to keep the prestigious and valuable look that the original cup has from 1924.
All Over The Globe
When the Cheltenham Festival first started out, it was mainly raced by local and lesser-known talents that would have very different equipment and even horses. The British festival has had its fair share of racers from various nations competing in the famous Gold Cup, however, it is Irish jockeys and trainers that have been most successful here. The competition between British and Irish jockeys has been a dominant feature of the Gold Cup, however, there have been over 20 different nationalities taking part in Cheltenham’s Gold Cup race.
These include jockeys from across the globe, such as Italy, France, and Germany, and even jockeys who travel all the way from Australia and New Zealand. Many of the notable and most successful jockeys have come from the UK and Ireland. However, in more recent years, Italian jockeys have become more prominent in the top-tier scene, with the likes of Frankie Dettori racing a handful of times, with flat racing being his speciality. Nonetheless, his influence in horse racing and appearing at Cheltenham has inspired Italian jockeys and helped to build a reputation for foreign jockeys making a claim for triumph in British races.
Celebrity Influence
It is no secret that Cheltenham brings in many celebrities who make cameos across the four-day event, with the likes of Holly Willoughby, Tommy Fury and even Queen Camilla attending the races in 2024. However, there is a common occurrence of celebrity influence in Cheltenham, with many going undercover to get in amongst the action. Celebrities tend to like to keep a lower profile whilst at Cheltenham, trying to blend in with the crowds. Celebrities who want to keep a low profile will try to wear more generic clothes and bring as little media attention to themselves as possible.
Some celebrities, however, directly get involved with the races by owning their own racehorses. Sir Alex Ferguson, one of the greatest football managers to grace the game, has appeared at the event on multiple occasions. Sir Alex’s most notable entry was in 2011, when one of his horses had completed the Gold Cup. This is a similar case with Tiger Woods, who entered a horse into the Cheltenham Festival in 2005, showing the connection between the Cheltenham Festival and celebrities around the world.
The Cheltenham Roar
The Cheltenham Roar refers to the crowd’s reaction at the start of the festival on Champion Day. It is commonly heard and titled from the start of the first race and has become a symbolic ritual of the festival. The festival has many famous and popular cultural events and features, and this is one of them. The loudest is said to have occurred in 2017 before the Champion Hurdle, with a roar reaching 120 decibels. That is approximately as loud as attending a live conce
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