Irish Are There For More Reasons Than Guinness
There is maybe a perception that British horse racing festivals are stuffy affairs, full of posh people in top hats trying to hobnob with the upper echelons of the aristocracy.
There can also be a perception that horse racing is dull, nothing more than watching some animals run around a track. While these assessments are somewhat unfair, the Cheltenham Festival blows these myths right out of the water.
The Festival (13th-16th March) is a four-day national hunt racing event, which is a style of horse racing normally confined to the British Isles. Close to 70,000 fans attend the races each day at Prestbury Park, turning the Gloucestershire countryside into a four-day carnival. While the racing takes centre stage, the partying around the event is legendary.
Legendary Atmosphere At The Cheltenham Races
Cheltenham is renowned for the electric atmosphere generated by the racegoers, on a par with any sporting event in the world. The Festival even has a byword for the huge noise generated by the racing fans – the Cheltenham Roar – the massive bellow from thousands of fans greeting the start of the Festival.
Much of the atmosphere is thanks to the legions of Irish racing fans who make the trip over to Britain for the Festival. Unsurprisingly, Guinness is the tipple of choice for many racegoers, with an estimated 200,000 pints of the ‘Black Stuff’ consumed at the Festival. Some bookmakers have been known to take bets on how pints of Guinness are drunk at Cheltenham!
Irish Are There For More Reasons Than Guinness
The Irish are not just there to party however, they take their horse racing very seriously in the Emerald Isle. Irish-trained horses won 19 out of the 28 races last year. There is an unofficially rivalry between the Irish and British at the Festival and, while it is friendly, the fierce competitiveness between the two countries adds to the special feel of the Festival.
Of course, there are some brilliant races to witness if you can tear yourself away from the hospitality tents to watch them. The Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Champion Hurdle and Queen Mother Champion Chase are among the most important horse races in national hunt. If you want to catch a special race, check out the Gold Cup – the most important of the Festival. This year there is little to choose between Might Bite (4/1), Native River (11/2) and Sizing John (6/1). A three-way tussle for supremacy between these star horses will be something to behold.
Millions Bet By ‘Punters’ On The 28 Thrilling Races
There is much more than the Gold Cup however, the latest 2018 Cheltenham Festival betting odds will point to the likes of Apple’s Jade (8/11), Buveur D’Air (4/7) and Altior (11/8) to win major races this year. Millions will be bet on the races, with the fans simultaneously drowning their sorrows and celebrating their victories in the hospitality tents. If some big favorite wins, such as Footpad (11/8 Arkle), the atmosphere becomes even more raucous.
Tickets for the Festival are actually quite cheap. You can find them as cheap as £15 ($20) for each day of Cheltenham. Again, this is part of what makes the Festival so unique – working-class fans can rub shoulders with the great and good of British society.
If you haven’t checked out Cheltenham before, you really should. It is a sports event like no other, much different than the Kentucky Derby, Melbourne Cup or Royal Ascot. The party is serious off the course, the action is furious on the track. It all adds up to four brilliant days.
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