Cheltenham Articles, Betting Offers & Guides

Acca Offers For Horse Racing

Many bookies that have acca insurance, accumulator bonuses or multiples free bet clubs actually restrict horse racing from those offers. This is annoying for people who like to place combi bets on horse racing. There are, however, a few decent acca offers you can use for horse racing and for those that place regular combi bets on racing these can add value over time. Search no more as we have researched the best promotions for multiple bets on racing on this page.

Extra Places Each-Way & Enhanced Each Way Terms Cheltenham Festival 2026

Typically for most horse races with 8 or more runners you can expect 3 places each way at 1/5 odds, sometimes you can get 4 places by default in large field handicaps with 16+ runners. When it comes to Cheltenham, though, bookies do what they can to try to attract your custom and one way they do this is by offering extra places each way and/or enhanced each-way terms, such as 1/4 odds instead of 1/5. You can often find this ante-post as well as on the day of the races. On this page you will find the best enhanced each-way offers for the Cheltenham Festival.

Horse Racing Loyalty Free Bet Clubs

For big high profile race meetings the bookies fall over each other to provide you with offers but for those that bet on racing most weeks then it can be difficult to find added value. Loyalty free bet clubs for horse racing are a good option for existing customers to give more value in the longer term, most of these deals can also be claimed alongside other promotions too.

Horse Racing Money Back

Horse racing is a sport where predicting the winner is harder than in most other sports and this is why the odds tend to be good, the favourites win only around 30% of the time and this tells you everything. Being liable to upsets means having insurance that gives you your money back can be a sesnible idea in the long run. On our page we list horse racing money back promotions for Cheltenham, the Festival and horse racing in general. Most of these give you a refund if your horse is second, beaten by a length, etc., usually as a free bet but on occasion, especially during the festival, in cash. It has even be known to see money back in cash if you lose during the event.

Best Odds Guaranteed For The Cheltenham Festival

Best Odds Guarantees work a little bit differently to normal for the Cheltenham Festival and so we have a separate dedicated page for it. Normally BOG is only available on the day the races are held on but for the Festival many bookies will offer best price guaranteed months in advance for feature races and weeks in advance for all races.

Lucky Bets and Bonuses For Horse Racing

Lucky 15, 31 and 63 bets are a type of full cover bet. These are effectively packages that cover all the possible single and multiple bets from a given number of selections, very popular in horse racing. A Lucky 15, for example, is a package of 15 bets on 4 selections (4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles and a 4-fold). Don't just place these bets with anyone however as there are some great bonuses to be had.

Non-Runner No Bet

Not everybody realises that you are only covered for sure by non-runner no bet if you bet on the day of the race. Placing your wagers before this time is classed as ante-post and with most of these bets you do not get your money back if your horse is a non-runner. There are lots of good reasons to bet ante-post however and some bookies do offer no-runner no bet ante-post, especially for the festival.

Free Bets And Bonuses For Winners

Before you bet on horse racing, especially televised and high profile races, consider that you could be earning free bets or bonuses each time you back a winner. We look at some of the very best free bets for winners offers from the likes of Betfair that over time will genuinely add to your winnings.

Best Odds Guaranteed For Horse Racing

Before the best price guarantee it was difficult for punters to know when to place their bets. If you take the starting price and it drifts in you would be annoyed and if you took the fixed price and the odds drifted out you would also be peeved. Many bookies now guarantee to match the SP if your on the day fixed price is lower. Some bookies offers are however better than others, find the right BOG offer for you by visiting our best price guide

Looking for ante-post best price guarantees specific to the Cheltenham Festival? See our dedicated page.

Faller & Fail To Finish Insurance For Horse Racing

This is a great value offer giving you your stake back, usually up to £25, if your horse falls, is brought down or unseats the jockey. Depending on the weather other factors fallers can number quite highly and so why bet without it? In addition to faller insurance you can also find fail to finish insurance, which effectively covers everything that faller insurance does but also protects you if your horse fails to finish for any other reason, such as refusing or pulling up.

How Often Do Mares' Win At The Cheltenham Festival

The nature of elite jump racing is that it naturally favours male horses, simply because stamina comes in to play so much more than with flat racing. Therefore most races that are open to both sexes at the Festival are generally won by males and this is why we have dedicated mares' races. Still that doesn't mean the girls don't do well in some races and if you are looking to back a mare or filly in an open race have a look at this page that shows races with the highest percentage of winners that are mares'.

Average Age Of Winners At The Cheltenham Festival

People take all sorts of different factors into account when they bet on horses at Cheltenham and one of the common pieces of information the informed bettor pays attention to is the age of horses. The issue with the Festival is many of the entrants are previous winners and deciding between them can be difficult. We have therefore broken down every Cheltenham Festival race by the average age of the winner to help in picking the right runners.

The Favourite Wins 29% of Races at the Cheltenham Festival

Favourites win around 30% of horses races in general, but that is taking into account 1000's of races and doesn't reflect the variation in individual races. Therefore, we have broken down every single Cheltenham Festival race and looked at the percentage of favourites that win. If you plan to either back a favourite or an outsider at the Festival you would be wise to check out this page first.

Average Winner Odds at the Cheltenham Festival

If you like to bet on shorter odds favourites it helps to find races where they win more often, conversely if you back longer odds horses it is good to know what races they are most likely to win or place in. This can be particularly hard during the Cheltenham Festival given all horses that races there are generally winners at other times of the year. Therefore, on our average winner odds page we list the average price of the winners (since 2000 or the first running of the race) for all Festival races, to help you find the right bets.

Cheltenham Festival Stats & Trends

The Cheltenham Festival witnesses some of the best jump races on the planet with the best runners competing against each other. The issue is almost all horses, jockeys and trainers that race at the Festival are winners, otherwise they wouldn't be there, and that can make picking the right horse to back more difficult. If you want to have a bet on the Festival take a look at out stats and trends pages, which break down average odds, average age, average number of favourites that win (and more), to help you pick your bets.

Bookies Leave Racecourses Early But Not To Avoid Paying Out

When the last race rolls around it tends to be the most minor race of the day, many racegoers even leave before it gets going to beat the traffic. As soon as that race starts the bookies start packing up as their day is done. If you have a winner and you go to collect it after a quarter of an hour or so has passed you might get to the pitch to find the bookie has gone. They have not tried to escape with your money, these are licensed operators who pay a lot of money for their pitch and it wouldn't be worth their while. You can claim winnings from bets placed at a racecourse remotely up to one month after a race.

Nose, Head, Neck And Length In Horse Racing

As you might expect with horse racing they don't like to use common measures, it is a traditional sport and those traditions hold fast and a good example of that is the use of length, neck, head and nose in measuring winning distances. Strangely when we talk about things like lengths we are not talking about set distances but instead it is defined by the amount of time that has elapsed between horses crossing the line. Those timings vary based on the type of racing you watch. Ultimately, though, the distance doesn't really matter as it is an ad-hoc measure of winning distance that can be used to inform punters how well horses did.

How Long Do You Have To Claim A Winning Bet At A Racecourse?

Many of us have been there, at a racecourse having placed a winning bet but for some reason or other couldn't make it back to the bookie to get paid out. This might be because you forgot, had too much to drink, wandered around the course or if it was the last race the bookie may already have left. Fortunately there are systems in place for this and you can still get paid out via the Administration of Gambling on Tracks if it is within one month. If you've bet on the Tote you can claim your winnings at any tote outlet at any racecourse or by writing to Britbet.

The Starting Price In Horse Racing - Should You Take It?

The starting price or SP does what it says, it give you the odds of the horse at the time the race starts and betting closes. The price of a horse varies the most in the minutes up to the start of a race and if you think the odds will drift out then taking the SP over the fixed price could be worth it. These days, however, with many bookies offering best odds guarantees that promises to match the SP if higher then there are little benefits to taking it.

Ante-Post Betting On Horse Racing

Betting ante-post is something most people avoid due to the risks of non-runners, injury and poor place terms.  Advance betting on horse racing can however yield good returns, especially if you can use knowledge well.  For big meetings, such as the festival, you can now reliably get NRNB and even BOG on ante-post bets months in advance, making these bets very attractive.

How To Bet On Horse Racing

There is so much more to betting on the nags than a win single or each way bet. In our how to bet guide for horse racing we look at more complex bet types such as full cover bets and forecasts, accumulators and pool betting such as totepool. We also look at different prices (e.g ante-post vs early prices) along with how to get the best out of betting features and offers such as best odds guaranteed and cash out.

Disqualification, Non-Runners and Rule 4

Knowing the official rules about what happens to a bet if there is a disqualification or non-runners can help prevent any nasty surprises if you don't get paid out or your winnings are less than you thought they'd be. We explain what happens in these events and we also look at rule 4 and other Tattersalls Rule of Racing to give you the heads up on what will happen to your wagers.

Cheltenham Dress Code Is Now Relaxed But People Still Like To Dress Up

In the past there was a strict dress code for the Cheltenham Festival and many other major race meetings around the country. In recent years the dress code was not enforced and in 2023 Jockey Club courses, of which Cheltenham is one, scrapped the dress code entirely - except for no sportswear or offensive or political clothing. The idea these days is 'dress to feel your best', although with the Festival especially people do still generally dress up. Some of the higher level stands and hospitality sections still have a dress code, however.

Music, Festivals, Camping, Darts& Other Sports: Cheltenham Racecourse Has Many Uses Other Than Racing

Cheltenham racecourse hosts 16 days of horse racing each year and while that might be some of the most elite jump racing there is what is the course used for during the other 349 days of the year? As you can imagine it would not make good business sense for it to go unused when you consider the size, maintenance costs and the fact it can hold nearly 70,000 people. In fact, there are tons of other things the course is used for through the year from camping and weddings to music festivals and other sporting events.

The Cancellation Of The 2001 Cheltenham Festival Due To The Foot & Mouth Epidemic

Apart from during the first and second World War the Cheltenham Festival has only been cancelled once in it's history and that was in 2001. Despite covid closing down racing in 2020 Cheltenham actually escaped and may have even contributed to the spread but it wasn't a human disease that stopped The Festival in 2001, it was foot and mouth disease. Being a devastating illness that affects animals with cloven hooves, like horses, it was too risky for racing to go ahead. Here we look at the events and why the event was cancelled.

How Horses Are Treated When They Fall In A Race

When most horses fall they immediately get up and continue running, sometimes even interfering with the race. If the horse doesn't get up it is usually more serious and generally a curtain screen is erected while vets assess the animal. The fact the screen goes up doesn't mean the horse will die, in many cases horses are able to be treated and survive. Obviously many cannot be saved and then need to be euthanised. Here we look at what happens when a horse falls for better or for worse.

Hurdles And Fences Very Different Obstacles In Horse Racing

Hurdles and fences are deliberately made to be different. Hurdles are generally smaller and more flexible, made mostly of branches and brush, suited to younger horses learning how to jump. Fences are more substantial and made from spruce and wood and are taller, requiring more stamina and technique to jump and so are logically suited to older horses. Fences can also include additional obstacles such as water and ditches. That isn't to say hurdle races are not as good as chases over fences, there are some horses that specialise in hurdles, just like other horses specialise over fences.

Hurdles & Fences In Horse Racing Are Made Very Differently

Hurdles are in effect smaller fences, minimum height 3ft 6in, used by younger horses in jump racing. They were made from small branches, known as brush, that are flexible and more forgiving. More recently they are being replaced with safer foam padded hurdles but retain the same features. As horses get older they progress to steeplechases over proper fences. These are generally bigger, minimum height 4ft 7in, and are made from birch wood, or wooden stakes, topped with spruce. In the modern era many wooden stakes have been replaced by plastic substitutes for safety.

Stag And Hen Do's At Cheltenham Racecourse

Most of us have either been to the races either on a stag or hen do or we've at least seen people on one while we are there. Dressed up as horses, jockeys, etc., it can be a fun last day out before getting married. Cheltenham racecourse is popular for them but is it an appropriate place to have a stag or hen do? The Festival itself is less suitable as people are there for serious racing, it also costs a bomb. The other meetings certainly lend themselves to a stag or hen do - although, generally, suited more towards older people getting married.

A Furlong In Horse Racing Is One Eighth Of A Mile Or 220 Yards

Anyone who watches or bets on racing will be familiar with the furlong, which to us is one eighth of a mile. Why, though, does horse racing still use furlongs when it isn't used as a practical distance measure much in the world anymore? Like most things horse racing it is because it is traditional and so it persists.

What exactly is a furlong, though? How long is it in meters and is it the same across the world? Where does the actual word come from and how did it become so synonymous with racing to this day?

Is Gold Cup Day The Best Day Of The Cheltenham Festival?

There is no definitive answer to what the best day of the Cheltenham Festival is as it depends what you want to get out of it. Gold Cup Day is the most prestigious and if you want the biggest race of the week its the one to go for - its also the busiest and most expensive option, though. Champion Day is good as the opening day with the Cheltenham Roar, Ladies Day if you like to dress up and St Patrick's if you are there more for the fun of it.

Cheltenham Festival Tickets Guide

The Cheltenham Festival is often seen as an elite only event but in reality there are ticket levels to suit most people. You can get a ticket in the Best Mate enclosure for just £37 or you can go for a private box that costs thousands and includes food and drink.

Whatever type of experience you want at the Festival you can find information about the different tickets and what you get for them in our ticketing guide.

A Jockey Is No Longer Allowed To Remount A Horse If They Fall Off During A Race

In the past it was very much possible to remount a horse if a jockey fell off or the horse fell during a race and indeed the practice is still common in Ireland. In 2009, however, the rules in the UK were changed and jockeys are no longer able to remount if they fall off the horse. This is primarily to protect the horse from further injury given jockeys are not exactly trained vets and horses can have unseen fractures or other issues that can be made worse by continuing a race.

Sponsors Of The Cheltenham Festival & Other Cheltenham Races

Let's face it some races have ridiculous names because of sponsors, the likes of 'Try Our New Bet Builder Novices' Hurdles', but we have to accept that without the sponsors we wouldn't be able to deliver high level elite racing like we see at Cheltenham and the Festival especially. Here we look at who sponsors the various races at Cheltenham, not just for the Festival but for all meetings at the course. We look at what sponsorship entails, what they get for it and we look into some of the longest running and bigger Cheltenham race sponsors.

Tic Tac - The Sign Language For On-Course Bookmakers

Tic Tac, or tick tac, is an old sign language system that bookies would use at horse and dog racing tracks to communicate with staff about the odds that other bookies were offering. In the days before high speed internet and mobile phones it was difficult for an individual bookie to keep on top of fast moving odds markets and so many would employ tic tacers who would assess the prices offered by other bookies and feed back to their own people. The art is now pretty much dead but it is fascinating to read about and watch.

The Road To Cheltenham: Qualifying Races For The Festival

The Cheltenham Festival is not all about what happens in March, being the pinnacle of the jump season there of course needs to be a means for horses to qualify for the leading races and this is what you will often hear referred to as 'the road to Cheltenham'. No, we are not talking about the A435, rather the races that take place throughout the winter that can give winning horses a place in some of the worlds biggest jump races.

Record Jockey Wins For Individual Cheltenham Festival Races

There is only one name that really stands out when we look at the record jockey in each Cheltenham Festival race and that is Ruby Walsh. The legendary jump jockey, and eleven time winner of the top jockey title, holds the record number of wins in an astonishing 8 out of 28 races, that is 29%. He holds the record for the top two races, the Mares' Hurdle (8) and Supreme Novices' Hurdle (6). Barry Geraghty is also up there with records in 6 races and Paul Townend now has the title or joint-title in 4 races. Here we look at the record jockey in all Festival races.

Record Trainer Wins For Individual Cheltenham Festival Races

Training a horse to win any race at Cheltenham is hard but training multiple winners is an outstanding feat. Here we look at the trainers that hold the records in all 28 Festival races. The list is dominated by Willie Mullins and Nicky Henderson who hold the records in over half of the races. Add Paul Nicholls, Gordon Elliott and Jonjo O'Neill to that list and we cover 27 out of 28 races.

Individual Festival Races With The Most Record Horse Wins

To win a race at Cheltenham is a huge feat for any horse but to go on and win one of these elite jump races more than once is truely outstanding. Here we look at the top 10 Cheltenham Festival races that have produced the most multiple winners and why. Quevega tops the list having wn the Mares' Hurdle no less than 6 times, followed by Golden Miller with 5 wins in the biggest race, the Gold Cup.

Biggest Prize Money Races At The Cheltenham Festival

Let's face it money talks and it is no surprise to anyone that the best horses, trainers and jockeys enter into the races with the highest prize money because they have the most to gain. Financially as well as for their reputations. The Festival at Cheltenham is the pinnacle of jump racing and provides upwards of £5 million in prizes across the 28 races. On this page we look at the top ten highest prize money races at Cheltenham as well as how prize money works and how it is calculated.

Cheltenham Festival Races With The Most Fences

Let's face it we watch flat racing because it is fast and prestigious but we watch jump racing because it is more of a spectacle and the best races to watch, for the neutral, are the ones with the most obstacles to be jumped. Why? Because lots of fences generally means lots of drama and ultimately it is the drama that we remember. Here we look at Cheltenham Festival races with the most fences. Logically these tend to be the longest races with a higher average age for the winners.

Longest Races At The Cheltenham Festival

When it comes to flat racing it is the shorter races that are the most compelling, but for jump racing it is often the opposite. The longer the race the greater the spectacle, the more that can go wrong ultimately, just think why is the Grand National so popular? Here we look at Cheltenham's longest races, many of them are also the oldest races, which tells you that these are the races that last the test of time. Find out more about them.

Cheltenham Festival's Newest Races

It is always nice to read about the oldest races, they are the ones that give the depth of history to an event like the Festival, but like any major events you need to change things from time to time to keep things fresh. On this page we, therefore, look at the newest races at the Cheltenham Festival, including the races added in 2005 when the 4th day was added and other races added since then.

Making A Good Jump Racing Stayer

Jump racing is an intensive sport requiring stamina and with pace when it matters. Arguably stayers races are the most difficult of all types of jump racing, with long races (often over 3 miles) with more fences or hurdles to jump and more risk of falling. We look at what makes a good stayer, how horses are bred and trained for these races along with the biggest races and most famous stayer horses.

Courses At Cheltenham: Old, New and Cross Country

The phrase usually goes 'out with the old and in with the new' but not at Cheltenham racecourse which boasts two main courses along with a third more challenging cross country course. The fact that Cheltenham has three elite National Hunt courses is one of the very reasons why it hosts the biggest jump racing festival in the world but how exactly are the courses different and what are the features of each?

Over £500M Is Bet On The Cheltenham Festival

Let's face it if the Cheltenham Festival is regarded as the biggest jump horse racing event in the world in terms of pretty much every measure but one of the most important of those is the amount that is bet on it. The Festival attracts just shy of £1 billion a year in bets and they are just the ones that are known about. It is truly eye watering the amount people stake on this event and on our page here we look at those numbers and why betting at Cheltenham is such big business and why it is so important to the horse racing industry.

The Cheltenham Festival Is Worth A Lot To The Economy - Both Local & National

Cheltenham is a very old spa town nestled on the edge of the Cotswolds, this means there are lots of reasons why people visit the place other than for racing, with tourism and other festivals a big draw fro the town. There is no doubting those Cheltenham would not be the place it is without horse racing and the Cheltenham Festival in particular. On this page we look at how much the Festival is worth to the local and British economy.

Top Cheltenham Festival Owners

Being an owner of race horses may carry a lot of prestige but in reality it is an expensive hobby for most. It takes a lot of time, vision and money to be a successful owner but while these are the people that carry the industry they receive little credit compared to jockeys and trainers. We have therefore celebrated the top 5 owners of Cheltenham Festival winning horses in modern times.

Accessibility & Disabled Access At Cheltenham

Cheltenham racecourse can certainly be put into the top bracket when it comes to accessible courses. They have worked hard to make as many areas as possible accessible to people with mobility issues and this is reflected in the 1000's of people a year that visit the course with reduced mobility. On our page we look at accessibility at Cheltenham in general and for the Cheltenham Festival.

Cheltenham Festival's Oldest Races Still Running Today

You might think the result to the question 'what is the oldest Cheltenham race' would be a one line answer, however, it is not actually that simple. When looking at the oldest Cheltenham race still running today there is no clear definition as some of the oldest races have had gaps or have been run at other courses. We therfore look at several races that could be classed as the oldest.

Irish vs British Trainers & Stables At Cheltenham - Do The Irish Actually Have The Edge?

It has been said in recent years that Irish horses and trainers have come to dominate high level National Hunt racing, the Cheltenham festival in particular.  Is that actually true however, or is it is just big trainers like Willie Mullins that make it seem that way?

The Royal Family And The Cheltenham Festival

There are obvious links with the royal family and elite flat racing, such as Royal Ascot, but it is not common to think of royalty being associated with jump racing. The Cheltenham Festival is however an exception to this and has long has an association with the monarchy, going back to Richard III.

Indeed, one of the biggest races of the festival is the Champion Chase, which is named after the Queen Mother, who loved the festival perhaps more than any other family member in history. Read our page to find all the links between the royals and Cheltenham.

The Costs Of Being An On-Course Bookmaker

Being a bookie isn't exactly seen as a difficult persuit, hence the phrase 'you've never seen a poor bookmaker', but in reality being an on-track operator can be one of the hardest jobs in the industry. The rise of online betting with better odds and concessions has meant on-track bookies are decreasing and the remaining independents are struggling with expenses are also rising. So, just how much does it cost to be a bookmaker at a racecourse?

Cheltenham Race Types & Jump Racing Classifications

To the uninitiated the amount of different race types run at Cheltenham and in National Hunt racing in general can be very confusing. There are differences in fences (hurdle, chase, cross-country), horses (novice, juvenile, mares', etc.), jockeys (e.g. amateur, conditions of the race (e.g. handicap), there are also different classifications depending on what the race is for (cup, trial, trophy, championship, etc.). To help you understand different types of races we have separated all the races at Cheltenham into their individual classifications with details on each.

Cheltenham Hotels

The Spa town of Cheltenham situated against the picture perfect English Cotswolds in the background is a popular place for people to visit at any time of year, but during the Cheltenham Festival the 270,000 racegoers over the week massively outnumber the 115,000 population. This can make finding a good place to stay difficult, epecially as prices ramp up. Our hotels page shows you where to stay in Cheltenham to suit a range of budgets and needs.

Top 5 Cheltenham Festival Trainers

Trainers are arguably the most critical factor in horse racing, you can have the best horse in the world on paper but that doesn't matter if you can't get the best out of them on raceday. Any trainer who wins at the Cheltenham Festival deserves accolade but there are a small group of trainers that have not just won at Cheltenham but have done so year after year after year. On our page we celebrate these elite trainers and their achievements.

Top 5 Cheltenham Festival Jockeys

Riding a winner at the Cheltenham Festival is one of the biggest things a jockey can do in horse racing and anyone that manages it should be given huge applause. There are, however, a number of jockeys over the years that have ridden not just one winner but have won all the big races, lots of times. On our top 5 festival jockeys page we give special mention to this elite group of horsemen who set the benchmark for future hopefuls.

Top 10 Cheltenham Festival Horses

Drawing up a top ten list of horses to have run at The Cheltenham Festival is no easy task when you consider it is the pinnacle of jump racing and virtually every horse involved is an elite winner. Within that though there are some stand out examples such as Arkle and Golden Miller, who are so revered they have statues at the course and races named after them. The other 8 on the list are also deserving of statues, but then if Cheltenham built one for every horse on our list they wouldn't have much space for spectators.

Getting To Cheltenham Racecourse

Cheltenham is arguably the biggest jump race meeting in the world attracting around 70,000 spectators each day during the festival. Cheltenham, however, isn't the biggest town in the world and travelling can be difficult, especially if you leave it late. Whether you want to drive, fly, take a helicopter or limousine then we've got you covered. Read our travel guide for the best transport options.

Cheltenham Racecourse History

What is it about Cheltenham and its racecourse that made it what it is today, how did racing get started there, how did it come to hold the biggest jump racing festival in the world? It wasn't always smooth racing either, with disruption that even lead to the cancellation of horse races at the course in the early days. 

The Cheltenham Festival Is The Biggest Event In Jump Racing

We take it for granted that the Cheltenham Festival is the most prestigious jump race meeting in the world, yes other individual races are perhaps bigger, but no meeting has the sheer amount of quality races as Cheltenham does.  No other meeting generates as much money either, for both the local economy and for the bookies - so why, of all the festivals has Cheltenham grown to be the pinnacle of them all?

Cheltenham Festival History

Prestbury Park has seen racing in and around the site from the early 19th century, if not before, however serious races were not held at Cheltenham until the 20th century.  Therefore, how did we go from sporadic racing in the area to the worlds biggest jump racing festival in the course of a few decades?

The Prestbury Cup Standings and Results - Cheltenham Festival: Ireland v Britain

The Prestbury Cup is an annual competition at the Cheltenham Festival and is awarded to the nation that trains the most winners. In reality this is a battle between Britain and Ireland, given only one horse with a trainer of a different nationality has won a race since the cup was established in 2014. Initially the Brits dominated, as they had done for most of the history of the Festival, but in recent times it is the Irish that have come out on top the most often.

The Big Cheltenham Festival Quiz

If you think you know how many pints of Guinness are drunk at the festival or when the event first started then why not try our 50 question quiz on the worlds greatest jump racing meeting.

Cheltenham Festival Top Trainer

One of the best things in the world you can win as a trainer of jump racing horses is a Cheltenham Festival race, to win more than one is a serious feat to be proud of and to win more races than anyone else is the pinnacle of it all. Here we look at the top trainers at the Festival in the past. In recent times the title has been dominated by Irish trainers, thanks largely to Willie Mullins, who has won top trainer no less than 13 times since 2011.

Cheltenham Festival Top Jockey

The life of a racing jockey can be tough, moving around constantly with little recognition of quite how important they are. There are exceptions to this though and one of the biggest ones is the Champion jockey title at the Cheltenham Festival each year. Here we look at the history of the Cheltenham top jockeys, previous winners, recent trends and famous winners.

Cheltenham Racecourse During The War - Hospital & Training Base

Cheltenham racecourse is one of the oldest and best race venues in the world, hosting some of the most elite jump races and steeped in history.  The racecourse has however played other important roles in its time such as when it was used as a voluntary aid hospital for returning soldiers in WWI and as a training barracks in WWII.

National Hunt Jump Racing Distances

National Hunt jump racing distances are longer than for flat races, usually between two and four and a half miles in length.  Within this there is a big range, with national hunt flat races (bumpers) being the shortest, hurdles tending to be intermediate with the longest races being steeple chases. Older horses tend to run longer races (stayers) as these have more stamina.

Reading A Race Card In Horse Racing

If you have not had much experience reading race cards before then at first glance the array of letters, numbers and terms can look indecipherable. Luckily race cards really are not that complicated and once you've understood the basics you will be able to digest a lot of information about a race, horse, jockey or trainer from a quick glance.

Age, Sex and Weight in Horse Racing

Horse racing has many handicapping rules that define how the age of a horse, the combined weight of animal and jockey and the sex are accounted for. Depending on the type of race, time of year, and even the experience of the jockey, handicapper add weight to try to balance a field as equally as possible.

A-Z Glossary Of Horse Racing Terms

The only problem with watching and betting on horse racing is there are a lot of terms and phrases used that could stump even knowledgeable punters. This is due to the long history around racing alongside those in the know wanting to keep it that way by preserving the language. Check out our A-Z glossary for the meaning of various horse racing terms.

Grades and Classes In National Hunt Jump Racing

Horse racing is the oldest formal sport in Britain, unfortunately this long history has resulted in a myriad of grades and classes when it comes to jump racing. It is not always easy to tell from the name of a race what level to expect. Fear not we explain everything you need to know about National Hunt racing grades and classifications.