There are many reasons why the International Meeting is different from any other event held at Cheltenham Racecourse, with one of the more amusing ones being that it doesn’t revolve around a race named the Gold Cup. There is one, of course, with the December Gold Cup being run on the Saturday of the weekend, but it’s not the dominant race of the meeting and is unlikely to ever have that honour. Instead it’s the International Hurdle that is considered to be the most prestigious event of the two day meeting and so that’s what everything seems to revolve around.
International Friday is certainly not just a time-filler, though. There are a number of exciting and interesting races that take place on the first day of the meeting, with more and more interest developing in them with every passing year. Your interest for the main day’s racing will be piqued by the events of day one, so have a read through this page to find out all of the important information. As well as rough timings for the day, we’ll also tell you as much as we can about the individual races. The main thing to bear in mind is that the information we can give you isn’t as exhaustive as with the more popular meetings like the Festival, so don’t think of this page as being definitive.
International Friday Race Card
Racing is a funny old beast, with horses getting spooked for seemingly no reason and jockeys sometimes taking longer that necessary to get themselves ready to ride. It’s entirely possible, then, that timings for each individual race might be a bit different than advertised when the day itself comes about. Nevertheless, presuming everything is running like clockwork, these are the timings for the races on International Friday.
Race 1 - British EBF National Hunt Novices' Hurdle - 11:30
- Grade: Class 3 Hurdle
- Distance: 2m 179y (3382m)
- Fences: 8
- Course: New Course
Day one of the International Meeting kicks off with the British Stallion Studs National Hunt Novices Hurdle. It’s run over two miles and one hundred and seventy-nine (2m, 179y) and is open to stallion studs aged between four and six.
It features eight hurdles and is a Class 3 race, usually featuring a field of around ten horses.
2020 Winners
- Horse - Make Me A Believer
- Jockey - Tom Scudamore
- Trainer - David Pipe
- Overall Prize Money - £9,900
- For The Winner - £6,280
Race 2 - December Novices' Chase - 12:05
- Grade: Class 2 Chase
- Distance: 3m 1f 56y (5080m)
- Fences: 21
- Course: New Course
The December Novices Chase is, as the name suggests, a steeplechase race that’s open to novices aged four years or older. It features an impressive twenty-one fences, which is the equal second-most number of jumps horses need to make on day one.
It’s run over three miles, one furlong and fifty-six yards (3m, 1f, 56y) and is a Class 2 race. It’s common for this one to have a smallish field, so don’t be expecting massive odds on your chosen horse.
2020 Winners
- Horse - Happygolucky
- Jockey - David Bass
- Trainer - Kim Bailey
- Overall Prize Money - £19,500
- For The Winner - £12,975
Race 3 - Catesby Handicap Hurdle - 12:40
- Grade: Class 3 Hurdle
- Distance: 2m 179y (3382m)
- Fences: 8
- Course: New Course
Taking place over two miles and one hundred and seventy-nine yards (2m, 179y), this is a handicap hurdle race in which the handicapper decides the weight that the horses will need to carry according to their ability.
It’s a Class 3 race for horses aged three years of age and older and has eight hurdles that they need to negotiate. The race usually features around ten runners, which means the field can open up if things work in your favour.
2020 Winners
- Horse - Breffniboy
- Jockey - Johnny Farrelly
- Trainer - Tom Buckley
- Overall Prize Money - £12,400
- For The Winner - £7,215
Race 4 - Mares' Handicap Chase - 13:15
- Grade: Class 3 Chase
- Distance: 2m 4f 127y (4140m)
- Fences: 17
- Course: New Course
Thanks to the sponsor, this race’s title is one hell of a mouthful. Cut out half the words, though, and you’ll realise that it’s a handicap chase for mares. They need to be four or older and will be required to jump seventeen fences over a distance of two miles, four furlongs and one hundred and twenty-seven yards (2m, 4f, 127y).
It’s a Class 3 race that often features somewhere between five and ten horses.
2020 Winners
- Horse - Madera Mist
- Jockey - Alan Johns
- Trainer - Tim Vaughan
- Overall Prize Money - £12,400
- For The Winner - £7,215
Race 5 - Peterborough Chase - 13:50
- Grade: Grade 2
- Distance: 2m 3f 168y (4348m)
- Fences: 16
- Course: New Course
The Peterborough chase is usually run at Huntingdon the week before the International Meeting but this year that meeting was cancelled following flooding. It is the fourth time since the race began in 1978 that it has been moved, 2010 at Newbury, 2012 at Kempton, 2017 at Taunton and then 2020 at Cheltenham.
To prevent the Grade 2 chase from being lost from the calendar it was instead moved to Cheltenham the week after, which means day one now had a Grade 2 race to look forward to. Run over a tad under two and a half miles with a field of around 8 horses it is a much loved middle distance race over 16 fences for four year olds plus.
Henrietta Knight is the most successful trainer with 8 wins but in recent times it is Nicky Henderson that has dominated this race, winning five times between 2013 and 2020.
2020 Winners
- Horse - Mister Fisher
- Jockey - Nico de Boinville
- Trainer - Nicky Henderson
- Overall Prize Money - £36,900
- For The Winner - £21,356
Race 6 - December Handicap Chase - 14:25
- Grade: Grade 3
- Distance: 3m 2f (5230m)
- Fences: 21
- Course: New Course
Race five is another handicap chase but this one isn’t just for mares. It is still for horses aged four years of age or older, though. Run over three miles and two furlongs (3m, 2f), it features the joint-second most jumps of the day at twenty-one.
Regularly boasting a big field of about fifteen horses, you’ll find some gems with particularly long odds on this Grade 3 race.
2020 Winners
- Horse - Storm Control
- Jockey - Richard Patrick
- Trainer - Kerry Lee
- Overall Prize Money - £39,350
- For The Winner - £24,027
Race 7 - Cross Country Handicap Chase - 15:00
- Grade: Class 2 Chase
- Distance: 3m 6f 37y (6069m)
- Fences: 32
- Course: Cross Country
The culminating race of the Crystal Cup that we’ve mentioned already on this page, the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase is the longest race of the day. It’s a handicap chase run on the cross country course at Cheltenham.
The race normally welcomes a field of around ten and is run over three miles, six furlongs and thirty-seven yards (3m, 6f, 37y). That means it’s a real test for a horse’s endurance, especially when you add in the thirty-two fences that need to be negotiated before it’s over. For that reason the Class 2 race is only open to five-years-olds or over and is a fun one to place an outside bet on.
2020 Winners
- Horse - Some Neck
- Jockey - Mr B W Harvey
- Trainer - John McConnell
- Overall Prize Money - £27,600
- For The Winner - £17,517
Race 8 - Handicap Hurdle - 15:35
- Grade: Class 2 Hurdle
- Distance: 2m 7f 213y (4822m)
- Fences: 12
- Course: New Course
International Friday comes to a close with the Citipost Handicap Hurdle, a hurdle race in which the horses are given weights chosen by the handicapper before the event gets underway. It’s run over two miles, seven furlongs and two hundred and thirteen yards (2m, 7f, 213y), with twelve hurdles for the participants to negotiate.
It often features one of the largest fields of the day around twelve horses, with the Class 2 race being open to horses of four years of age or older.
2020 Winners
- Horse - Come On Teddy
- Jockey - Sam Twiston-Davies
- Trainer - Tom George
- Overall Prize Money - £17,215
- For The Winner - £10,948
What To Expect On International Friday
Day one of the International Meeting is usually populated with office part types; businesses that have decided now is the time to wine and dine their clients as an early Christmas present or in order to impress them without having to spend the money needed to go to the Festival.
That’s not to suggest that you’re going to be swamped by people in suits having power lunches and talking about takeovers. Far from it in fact, with everyone who turns up on International Friday ready to get into the swing of the party season and have a fair few drinks.
Christmas decorations will be up all around the course, so don’t be expecting to be welcomed too readily if you’re not yet in the holiday mood. One of the big races of the day is the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase, the culmination of the Crystal Cup competition that has been taking place throughout the year since February.
Ten races will already have been completed by the time International Friday rolls around, including those at venues such as Pau, Fontainebleau and Lion-d’Angers in France, Wroclaw in Poland, Waregem in Belgium, Merano in Italy and Pardubice in the Czech Republic. That means that there are numerous guests from across Europe at the course, possibly for the first time. It only adds to the sense of excitement and thrill at everything taking place around the racecourse.
Whilst the Cheltenham Festival tends to attract minor celebrities and members of the Royal Family, few other meetings during the year quite have the same appeal for the jet-set crew. You can keep an eye out for some, of course, but you’re likely to be disappointed so don’t hold out too much hope. You don’t need to worry too much about dressing to impress, therefore, and can instead concentrate on picking some sensible outfits out of your wardrobe.
We’re talking about days in the middle of December here, so the temperatures will have dropped to uncomfortable levels. Enjoying a few Christmas drinks will help with that, but you’re likely to be stood around for long periods of time with not much to do, so make sure your clothes help with that.
Final Thoughts
There are plenty of decent races on day one of the International Meeting for you to get your teeth into, with a number of the races offering either a reasonably sized field or else a fair amount of hurdles to cause an upset or two.
The day unquestionably has more of a ‘corporate’ feel to it than the Saturday, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be bored if you’re turning up for a fun day out with friends.