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.
The time of year naturally makes the meeting susceptible to the weather too, for example, in 2022 the Cross-Country Chase was cancelled at late notice due to frost and the whole of the Saturday race card was abandoned.
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 - 12:05
- 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 6-10 horses, with 8 hurdles to be jumped.
2022 Winner
- Horse - Attacca (5/1)
- Jockey - Nico de Boinville
- Trainer - Nicky Henderson (GB)
- Overall Prize Money - £14,754
- For The Winner - £7,804
Race 2 - Novices' Limited Handicap Chase - 12:40
- Grade: Class 2 Chase
- Distance: 3m 1f 56y (5080m)
- Fences: 21
- Course: New Course
The Novices' Limited Handicap 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. Only three ran in 2022 and only two crossed the line.
2022 Winner
- Horse - Hidden Heroics (10/11)
- Jockey - Harry Skelton
- Trainer - Dan Skelton (GB)
- Overall Prize Money - £13,814
- For The Winner - £8,169
Race 3 - 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.
2022 Winner
- Horse - Dame Du Soir (8/1)
- Jockey - Lilly Pinchin
- Trainer - David Bridgwater (GB)
- Overall Prize Money - £21,164
- For The Winner - £10,892
Race 4 - December Handicap Chase - 13:50
- Grade: Premier H'cap
- Distance: 3m 2f (5230m)
- Fences: 21
- Course: New Course
This race 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 Premier Handicap race.
The was was first run in 2003 and upgraded to Grade 3 in 2011 (which changed name to Premier Handicap in 2022). Only one horse has won the race twice, Cogry who won back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.
Four jockeys have won the race twice, including Sam Twiston-Davies, who rode Cogry for those two wins. David Pipe and Venetia Williams top the trainers charts with 3 wins apiece.
2022 Winner
- Horse - Eva's Oskar (8/1)
- Jockey - Alan Johns
- Trainer - Tim Vaughan (GB)
- Overall Prize Money - £68,859
- For The Winner - £39,865
Race 5 - Catesby Handicap Hurdle - 14:25
- 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.
2022 Winner
- Horse - Punctuation (9/2)
- Jockey - Paddy Brennan
- Trainer - Fergal O'Brien (GB)
- Overall Prize Money - £20,768
- For The Winner - £11,110
Race 6 - 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.
The Cross-Country Chase was cancelled at the 2022 International Meeting owing to low temperatures leading to frost on the course. While the shorter New Course had been covered the scale of the cross-country course meant that was not possible.
It follows the cancellation of the Cross-Country Chase at the November meeting too owing to a lack of rainfall and firm ground. Even if frost was not a concern this time the race may have been cancelled anyway due to the ground still being very firm, risking injury to the horses.
2021 Winner
- Horse - Diesel D'Allier (6/1)
- Jockey - Harry Bannister
- Trainer - Richard J Bandey (GB)
- Overall Prize Money - £34,430
- For The Winner - £18,211
Race 7 - 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.
2022 Winner
- Horse - Captain Morgs (7/2)
- Jockey - James Bowen
- Trainer - Nicky Henderson (GB)
- Overall Prize Money - £21,641
- For The Winner - £11,447
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.