New Year’s Day Meeting 1st January 2024

Race 1 - Ballymore Maiden Hurdle - 12:10

The start of the day involves the running of this exciting hurdles race that entails ten different jumps. You can expect somewhere around ten horses to be lined up to start the race (maximum 16), though not all are guaranteed to finish with it being a maiden race.

This Class 2 race is for horses aged four and up and is run over two miles, four furlongs and fifty-six yards (2m, 4f, 56y). It’s normally over within about five minutes, so try not to nip for a wee until it’s done!

Previously the first race was a class 1 Listed Novices' Hurdle but this was changed to a class 2 maiden race in 2023.

Race 2 - Handicap Chase - 12:45

Sponsorship of this race changes a lot so the name you see on the card is likely to change on an annual basis, in 2023 it was sponsored by AJS.

This Handicap Chase is open to horses aged five and over and involves twenty-two fences that must be negotiated. It’s run over three miles, two furlongs and seventy yards (3m, 2f, 70y), usually lasting for about four minutes.

You can expect a mid-sized field for this one (maximum 17), generally, in spite of its decent purse.

Race 3 - Dipper Novices’ Chase - 13:20

The third race of the day is the first of three worthy of a little more information. This Grade 2 race is for novices aged five and older, taking place over two miles, four furlongs and one-hundred and sixty-six yards (2m, 4f, 127y).

There are seventeen fences that the horses will have to get over in order to find themselves on the home straight and the race tends to last for about five minutes. The field is often quite small, mainly because it’s a race that lends itself to quick horses that know how to last the distance.

The race was first run in 1980 and traditionally called Newcastle Racecourse its home during the month of November. It was moved to mid-January in 1990 and it was switched to Cheltenham and run on New Year’s Day from 2005.

Only Barry Geraghty, Brian Storey, Chris Grant and Sam Twiston-Davies have won the race more than once as jockeys, with each notching up two wins. The most successful trainer of all time when it comes to this one is Peter Easterby, who’s won it three times; though several trainers, including Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls, have won it twice to date. No horse has won it more than once, of course, as it’s for novices.

Race 4 - New Year's Day Handicap Chase - 13:55

Nothing says ‘gearing up for the Festival’ quite like sponsors using these races to get people to think about using their services.  This year it is sponsored by another bookie, Paddy Power.

This Premier Handicap event takes place over two miles, four furlongs and one-hundred and sixty-six yards (2m, 4f, 127y), with its seventeen fences making it virtually identical to the race that’s run before it. Where that race is for novices, however, this race is run with handicaps, applied by the handicapper before the race gets underway. As with the novices chase, this is for five-year-old horses and up.

This race started life in 1990 as the Cleeve Hill Handicap Chase. It was awarded Grade 3 status in 2009 and in 2014 it was given the official name of the Fairlawne Handicap Chase, though it is normally ran under a sponsored title.  It was changed to a Premier Handicap in 2022 as part of the general ratings changeds for all Grade 3 handicaps - its status remains the same.

The Fairlawne Handicap Chase was run at Windsor until 1997. No horse has won the race more than once, though Aidan Coleman, Jamie Bargary, Mick Fitzgerald, Sam Twiston-Davies, Harry Skelton and Timmy Murphy have all won it twice as jockeys. Josh Gifford. Venetia Williams and Dan Skelton have both managed two wins as trainers, though they trail some way behind Nigel Twiston-Davies and his five wins.

Race 5 - Relkeel Hurdle - 14:30

The final noteworthy race of the day is this Grade 2 hurdle open to horses at or over five years of age. There are ten hurdles that must be jumped over the course of two miles, four furlongs and fifty-six yards (2m, 4f, 56y).

More often than not you’ll find the field for this one hovers somewhere between five and ten horses and the race will last for over five minutes only if the going is heavy. Sponsored by Dornan Engineering since the 2018 jump racing season, this race is officially named after the three-time winner of the International Hurdle, Relkeel, which is held at the International meeting in December.

That name is a recent addition to the race’s title, of course, originally run in 1988 as the Sport of Kings Challenge. In 1992 a horse trained in America and named Lonesome Glory won the race, so from 1993 it was known as the Lonesome Glory Hurdle. It earned its Relkeel moniker in 1990 and was only moved to New Year’s Day in 2016, having previously taken place during the International Meeting.

Oscar Whisky is the only horse to win the race more than once, earning back-to-back wins in 2011 and 2012. Barry Geraghty was the rider on both occasions, notching up two of his three wins in this one. A couple of jockeys have two wins, but it’s Tony McCoy who leads the way with five victories. Jonjo O’Neill has two wins of this race as a trainer and Alan King has three. Nicky Henderson and Martin Pipe are the joint leading trainers with four victories each.

Race 6 - Handicap Hurdle - 15:05

Paddy Power once again used a race to let punters know what they’re all about by naming the fifth race of the day after themselves. It’s a Class 2 race that typically tends to feature one of the largest fields of the day at about ten to fifteen horses.

Open to four-year-olds plus, the race has twelve hurdles and takes place over two miles, seven furlongs and two-hundred and thirteen yards (2m, 7f, 213y). As the name suggests, this is another race that engages the work of the handicapper.

Race 7 - Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race - 15:40

New Year’s Day’s racing on Cheltenham Racecourse comes to a close thanks to the JCB 'Junior National Hunt flat race. A Class 1 Listed race, The name should make clear that there are no hurdles that need to be negotiated with this one. Instead it’s a relatively quick race, with the competitors usually coming home in around three minutes.

It’s only open to four-year-olds and is run over one mile, five furlongs and two-hundred and nine yards (1m, 5f, 209y). This is the race that offers the largest field most years, often seeing between ten and fifteen horses lining up for starter’s orders.