The Showcase Friday 20th October 2023

The Showcase differs from most events held at Cheltenham Racecourse on account of the fact that it doesn’t feature a race called the Gold Cup. Don’t think that that means there are no races worth watching, however, as there are plenty of different ones across Day One alone that will capture your imagination. You can always tell when a meeting is worthy of attention because of the fact that sponsors are keen to get involved and on that front the Showcase doesn’t disappoint, with almost every race sponsored by a well-known company.

Not that punters are all that bothered which races have been sponsored and which ones haven’t, of course. The key thing that most people will want to know is what aged horses the races are for, if there are any rules that you need to look out for and so on. On this page we’ll give you as much information as we can, as well as the timings for the various races.

Showcase Friday Race Card

If you’ve read any of our other pages looking at the events that take place at Cheltenham Racecourse then you’ll know that we always add in the disclaimer that all race schedules are subject to change.

Typically speaking, the races get underway at 2pm and the last one goes off at 5.30pm, but anything from weather to sheer popularity of the occasion can mean that that doesn’t happen as planned. Even so, this is the rough look at how Day One should pan out if all goes according to plan:

What To Expect On Showcase Friday

As we wrote on the main page, the Cheltenham Festival will always be the event in the jump racing calendar that earns the most attention in the Gloucestershire region, but in terms of excited anticipation there’s an argument that the Showcase runs it a close second. This is a chance for the jockeys, trainers, owners and, of course, the horses themselves to inspect the course before the season ahead gets truly into the swing of things. For that reason you’ll find that the Prestbury Park course is visited more by true racing enthusiasts over the two days rather than the celebrities, hangers-on and Johnny-come-latelies that tend to be found wandering around the venue in March.

That being said, if there’s likely to be people turning up just to get a sense of what the whole thing’s about then it’s more likely to be on the Friday than the Saturday. Regardless, this is an event for serious racing enthusiasts who know that it’s an opportunity to keep an eye out for some horses to see how they’re likely to do in the season ahead. Of course, even racing enthusiasts like to have a shop and a bite to eat, so there’ll be plenty of places to do just that during the course of two days. In 2018, for example, racegoers could attend the The SoGlos Showcase Zone for the first time, which was a collection of some of Gloucester’s best craft food and drink producers who were given stalls within The Centaur.

In terms of the weather, you’re best off having a look at what the forecast is saying before you leave to head to the racecourse. We’ve known mid-Octobers to be delightfully mild and even sunny one day then chucking it down and freezing the next. If there’s one thing you can predict about the British weather then it’s that it is entirely unpredictable! You know yourself better than we do, though, so you’ll be best off packing accordingly. The good news is that both the racecourse itself and the surrounding areas of it will be looking fresh and smart, almost certainly having been updated during the summer months and given a pleasant spring clean.

Final Thoughts

Day One of the Showcase presents you with a number of exciting races, with the final three being the ones to really keep an eye on in terms of learning about the horses and jockeys that might well have a breakout season.