Cheltenham Festival 2015: Why You Should Visit
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
We all need a little respite from burgeoning deadlines once in a while, and horse race meetings the perfect panacea for the stressed out student! Horse racing is a pursuit that can seem only open to the wealthy and well-heeled, but in recent decades racing has become the sport of the everyman, a great excuse to throw on some glad rags, sip a glass of something cool and perhaps even make a wager or two! Of all the race meetings that take place across the UK during the year though, the Cheltenham Festival is by far the most renowned, and is a must-visit for both seasoned horse racing fans and those who have never before enjoyed a moment of equine sport. Here’s what’s going on.
Taking place between the 10th and 13th of March at the beautiful Cheltenham Racecourse, the event starts on Tuesday as Champion Day goes into full swing. Tuesday is a definite godsend for ardent fans of racing and betting as the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Arkle Challenge Trophy and ever-exciting Champion Hurdle take place. If you’re not all that knowledgeable regarding racing and betting, we’d suggest downloading Coral’s racing app. You can access odds, live news and all of the racing results, thereby really boosting your chances of receiving a little windfall!
Wednesday is Ladies Day, a day of style, poise and hats that won’t see the light of day for another whole year! Races on Tuesday include the hotly-anticipated Queen Bother Champion Steeple Chase, the raucous Champion Bumper (so named for the rather un-gentlemanly conduct of the participating rookie horses!) and the RSA Steeple Chase. Overall, Tuesday is a great mix of racing and classic horse racing culture.
Now for the one we know most of our readers will enjoy the most- St Patrick’s Friday! Hundreds of thousands of litres of the delicious Irish brew will be doled out during the course of this most libationary of days at the Cheltenham Festival, and amongst races such as the JLT Novices Chase, Ryanair Chase and the World Hurdle there’s going to be all sorts of Irish-themed entertainments, bands and other fun things to do. If you don’t mind drunken Irishmen (we predict there will be a fair few!) then this is by far the most fun, student-friendly day of the fest.
Finally on Friday the 13th of March the biggest, most glittering day of races takes place; Champion Day. Expect to see lots of champagne, wagers and tweed on Friday; the festival’s, if not the entire racing community’s, biggest races are held on Friday, making for a big one! The crowning race will be the Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple chase; last year the winning horse netted £550,000, one of the biggest prizes in racing.
Racing isn’t the sport of kings, and is a relatively cheap, fun pursuit for cash-lacking students to enjoy. Lovetheraces is an excellent site that, among other things, lists all of the student discounts that are being run at the country’s racecourses- head on over and see if there are any great deals taking place near you!
Category: Entertainment, Featured
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