Why You Should Make the Cheltenham Festival a Must Visit this Spring
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the great annual sporting events and always proves popular with students in the spring – especially those living in London as it is just over a two-hour train journey away from Paddington station.
At the Festival the best horses from the UK and Ireland take each other on across four days where there are 28 races scheduled. You don’t have to be a big horse racing fan to appreciate the action and if you do like a flutter, there is nothing quite like the excitement of backing a winner at the meeting.
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In the Cheltenham 2017 odds at William Hill, Thistlecrack is the 10/11 favourite to win the feature race of the week, the Cheltenham Gold Cup. That race takes place over fences and the distance is three miles and two furlongs, therefore it is a real stamina test. As you can see from the infographic below, this race dates all the way back to 1819 and some of the greats of the sport have all won the contest including the horses known as Arkle, Desert Orchid and Kauto Star.
Thistlecrack established himself as the horse to beat for the Gold Cup this year when he was successful in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day at Kempton. That is the second biggest race of the season in the division, in which he came out on top very easily under jockey Tom Scudamore to suggest he could be set to have a big future as a chaser.
The Festival isn’t all just about the racing. It’s also a great place to have a few drinks. No fewer than 20,000 bottles of wine were drunk at the 2015 meeting! St Patrick’s Day falls on the Friday this year and this day is always popular with Irish students.
Cheltenham also offers its punters a great choice when it comes to food. Unfortunately, you cannot find a table at its popular restaurant on the day, as it always sells out at the Festival. If you plan your trip in advance though, you should be able to secure a reservation for your chosen day. If not, there is a range of different food outlets around the course which sell burgers, pizzas and fish and chips.
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Tickets are still available now online if you are looking to make the trip across to Cheltenham in March. They start from £25 which gets you into the Best Mate Enclosure. If you are looking to upgrade to a better section of the racecourse, you can either choose the Tattersalls Enclosure where tickets start at £40 – or if you really want to treat yourself, the best way to watch the action is the Club Enclosure. The view from the main grandstand is excellent and if it does rain on the day, you will have some shelter to keep yourself dry.
Enjoy your trip if you are lucky enough to be going in later this year and fingers crossed you back plenty of winners throughout the day!
Category: Student Sport
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