2017 Cheltenham Festival – The wait is finally over

Cheltenham has long since been recognised as the home of National Hunt racing and the gates at Prestbury Park will soon be opened to the public once again, as the best jump racers in the world gather in Gloucestershire and battle it out for some of the most prestigious and storied titles in the entire sporting world.

On Tuesday afternoon on the 14^th of March, the Supreme Novice hurdlers will approach the post, spurred on by the roar of a jubilant crowd. The starter will drop his flag and send the battalion of equine superstars on their quest for glory, officially starting the 2017 Cheltenham Festival.

Over the next four days, punters and spectators alike will be drawn to the edge of their seats, riding a rollercoaster of emotions as they enjoy the best action horse racing has to offer.

The Champion Hurdle is the feature race on the first day of the Festival, closely followed by the National Hunt Challenge Cup, which remains one of the oldest sporting contests in the world and will be running its 147^th renewal on Tuesdayevening. The Champion Chase – named after the Queen Mother, who made such a fantastic contribution to the sport while she was alive – takes pride of place on Wednesday afternoon. The RSA Chase provides the Champion Chase with a fitting prelude, before the unique Cross Country Chase thrills spectators on Wednesday afternoon, as the participants cut a winding path around Prestbury Park, tackling some brilliantly unusual obstacles.

Thursday at Cheltenham is known as Ladies Day, where female spectators sporting stylish ensembles take centre stage, as they enjoy some incredible excitement on the track. The Stayers’ Hurdle is the main Championship race on the third day at Cheltenham, with the Ryanair Chase also providing onlookers with oodles of entertainment.

The final day of the Festival features many exciting contests, like the Triumph Juvenile Hurdle, the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle and the Grand Annual Chase – the oldest race at the entire Festival and the traditional curtain closer on an incredible four days of festivities. However, everyone’s attention will be fixed unwaveringly on the Friday’s main event, the most sought-after prize in the entire sport. The Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Most of the greatest names in horse racing have come to Cheltenham in search of Gold Cup glory and many have gone on to etch their names into the annals of history. The atmosphere around Prestbury Park is always electric during Festival week, but when the Gold Cup contenders take to the track, an eerie silence sweeps through the stands as spectators become tense with anticipation, waiting for the flag to be dropped and the best horses in the business to be let loose.

As the Gold Cup challengers round the final bend, the voices in the grandstand reach fever-pitch – singing along to the beat created by dozens of pounding hooves, screaming with delight as the Gold Cup champion leaps over his final fence and crosses the line to claim his crown.

The regular 2016/17 season has been packed with thrills, spills, tragedies and triumphs. Since the turn of the year, the Cheltenham Festival has been at the forefront of the mind of trainers, jockeys and spectators – many of whom have been planning their chosen Cheltenham contenders for many months in the build-up to the Festival.

The Cheltenham Festival is an event not to be missed, Cheltenham tickets are still available, and you cannot call yourself a true horse racing aficionado until you have watched the best athletes on four legs around the famous final bend at Prestbury Park and fight to the line for a Festival title.

Royal Ascot may have the glamour and the Breeders’ Cup many have the prize pots, but no other meeting in the world of horse racing can match the Cheltenham Festival in terms of atmosphere, history and irrepressible sporting drama.