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© GRAPHIC NEWS

© GRAPHIC NEWS

© GRAPHIC NEWS

Graphic shows festival schedule and course for Gold Cup race.
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HORSE RACING

Cheltenham Festival highlights 2017

By Chris Dinsdale

March 14, 2017 - March 17, 2017 - The Cheltenham Festival, one of the most prestigious events in the world horse racing calendar, takes place in Gloucestershire, England. The climax of the week is the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday, with other highlights being Tuesday’s Stan James Champion Hurdle, Wednesday’s Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Sun Bets Stayers’ Hurdle on Thursday.

National Hunt racing is the term used in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland for races where horses jump over fences or other obstacles. There are two distinct branches to National Hunt racing — Hurdles (smaller fences) and Steeplechasing, which features a variety of obstacles including larger fences, water jumps and open ditches. The biggest National Hunt events each year in the UK are the Cheltenham Gold Cup (considered the blue riband of steeplechasing), and the Grand National at Aintree, which is less prestigious but more widely known outside of the sport.

The four-day Cheltenham Festival usually coincides with St Patrick’s Day (the patron saint of Ireland) and features six races each day, in which only the very best British and Irish trained horses compete. The festival attracts over 260,000 visitors, many from Ireland. The prize money amounts to £4.1 million, and over £250 million is expected to be wagered.

The Festival

The Cheltenham Festival

Sources
PUBLISHED: 28/02/2017; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty Images
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