Have you any tips?
The Cheltenham festival is finally here. After all the trials, the prep-runs, the talk, the prelims, the preview nights…the waiting is over and the games have begun. What’s the good thing this year? Which one have you picked out? Who are we following this time?
Whatever happens, we’ll be here to keep you in the loop. You can keep up to date with all the action in our live-blog below. Best of luck for the week.
Cheltenham festival Day One: All the odds, tips, action and talking points
Over the course of this famous week in March, thousands will flock to the Pretsbury Park racecourse in Gloucestershire, England for what they call the Olympics of horse-racing.
The best jockeys will all be there, the best trainers and the best horses too.
On top of that, there will be hordes of spectators, young, old, male, female – you name it – each of them united by the hope of getting a glimpse of the best horses, by the hope of picking a winner or maybe just something as simple as getting a taste of it all.
For some, it’s an annual pilgrimage but for others, let’s not forget, it’s a step into the unknown.
In recent years, Ireland have dominated the festival and it’s widely accepted that the best horses are in Irish yards yards. That’s reflected that by the fact that, for the majority of the contests this week, Irish horses will line up as favourites.
The Closutton maestro Willie Mullins is one of the main reasons behind this Irish take-over and, as ever, he heads over with a stacked team. Paul Townend has some big rides for him but so too do the second and third string, which will be rode by his son Paddy and nephew Danny.
Gordon Elliott will also have plenty of big chances as will Henry De Bromhead, who’s horses will be rode by the brilliant Rachael Blackmore – a jockey who has shown on countless occasions in the past that she absolutely loves it around here.
Anyway, we’re ready to go! Don’t forget to enjoy one of the greatest shows on earth.
