|
|
|
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is one of the most anticipated races of the National Hunt season as it showcases the best race horses that Britain and Ireland have to offer. The Cheltenham Gold Cup is held every March during the Cheltenham Festival which attracts the elite of the horse racing community. Cheltenham is a charming spa town set within the scenic landscape of the Cotswold's and with a population of little over 100,000; the town really comes to life in the spring when the Cheltenham festival is on.
|
|
The first Cheltenham Gold Cup was held in 1819 with Spectre winning 100 Guineas for his owner.
The original event was a flat 3 mile race held on Cleeve Hill, whereas the current Cheltenham Gold Cup is held on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse which stands in the shadows of Cleeve Hill and is three miles and two and a half furlongs long with twenty two jumps - a stark contrast to the original race.
The 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup has an estimated race prize of £475,000 and is only open to race horses aged 5 and over. Kauto Star who won the race in 2007 and 2009 is the only horse ever to regain the Cheltenham Gold Cup and hopes to retain it this season.
|
|
1924 was the year when the Cheltenham Gold Cup changed from a flat race to a jump race on the Old Course at Cheltenham Racecourse. Red Splash won the first jump race and picked up a £685 prize for his owner. The Cheltenham Races of the 1930's were plagued with disaster as the Gold Cup of 1931 was cancelled due to frost and the 1937 race was called off due to flooding. However Golden Miller was the real winner of the decade as he won 5 successive Cheltenham Gold Cups and still holds the record for most victories.
|
The Second World War saw two Cheltenham Gold Cups being cancelled, but after Hitler was defeated in 1945 the Cheltenham Races came back stronger with a little help from Cottage Rake, who won 3 successive Gold Cups during 1948 and 1950 which helped boost the event especially amongst the Irish. Cottage Rake was trained by an Irishman Vincent O'Brian who raised the profile of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in Ireland and this consequently led to a big influx of Irish to the races, and with St Patrick's Day coinciding with the event this brought a bit of extra charm and merriment to the Cheltenham Festival.
As the Cheltenham Festival progressed in the 1950's the race moved from the Old Course to the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse.
|
|
|
The first major champion on the New Course was Arkle who won three successive races in the mid 1960's and still holds the record for the shortest priced winner in Cheltenham Gold Cup history at 10/1.
|
|
The current sponsors of the Cheltenham Gold Cup are Tote Sport, but the original sponsors were Piper Champagne but they stepped down in 1980 which led the way for The Tote.
The Cheltenham Races have had many champions over the years but none have been as successful as Tom Dreaper who trained 5 champion race horses and Dorothy Paget who owned 7 Cheltenham Gold Cup winners.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a fabulous race to watch as it sees the champions of Britain and Ireland racing against each other and with festivities of the Cheltenham Festival to entertain you it's not hard to see why the Gold Cup is the highlight of the British National Hunt calendar.
|
|
|
|
