THE F E S T I VAL™ SUPPORT I NG WE L LCH I LD 16-19 MARCH 2021
FESTIVAL FESTIVAL THE ESTIVAL hang up their boots on 59 and 31 Festival winners respectively, Barry Geraghty’s retirement last Summer after taking his tally to 43 gives a newwave of jockeys an opportunity to make their mark on the biggest stage of them all. Often described as ‘the Olympics of Jump Racing’, The Festival™ supporting WellChild is an event like no other. Four days of the most extraordinary sport, celebrating equine and human superstars and all culminating in the most prestigious prize – the WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday 19 March
M ore than 250,000 racegoers from Britain, Ireland and beyond would usually gather over the four days of The Festival. While the ongoing global pandemic means this year’s Festival will look very dierent o the track, the action on the turf promises to be just as sensational as it always is. There are a total of 28 races to savour across the meeting, including the ve ‘Championship’ races which headline the four days – the Unibet Champion Hurdle, Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle, Ryanair Chase and the WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup. This year The Festival also welcomes a new race, the Grade Two Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Steeple Chase, to its line-up on the Friday, as the mares’ programme continues to go from strength to strength. As well trying to nd winning horses, racing fans are also waiting to nd out who will ll the huge void left by the retirement of the three most successful jockeys in Cheltenham Festival history. Following the decision of the legendary RubyWalsh and Sir AP McCoy to
This year’s Festival has partnered with the charity WellChild, which will see Jump racing’s agship event support one of the UK’s leading charities. With its headquarters in Cheltenham, WellChild is the national charity for seriously ill children and helps give young people living with serious health needs the best chance to thrive, properly supported at home with their families. The charity lost 60% of its projected income when the COVID-19 crisis took hold, and The Jockey Club is proud to be supporting such an important locally-based charity. This year’s Festival might be missing that famous Cheltenham roar, but the racecourse is ready to stage four more days of extraordinary sport, wherever you’re watching. By Nick Seddon
18 THE F E S T I VAL TM SUPPORT I NG WE L LCH I LD PREV I EW MAGAZ I NE
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker