FEATURE XXXXXXXXX CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL 12 - 15 MARCH 2024
FEATURE XXXXXXX XX CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL 12 - 15 MARCH 2024
GOLD CUP DAY As we head into the final day of the Cheltenham Festival, the action is brought to a gripping crescendo on Gold Cup Day. This is the day which for many the whole season has been building towards and the feature is Jump racing’s Blue Riband event, the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.
F irst staged in its present format in 1924, the great race celebrates its centenary in 2024. Ask any Jump jockey, trainer or owner what one race in the season is more prestigious than any other and their answer will be the same. Because, while the Randox Grand National is an iconic spectacle, the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, which celebrates its centenary this year, brings the very best together to compete for the biggest prize of them all. Racing analysts will use the term ‘Championship’ pace when talking about the big races at The Cheltenham Festival and that rings particularly true with the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, testing the mettle of stayers looking to step up to the big leagues by seeing if they can add substance to their stamina over the three and a quarter miles trip. And perhaps the most significant statistic to demonstrate how hard the race is to win is that only eight horses have been successful more than once since it was first run in 1924. Legends to have won the great trophy more than once include Kauto Star in 2007 and 2009 – the only horse to regain the Gold Cup; Best Mate in 2002, 2003 and 2004; L’Escargot in 1970 and 1971; Arkle in 1964, 1965 and 1966, and Golden Miller in 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935 and
1936. The most recent multiple scorer was Al Boum Photo, who triumphed in 2019 and 2020. The 2022 running once again saw Rachael Blackmore write her name in history to become the first successful female jockey in the Gold Cup when A Plus Tard, the 2021 runner-up, reversed placings with Minella Indo in spectacular style to win as he liked by 15 lengths. While Day Four of the Cheltenham Festival might be misconstrued by some as being all about one race, nothing could be further from the truth. Friday begins with the Grade One JCB Triumph Hurdle, a race which has a knack for producing thrilling finishes and stars of the future in equal measure. Also on the card is the St James’s Place Festival Hunters’ Chase. The race is known as the ‘Gold Cup for amateur riders’ due to being run over the same distance as the feature contest. It channels a traditional Corinthian spirit which very few other sports are able to replicate. It is then up to the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle to bring the curtain down. No matter whether you are there to witness it, the final runner passing the winning post signals not only the end of four days like no other, but also the beginning of a 12-month countdown…
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