Cheltenham Festival 2019 schedule
Tuesday March 12: Officially billed as Champion Day, the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival is packed with top quality and starts with a bang as the best young hurdlers clash in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle.
The Racing Post Arkle crowns the champion two-mile novice chaser and the headline race on day one is the Unibet Champion Hurdle, won for the past two years by the Nicky Henderson-trained Buveur D'Air, who returns to defend his crown this year. 15:30 Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle 16:10 Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase 16:50 Ultima Handicap Chase 17:30 UniBet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy 18:10 OLBG Mares’ Hurdle 18:50 National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup (Amateur Riders’ Novices’ Steeple Chase) 19:30 Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase
Wednesday March 13: Ladies Day consists of a blend of speed and stamina, with the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase one of the most exhilarating races of the week as the fastest two-milers wing around Prestbury Park's demanding chase course.
The RSA Chase is a severe examination for burgeoning staying talent and the Cross Country Chase gets better by the year, with last year's winner - Tiger Roll - famously going on to claim Grand National glory at Aintree. 15:30 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle 16:10 RSA Chase 16:50 Coral Cup Hurdle (A Handicap Hurdle Race) 17:30 Betway Queen Champion Chase 18:10 Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase 18:50 Boodles Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle 19:30 Weatherbys Champion Bumper (A Standard Open NH Flat Race)
Thursday March 14: The St Patrick's Thursday crowd has every reason to celebrate with a couple of cracking Grade One contests in Mother the Sun Bets Stayers' Hurdle and the Ryanair Chase.
The JLT Novices' Chase also carries top-class status while the Pertemps Network Final provides a fantastic puzzle for punters to solve as a huge field scrap for hurdling honours over three miles. 15:30 JLT Novices’ Chase 16:10 Pertemps Network Final 16:50 Ryanair Chase 17:30 Sun Bets Stayers' Hurdle 18:10 Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate 18:50 Trull House Stud Mares Novices’ Hurdle 19:30 Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase
Friday March 15: Gold Cup Day barely needs introduction.
One of the most sought-after titles in racing is decided on the final day of the Festival and always promises to provide the greatest spectacle.
The Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup is a race associated with the elite of the sport and nothing can rival the Cheltenham roar as the horses charge up the famous hill - last year's battle between Native River and Might Bite will live long in the memory and connections of the 2019 contenders will be dreaming of something similar.
The JCB Triumph Hurdle and Albert Bartlett also crown topclass talents, while a tweak to the programme now means the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle is the 28th and final race of the Festival. 15:30 JCB Triumph Hurdle 16:10 Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle 16:50 Albert Bartlett Hurdle 17:30 Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase 18:10 St. James’s Place Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup 18:50 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase 19:30 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle Racing Express will publish the fields as well as a preview every day for the duration of the festival, starting tomorrow. Novices’
– A horse that is receiving physical encouragement from the jockey to quicken up, either to stay in contention mid-race, or to go flat out at the finish, is said to be ridden along. Stay – A horse that “stays” well is one that has the stamina to complete the required distance, while a horse that doesn’t stay should probably be running over a shorter distance. Horses that run over longer distances, such as the Gold Cup at Cheltenham, are known as stayers. Trip – This is another word for the distance run. For example, the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham is run over a trip of two miles (about 3218m). Yard – Specifically, this is the training yard of a given trainer, but it will often be used in reference to the group of horses trained there. For example, if the yard is in good form, it means that the trainer’s horses are running well. -