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| Cheltenham Festival 2009 |
Cheltenham Announces New Running Order for The Festival 2009 07/10/08
At a media conference today, Cheltenham Racecourse announced some significant changes to the racing schedule for The Festival in 2009, which takes places from March 10 to 13.
On each day of The Festival, the feature race will now be the fourth race of the day, giving more of a sense of building to a climax. This change has resulted in a rescheduled race programme, as revealed below.
The totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup will remain the first race over fences on Friday and, to accomplish this, the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle moves from being the last race of The Festival to become the second event on Gold Cup day, meaning that it will be televised on Channel 4 for the first time. The final contest of The Festival 2009 will be the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual, a handicap chase over two miles and half a furlong, while a new race, a conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle over an extended two and a half miles becomes the sixth race that day.
Explaining the change, Racecourse Managing Director, Edward Gillespie, said: “It was apparent from the experience of last season that a greater period of build-up to the biggest races was almost universally popular.
“On that basis, the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle, Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase, Ladbrokes World Hurdle and totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup will be the fourth race on each day respectively, starting at 3.20pm. Because we are now starting racing at 1.30pm instead of 2pm, these races will only actually be run five minutes later than in the recent past.
“The movement of the County Hurdle away from its slot as the final race of The Festival will give Gold Cup day a different feel, but we are still ending The Festival with two ultra-competitive handicaps, so the battle between punters and bookies will still be alive until 5.15pm on the Friday!”
In other changes, The National Hunt Chase continues to be rejuvenated, with a new televised slot, opening the card on Wednesday, March 11, a day which will feature seven races for the first time since The Festival was extended to four days in 2005.
The David Nicholson Mares Hurdle moves to Tuesday (from Friday), and the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle to Wednesday (from Tuesday).
Prize Money for The Festival 2009 has risen to £3.59 million (£3.42 million in 2008), an amazing average of over £138,000 for each of the 26 races.
Away from The Festival, it was announced that both the Paddy Power Gold Cup on November 15 and the boylesports.com Gold Cup on December 13 will have 48-hour declarations and reserves in place (if the races are over-subscribed) for the first time.
The 2008/2009 season at Cheltenham begins on Friday and Saturday October 17 & 18, the second staging of The Showcase, allowing racegoers to get behind the scenes of Jump racing and find out much more about many aspects of the sport.
Further information from Andy Clifton, Cheltenham’s Communications Manager on 07876 330090 or 01242 513 014
Order of Running - THE FESTIVAL 2009
First Day – Tuesday 10th March (Old Course)
1.30pm Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade One) 2m 110yds £120,000
2.05pm The Irish Independent Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase (Grade One) 2m £170,000
2.40pm William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase (Grade Three) 3m 110yds £90,000
3.20pm Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Grade One) 2m 110yds £370,000
4.00pm Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase 3m 7f £50,000
4.40pm David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle (Grade Two) 2m 4f £100,000
Second Day – Wednesday 11th March (Old Course)
1.30pm 139th Year of the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup 4m £75,000
2.05pm Ballymore Properties Novices’ Hurdle (Grade One) 2m 5f £120,000
2.40pm RSA Chase (Grade One) 3m 110yds £170,000
3.20pm Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade One) 2m £320,000
4.00pm Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Grade Three) 2m 5f £80,000
4.40pm Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Listed Race) 2m 110yds £80,000
5.15pm Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Grade One) 2m 110yds £60,000
Third Day – Thursday 12th March (New Course)
1.30pm Jewson Novices’ Handicap Chase (Listed Race) 2m 5f £90,000
2.05pm Pertemps Final (Listed Race) 3m £80,000
2.40pm Ryanair Chase (Grade One) 2m 5f £220,000
3.20pm Ladbrokes World Hurdle (Grade One) 3m £260,000
4.00pm Festival Plate Handicap Chase (Grade Three) 2m 5f £90,000
4.40pm Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase 3m 1f 110yds £60,000
Fourth Day – Friday 13th March (New Course)
1.30pm JCB Triumph Hurdle Race (Grade One) 2m 1f £120,000
2.05pm Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle (Grade Three) 2m 1f £80,000
2.40pm Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade One) 3m £100,000
3.20pm totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade One) 3m 2f 110yds £475,000
4.00pm Christie’s Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup 3m 2f 110yds £40,000
4.40pm Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f 110yds £50,000
5.15pm Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase (Grade Three) 2m 110yds £90,000
