Cheltenham

cheltenham festival / news

Can Cheltenham Stars Follow Up Festival Glory in 2014? 19/03/13
Many National Hunt fans will be suffering from a Cheltenham Festival hangover this week as the reality dawns that they must wait another 12 months before the enjoyment of the four day meeting comes round again.

Alderwood Makes it 14 for Ireland in Johnny Henderson 15/03/13
With British and Irish stables 13-all going into The Festival finale, the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase, it was Alderwood, trained by Tom Mullins, who broke the deadlock in favour of the raiders with a record Irish score of 14.

Salubrious Captures Martin Pipe Hurdle 15/03/13
Paul Nicholls had to wait until the penultimate race of the whole meeting but Salubrious got the champion trainer off the mark at Cheltenham in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle.

Salsify Snatches Dramatic Foxhunter 15/03/13
Salsify was a dramatic winner of the CGA Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup at Cheltenham after Oscar Delta unseated Jane Mangan when leading on the run-in.

Bobs Worth Strikes Gold 15/03/13
Bobs Worth won a thrilling renewal of the 2013 Cheltenham Gold Cup for Nicky Henderson and Barry Geraghty.

At Fishers Cross Wins Albert Bartlett 15/03/13
Fishers Cross justifies the strong support to land the Albert Bartlett, giving Tony McCoy his first winner of the week.

Ted Veale Wins County Hurdle 15/03/13
Tony Martin and Bryan Cooper teamed up for their second Cheltenham winner in two days when Ted Veale reeled in long-time leader Tennis Cap in the Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle.

Our Conor Outclasses JCB Triumph Hurdle Field 15/03/13
Our Conor put up a scintillating display to run away with the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Steeple Chase 14/03/13
Big Shu led home an Irish benefit in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham for Peter Maher and jockey Barry Cash.

Same Difference Sneaks Kim Muir 14/03/13
Nigel Twiston-Davies landed his second winner of the Cheltenham Festival when Same Difference edged out Super Duty in a thrilling finish to the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup.

Carrickboy Scores in Byrne Group Plate 14/03/13
Carrickboy made just about every yard to land the Byrne Group Plate at the Cheltenham Festival.

Solwhit Wins World Hurdle 14/03/13
Solwhit arrived late on the scene to deny the Stewart family a fairytale victory with Celestial Halo in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Cue Card Dominates in Ryanair Chase 14/03/13
Cue Card made all to claim a second Cheltenham Festival success for Colin and Joe Tizzard in the Ryanair Chase.

Benefficient Spoils Dynaste Jewson Party 14/03/13
Benefficient produced a gutsy performance to land the Jewson Novices' Chase, the opening event on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival.

Holywell Wins Pertemps Final 14/03/13
Holywell broke a frustrating run of second place finishes where it mattered most when holding on to win the Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival.

Briar Hill Lands Champion Bumper 13/03/13
Willie Mullins claimed the Weatherbys Champion Bumper for an eighth time at the Cheltenham Festival courtesy of Briar Hill.

Flaxen Flare Strikes in Fred Winter 13/03/13
Flaxen Flare gave Ireland another winner at the Cheltenham Festival with a convincing 25-1 success in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.

Medinas Wins Coral Cup Glory 13/03/13
Medinas sprang a 33-1 surprise for jockey Wayne Hutchinson and trainer Alan King in the Coral Cup at Cheltenham.

Sprinter Sacre Cruises to Champion Chase Crown 13/03/13
Sprinter Sacre opens up a seven-length lead on Sizing Europe and draws further clear as he pings the last and storms up the hill without even coming off the bridle. That's a phenomenal performance from a very, very special horse. He's massacred this field ...

Lord Windermere Wins RSA Chase 13/03/13
Triple Gold Cup-winning rider Jim Culloty enjoyed Festival success as a trainer when Lord Windermere took the RSA Chase at Cheltenham.

The New One Storms Home in Neptune 13/03/13
The New One provided local trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies with a Festival winner when storming away to land the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle, bursting the bubble of Pont Alexandre in the process.

Back In Focus Sees Out National Hunt Chase 13/03/13
Back In Focus put up a determined staying performance to give trainer Willie Mullins his fourth winner of this year's Cheltenham Festival in the John Oaksey National Hunt Chase.

Quevega Queen of Mares for a Fifth Time 12/03/13
Quevega made it a remarkable five-timer in the OLBG Mares' Hurdle with a thrilling victory at the Cheltenham Festival.

Rajdhani Express Wins Rewards4Racing Novices' Handicap Chase
12/03/13
Sam Waley-Cohen punched out Rajdhani Express to claim a thrilling triumph in the Rewards4Racing Novices' Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.

Hurricane Fly Regains Champion Hurdle 12/03/13
Hurricane Fly regained his Stan James Champion Hurdle crown with what was in the end a commanding victory at the Cheltenham Festival.

Golden Chieftain Bolts Up in JLT Specialty Chase 12/03/13
Jockey Brendan Powell jnr enjoyed his first Cheltenham Festival winner when storming to victory on Golden Chieftain in the JLT Specialty Handicap Chase.

Simonsig Battles to Arkle Chase Win 12/03/13
Red-hot favourite Simonsig was made to pull out all the stops to claim the Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival.

Champagne Fever Blazes Supreme Trail 12/03/13
The Festival curtain raiser provided a thrilling contest with Champagne Fever winning the Supreme Novices Hurdle in the hands of Ruby Walsh ahead of My Tent Or Yours in second and Jezki third.

Dozen on Course for Cheltenham Gold Cup 09/03/13
Exciting second-season chasers Bobs Worth, Silviniaco Conti and Sir Des Champs feature among 12 six-day confirmations for the £550,000 Grade One Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup (3.20pm), highlight of Cheltenham Gold Cup Day at The Festival, Friday, March 15.

Sprinter Sacre Tops 10 Remaining in Sportingbet Queen Mother Champion Chase 08/03/13
Nicky Henderson's jumping superstar Sprinter Sacre heads the 10 contenders for the £365,760 Grade One Sportingbet Queen Mother Champion Chase (3.20pm), the highlight of Ladies Day, Wednesday, March 13.

Coral Go Evens Sprinter Sacre in Biggest Ever Cheltenham Offer
07/03/13
Coral is launching the biggest and potentially most expensive Cheltenham offer in the firm’s history by offering Even money on Sprinter Sacre for the Champion Chase, and are announcing that they will hold this price for ‘days rather than hours’, starting from 9am, today, Thursday 7th March.

Trio of Former Winners Heading for Champion Hurdle Clash 07/03/13
Hot favourite Hurricane Fly heads 10 horses going forward for this year’s £400,000 Grade One Stan James Champion Hurdle at the six-day confirmation stage for Champion Day, Tuesday, March 12.

Old Stager Fair Along Out to Land Pertemps Hurdle 06/03/13
The ultra-tough and consistent hurdler, Fair Along, will return to the forthcoming Cheltenham Festival having become a regular at the showcase event since 2006.

Final Festival Entries Revealed 27/02/13
Entries for all 27 races at The Festival are now in the public domain with the unveiling of the contenders for the Grade Two OLBG Mares' Hurdle, the Grade One Weatherbys Champion Bumper and the CGA Foxhunter Chase today.

Overturn Ready to Upset Simonsig Apple-Cart 27/02/13
Donald McCain is confident that his star novice chaser Overturn has a good chance of toppling the red-hot favourite Simonsig in the Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy at Cheltenham on the opening day of the Festival, Tuesday, March 12.

Look to Adonis Hurdle for Cheltenham Festival Clues 22/02/13
When you think of Cheltenham trials, the Adonis Hurdle isn't one of the most obvious races to turn to for Festival clues but the two mile juvenile contest has produced a number of useful performers down the years that have gone on to Cheltenham Festival glory.

Record Entries for Cheltenham Handicaps 21/02/13
A new record total of 1,145 entries was revealed today for the 11 handicaps at The Festival, which takes place at Cheltenham from Tuesday, March 12 to Friday, March 15 inclusive.

Novice Events Take Shape With 20 Days To Go 20/02/13
There are only 20 days until The Festival 2013 gets underway and the build up continues with the unveiling of the latest confirmations for the eight outstanding novices' hurdles and novices' chases run over the four days, March 12 to 15 inclusive.

Ruby Sparkles in Build-up to Title Defence 19/02/13
Rock On Ruby, winner of last season’s Stan James Champion Hurdle, continues to please his trainer, Harry Fry, as he builds up to the defence of his hurdling crown on the opening day of the next month’s Cheltenham Festival.

Festival Glory Boost to Flourishing Career of Rebecca Curtis 14/02/13
Trainer Rebecca Curtis goes into the Cheltenham Festival hoping to build on her breakthrough success at last year's event with At Fishers Cross, the current favourite for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.

Henderson Leads The Pack At The Festival 14/02/13
Trainer Nicky Henderson saddled a record seven winners at The Festival in 2012, taking his total successes at the meeting to 46.

Cheltenham Championship Contests Take Shape 13/02/13
There is now just under four weeks until The Festival 2013 gets underway and the countdown intensifies today with the unveiling of the latest acceptors for the five Grade One championship contests following the February 12 scratchings deadline.

Bay Increasingly Likely to Target World Hurdle 12/02/13
The high-class and tremendously versatile old stager, Tidal Bay, looks increasingly likely to bid for the Grade 1 Ladbrokes World Hurdle at next month’s Cheltenham Festival, in preference to having another crack at the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Cheltenham Hopefuls Look to Put Finishing Touches to Preparations at Newbury 07/02/13
My Tent Or Yours has been heavily-backed in the ante-post markets for this weekend's feature race, the Betfair Hurdle, at Newbury on Saturday but can the exciting six-year-old thrust joy back into the Nicky Henderson camp after the fatal fall of Darlan?

Sizing Europe Imperious in Tied Cottage Chase 03/02/13
Henry de Bromhead's chaser demonstrated that he still has plenty to offer in whichever Cheltenham Festival race connections opt for.

Captain Conan Stepping Up for Jewson Challenge 01/02/13
Nicky Henderson's Captain Conan will attempt two and a half miles over fences for the first time on Saturday, February 2, when he lines up in the Betfred Mobile Lotto Challengers Novices' Chase at Sandown.

Exciting Championship Novice Hurdles Entries for The Festival
31/01/13
The entries have been revealed revealed for the four championship novices’ hurdles run at the Cheltenham Festival from Tuesday, March 12, to Friday, March 15.

Rolling Star Tops Triumph Hurdle Contenders 30/01/13
The market for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, on Friday, March 15, is now taking shape with more juveniles having had a run, and a few more to make their debut in the coming weeks.

Great Novice Chase Entries at the Festival 24/01/13
The entries are revealed today for the four novice chases staged at The Festival from Tuesday, March 12, to Friday, March 15.

Jezki to Make Supreme Start at Festival 24/01/13
The Grade 1 William Hill Supreme Novices' Hurdle is the first event on Tuesday 12th March, the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival and it promises to be an intriguing affair.

Cue Card On Target for Ryanair Chase 15/01/13
Cue Card is a general 6-1 chance for the two-mile-five-furlong Ryanair Chase, the most likely target at the Cheltenham Festival.

Sprinter Sacre Heads Champion Chase 17 10/01/13
Sprinter Sacre, who recorded a scintillating victory in the Racing Post Arkle Chase at Cheltenham last year, heads 17 entries for the Sportingbet Queen Mother Champion Chase, the highlight of Ladies Day at The Festival on Wednesday, March 13.

CGA New Sponsor of Foxhunter Chase 09/01/13
Cheltenham Racecourse has announced that the Country Gentlemen’s Association (CGA) is to sponsor the CGA Foxhunter Steeplechase at The Festival, in a five-year deal starting in 2013.

Simonsig Strengthens his Grip on Arkle Trophy Favouritism 04/01/13
Nicky Henderson has an embarrassment of equine riches on his hands at the moment with the likes of Long Run, Darla, Sprinter Sacre and Bob’s Worth, but his Simonsig will be a banker for many punters at March’s Festival.

Cheltenham Names 2013 National Hunt Chase in Honour of John Oaksey 21/12/12
Cheltenham Racecourse will name the 2013 running of the National Hunt Chase at The Festival in honour of the late John Oaksey, who died at the age of 83 on September 5 this year.

Quevega Installed New Ante-Post Favourite for World Hurdle 19/12/12
Quevega has been installed the new-ante-post favourite for the Grade 1 Ladbrokes World Hurdle with defending champion Big Buck’s out of the reckoning.

Plenty of Festival Clues and Market Moves Following the International Meeting 17/12/12
There were plenty of clues on offer at Prestbury Park over the weekend for anybody looking to untangle the antepost markets ahead of the Cheltenham Festival in March as the two day International Meeting took centre stage at the Gloucestershire track.

Betfred Extends Cheltenham Gold Cup Sponsorship 18/09/12
Cheltenham Racecourse has announced that Betfred has extended its sponsorship of the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup for a further three years, up to and including 2015.

Next Generation of Gold Cup Hopefuls Emerge at Cheltenham Festival
27/03/12
No sooner had Synchronised entered the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner’s enclosure last week when the market for next year’s race was already formed by bookmakers.

Synchronised Wins Gold Cup for McCoy and O'Neill 16/03/12
Synchronised landed a dramatic race for the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup in the hands of champion jockey Tony McCoy.

Attaglance Takes the Martin Pipe Hurdle 16/03/12
Malcolm Jefferson secured a second Cheltenham Festival victory of the week when Attaglance landed the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle.

Salsify Scraps to Win the Foxhunters 16/03/12
Salsify just held Chapoturgeon for an Irish victory in the Christie's Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham.

Brindisi Breeze Blasts Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle 16/03/12
Lucinda Russell, who trains north of the border at Kinross, enjoyed her first taste of success at the Cheltenham Festival when the tough Brindisi Breeze outstayed challenger Boston Bob up the hill in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle to win by two lengths.

Alderwood Wins Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle 16/03/12
Tony McCoy finally opened his account at the 2012 Cheltenham Festival when forcing Alderwood home in the Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Countrywide Flames Blazes to JCB Triumph Hurdle Success 16/03/12
The diminutive Countrywide Flame made up a tremendous amount of ground between the last two flights to overhaul the leading pack and spring a 33/1 surprise in the JCB Triumph Hurdle.

Tina Cook Rustles Up St Patrick’s Day Derby Victory 15/03/12
Olympic eventer Tina Cook charged up the Cheltenham hill to claim the honours in the St Patrick’s Derby, which is run in aid of Cancer Research UK. She rode Pashca Bere, trained by her brother Nick Gifford.

Sunnyhillboy Shines in Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir 15/03/12
The Jonjo O’Neill-trained Sunnyhillboy justified strong market support to land the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase.

Salut Flo Takes Byrne Group Plate for Pipe 15/03/12
Salut Flo landed a gamble with a gutsy all-the-way success in the Byrne Group Plate Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.

Big Buck's Makes World Hurdle History 15/03/12
Big Buck's made Ladbrokes World Hurdle history with a fourth successive victory in the stayers' championship at Cheltenham.

Riverside Theatre Battles to Win Ryanair Chase 15/03/12
Riverside Theatre, superbly ridden by Barry Geraghty, won a thrilling race for the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Cape Tribulation Takes Pertemps Final 15/03/12
Cape Tribulation struck for North Yorkshire trainer Malcolm Jefferson in a driving finish to the Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival.

Sir Des Champs Looks Classy in Jewson Novices’ Chase 15/03/12
Sir Des Champs maintained his unbeaten record for Willie Mullins with a clear-cut victory in the Jewson Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Champagne Fever Party in Champion Bumper 14/03/12
The Willie Mullins-trained Champagne Fever emerged victorious from the final race of day two at the Cheltenham Festival, crossing the line first in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

Une Artiste Rocks Up in Fred Winter 14/03/12
Nicky Henderson continued his spectacular afternoon as Une Artiste gave him his fourth winner in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Son Of Flicka Steps Up in Coral Cup 14/03/12
Son Of Flicka gave Donald McCain and Jason Maguire their second winner of the week with a fine performance in the Coral Cup at Cheltenham.

Finian's Rainbow Shines for Henderson in Champion Chase 14/03/12
Finian's Rainbow completed a magical afternoon for trainer Nicky Henderson and jockey Barry Geraghty as he landed the sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham.

Battling Bobs Worth Wins RSA Chase for Henderson 14/03/12
Nicky Henderson's Bobs Worth stayed on best up the famous Cheltenham hill to claim the RSA Chase in the hands of Barry Geraghty.

Simple for Simonsig in Neptune Novices' Hurdle 14/03/12
Simonsig blitzed the opposition in a dramatic renewal of the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Teaforthree Makes All to Win National Hunt Chase 14/03/12
Teaforthree and JT McNamara took top honours in the Diamond Jubilee National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham.

Hunt Ball Lands Pulteney Novices’ Handicap Chase 13/03/12
Hunt Ball capped a fairytale season when running away with the concluding Pulteney Land Investments Novices’ Handicap Chase under top weight of 12 stone.

Quevega the Festival Queen 13/03/12
The incredible Quevega recorded her fourth successive victory with another fine display in the OLBG Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Balthazar King Breaks Irish Dominance of Cross Country Chase
13/03/12
Balthazar King emerged triumphant following a thrilling finish to the Glenfarclas Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.

Alfie Sherrin Stays On to Win JLT Specialty Chase 13/03/12
Alfie Sherrin claimed the JLT Specialty Handicap Chase at Cheltenham for Jonjo O'Neill.

Rock On Ruby Flies Home in Champion Hurdle 13/03/12
Rock On Ruby ran out a most impressive winner of the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham under Noel Fehily.

Sprinter Sacre Cruises Home in Arkle Chase 13/03/12
Sprinter Sacre turned in a scintillating performance to pummel his rivals in the Racing Post Arkle Chase at Cheltenham.

Cinders And Ashes Scorches to Supreme Novices' Hurdle Victory
13/03/12
Donald McCain's Cinders And Ashes won the William Hill Supreme Novices' Hurdle, the opening race of the 2012 Cheltenham Festival.

Long Run & Kauto Star Line Up for Gold Cup Show Down 10/03/12
This year’s £500,000 Grade One Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup (3.20pm) is set to be another superb contest with Long Run and Kauto Star featuring among 19 six-day confirmations for chasing’s Blue Riband, highlight of Gold Cup Day at The Festival, Friday, March 16.

Partial 'Triumph' for Grumeti Connections 09/03/12
For those with a vested interest in the JCB Triumph Hurdle chances of leading fancy Grumeti, it has been a worrying few days after the son of Sakhee's recent injury scare.

Albertas Run Heads 17 Possibles for Ryanair 09/03/12
Dual winner Albertas Run heads the 17 remaining entries for the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham on March 15.

Big Buck's On Brink of World Hurdle History 09/03/12
Big Buck's is one of 17 remaining entries for the Ladbrokes World Hurdle on March 15 as he aims to create history by becoming the first horse to win the same race at the Cheltenham Festival four years running.

Realt Dubh On Course for Festival Comeback 09/03/12
Realt Dubh is currently 50-50 to run in either the sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Chase or the Ryanair Chase.

Big Names Still in Queen Mother Picture 08/03/12
Past winners Sizing Europe and Big Zeb figure among a 10-strong field left in the sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham on March 14 at the confirmation stage.

Kalann Team Leaning Towards Champion Hurdle Bid 08/03/12
Kalann, who was an impressive winner over the course and distance in the Masterson Holdings Hurdle at The Showcase in October, is likely to take his chance in the Stan James Champion Hurdle according to trainer Sabrina Harty.

Hurricane Fly Heads Champion Hurdle Dozen 07/03/12
Last year's winner Hurricane Fly heads 12 remaining entries for the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on March 13 at the six-day confirmation stage.

Sprinter Sacre Heads 10 for Arkle Chase 07/03/12
The six-year-old is one 10 contenders remaining in the £130,000 Grade One Racing Post Arkle Chase run over two miles on The Festival’s opening day, Champion Day, Tuesday, March 13.

Kauto Star to Work at Wincanton this Friday 07/03/12
Trainer Paul Nicholls said yesterday that Kauto Star will work after racing at Wincanton on Friday, March 9th in his bid to make the field for the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday week.

The Five Best Irish Hopes at the 2012 Cheltenham Festival 05/03/12
With just over a week to go, the anticipation surrounding the Cheltenham Festival is building and as always, a very strong Irish contingent will be making the trip over the Irish Sea to do battle with their British rivals.

Things Look Grand for Astracad 05/03/12
The 'getting out stakes' at the Cheltenham Festival this year is now the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase.

Vendor Can Dispense with Fred Winter Rivals 05/03/12
Since the inaugural running of the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle in 2005, no real appreciable trends have emerged that enable us to profile potential future winners.

Bank on Bourne in Festival Martin Pipe 05/03/12
The Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle is a race in which it pays to focus on progressive types, particularly novices who are on upward curve.

Astracad Could Shine Brightest in the Grand Annual 05/03/12
The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup is invariably one of the trickiest races from a punting perspective, and favourites haven’t fared especially well in recent renewals.

Monksland Bang On Course for Neptune Assault 02/03/12
Despite the prospect of quick ground, Noel Meade's unbeaten Monksland is still strongly fancied by connections to put up a very bold show in the Grade 1 Neptune Investment Management Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Alan King Looks Ahead to The Festival 02/03/12
Trainer Alan King talked about his potential runners for The Festival at his Barbury Castle Stables during a foggy morning on the Marlborough Downs.

Kauto Star Fall Leaves Him only 50/50 for Gold Cup
01/03/12
The much anticipated Gold Cup clash between last year's winner Long Run and a resurgent Kauto Star now hangs in the balance after Paul Nicholls reported a schooling tumble for his stable star.

Weights Announced for Festival Handicaps 01/03/12
There are just 12 days to go until The Festival gets underway at Cheltenham on Tuesday, March 13, and excitement will build following yesterday’s announcement of the weights for the 11 handicaps staged at the four-day meeting.

Will the Hurricane be Blown Out? 01/03/12
National Hunt enthusiasts expect, nay demand, a thrilling finish to each of the big races at the Cheltenham Festival, yet up to the end of January, all we were hoping was that Hurricane Fly at least returned this March to defend his Champion Hurdle crown. We could worry about potential opponents later.

Final Cheltenham Festival Entries Revealed 29/02/12
Entries for all 27 races at The Cheltenham Festival are now in the public domain following the unveiling of those for the Grade Two OLBG Mares’ Hurdle, the Grade One Weatherbys Champion Bumper and the Christie’s Foxhunter Chase today.

Going Wrong Could be Right for Pulteney 27/02/12
Since the inaugural running in 2005, the Pulteney Land Investment Novices’ Handicap Chase, a race originally known as the Jewson Novices’ Handicap (run as the Centenary Novices’ Handicap last year), has not been a good race for favourites.

Byrne Group Plate Could Suit Fine Parchment 27/02/12
The Byrne Group Plate has been won in recent years by horses aged 6 and 11, and by horses carrying 10 stone and 11st 7lb.

Baby Mix Back in Triumph Hurdle Picture 25/02/12
Baby Mix got his JCB Triumph Hurdle prospects back on track when winning a competitive race for the William Hill-sponsored Adonis Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton.

Festival Handicap Entries Announced 24/02/12
Ultra-competitive entries have been revealed for The Festival’s 11 handicaps, events that always prove to be among the week’s hottest betting heats.

Can 2012 Renewal of the Adonis Continue The Race's Reputation For Producing Festival Winners? 23/02/12
One of the feature races on Kempton Park's racecard this Saturday is the Adonis Hurdle, a four year juvenile Hurdle, that on first sight of the entries would not necessarily have you drooling.

Compelling Claims for Champion Court in the Jewson 23/02/12
Given that the inaugural running of the Jewson Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival – not to be mistaken for the Jewson Novices’ Handicap Chase – was last season, there isn’t a great deal to go on in terms of statistics.

Exciting Novice Championships In Prospect 22/02/12
Details are revealed today of the horses going forward for the championship contests for novices at The Festival following the February 21 scratchings deadline.

Cheltenham to Start Watering for Festival 22/02/12
Simon Claisse, Clerk of the Course and Director of Racing at Cheltenham Racecourse has said that they will start watering the course today.

Simonsig Should Take High Rank in the Supreme 21/02/12
In contrast to the last three renewals of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, this season’s running of the original Cheltenham Festival curtain-raiser lacks a dominant force in the ante-post market with, at the time of writing, most bookies going 7-1 or bigger the field.

Bostons an Unlikely Runner in Cheltenham Gold Cup 20/02/12
It comes as no real surprise to learn that after running poorly in the Grade 1 Irish Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown in mid-February, Jessica Harrington’s Bostons Angel is now most unlikely to take his chance in the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 16.

Venture Capital Has Perfect Investment Profile for Champion Bumper
19/02/12
The Weatherbys Champion Bumper is not one of the easier puzzles to solve but it is perhaps easier to judge a long way out than the novice hurdles.

Sprinter Sacre the Pick of the Cheltenham Bound Youngsters 17/02/12
With so much excitement currently surrounding the many talented young chasers on the National Hunt scene, the Novice races at the Cheltenham Festival are some of the most eagerly awaited in years.

Long Run Back to Winning Ways 17/02/12
Long Run got back to winning ways in the Betfair Denman Chase at Newbury - but he was pushed all the way by stable companion Burton Port.

Zarkander Strong in Betfair Hurdle 17/02/12
Zarkandar further enhanced his Champion Hurdle prospects with a brilliant victory in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury.

Richard Lee Chasing Further Festival Success 17/02/12
Richard Lee has twice tasted Cheltenham Festival success in his accomplished training career with victories in the 1993 Grand Annual Handicap Chase and the 1998 renewal of what is now the Byrne Group Plate courtesy of Space Fair and Super Coin respectively.

Nicky Henderson Closing In On Festival Winners Record 17/02/12
Trainer Nicky Henderson saddled two winners at The Festival in 2011, including a first Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup with Long Run, taking his overall record at the meeting to 39 winners.

OLBG.com New sponsor at Cheltenham Festival 2012 16/02/12
Sports Betting Community site OLBG.com are proud to confirm their sponsorship of the Mares Hurdle at Cheltenham Festival.

Top Guns All On Course for Championship Contests 15/02/12
The Festival 2012 is now under a month away and the countdown intensifies today with the publication of the acceptors for the five non-novice championship contests following the February 14 scratchings deadline.

Roudoudou Ville a Wiki Positive for Byrne Group Plate 12/02/12
The Byrne Group Plate has been won in recent years by horses aged 6 and 11, and by horses carrying 10 stone and 11st 7lb.

Sizing Europe Looks a Real Champion Chase Prospect 08/02/12
Sizing Europe enhanced his claims going into the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham by winning the Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown beating old foe Big Zeb.

Cheltenham Gold Cup Trends 07/02/12
The Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup takes place on Friday, 16th March and is highlight of the Festival for many. The fourth day is generally sold out in anticipation of a great spectacle and the race rarely fails to deliver.

Long Run Heads Denman Chase Eleven 06/02/12
Long Run could face up to 10 top class rivals as he bids to chalk up his first victory of the season in the Betfair Denman Chase at Newbury on Saturday.

Sizing Europe Impressive in Tied Cottage Chase 06/02/12
Sizing Europe looked as good, if not better than last year, in thrashing one of his main Cheltenham rivals in the Boylesports.com Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown.

Wikis Point to Batonnier in Neptune Investments Hurdle 06/02/12
The Neptune Investments Novices Hurdle is certainly not the easiest race to crack and with 118-entries, it is especially hard ante-post. The winner is in there somewhere though so let’s look at some of the key trends.

Top-Class Entries for Championship Novice Hurdles 02/02/12
Cheltenham is set to host some outstanding championship contests for novice hurdlers at The Festival in 2012 after entries were revealed today.

Supreme Hope Montbazon Unchanged after Plumpton Stroll 02/02/12
Alan King was perfectly satisfied with the winning performance of his very promising novice hurdler Montbazon who coasted to victory at Plumpton on January 30 gaining more racecourse experience as he homes in on a bid for the Supreme Novices Hurdle.

Hurricane Fly Cruises to Champion Hurdle Victory 29/01/12
Hurricane Fly made a brilliant seasonal reappearance to land back-to-back victories in the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Riverside Theatre can Fly High in the Ryanair Chase 27/01/12
With January almost over, opportunities for Nicky Henderson to get a run into Riverside Theatre ahead of his intended Cheltenham Festival target, the Ryanair Chase, are diminishing.

Fantastic 56 for Jewson Novices’ Chase 27/01/12
Following a superb inaugural running in 2011, this year’s Grade Two Jewson Novices’ Chase has attracted a fantastic 56-strong entry. The contest, run over two and a half miles, is one of the highlights of St Patrick’s Thursday at The Festival on March 15.

[2012 news]