CHELTENHAM

Cheltenham is synonymous with jumps racing and hosts the world-famous Cheltenham Festival every March. The traditional championship races consist of the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Stayers’ Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Other prominent racedays include the Cheltenham Showcase Meeting in October and the Cheltenham November Meeting. The racecourse is in a scenic location in a natural amphitheatre just below Cleeve Hill, with a capacity of nearly 70,000 spectators. The racecourse also has its own steam railway station (of the same name), although this no longer connects to the national rail network but is part of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, allowing racegoers to arrive under the power of steam. The main racecourse has two separate courses alongside each other, the Old Course and the New Course. The New Course has a tricky downhill fence and a longer run-in for steeplechases than the Old Course. Hurdle races over two miles on the New Course also have a slight peculiarity in that most of the hurdles are jumped early on in the race with only two hurdles being jumped in the last seven furlongs. Cheltenham also has British racing's only cross-country course which comprises a series of unusual obstacles mostly sited on the inside of the regular courses.