The five feature races at the Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is the crown jewel of the National Hunt season, a four-day celebration of elite jump racing, roaring crowds, and sporting drama played out against the backdrop of the Cotswold hills. While every race has its own story, five stand above the rest as the Festival’s true centrepieces.
These are the contests that define careers, cement legends, and keep fans counting down the days to March. For those staying on top of the Cheltenham odds and who want a full guide to the Festival action, here’s a closer look at the five feature races that are sure to whet the appetite of casual and avid horse racing fans alike.
The Champion Hurdle
Kicking off the Festival’s feature-race drama is the Champion Hurdle, the headline event on Day one. Run over two miles with eight hurdles to clear, it is the ultimate test of a hurdler’s speed, precision, and tactical intelligence.
The field is usually packed with horses capable of blistering turn-of-foot, and the margin between triumph and defeat can be razor-thin. For jockeys, timing is everything, jump too big, or commit too early, and the race is lost. The Champion Hurdle has produced some of Cheltenham’s most unforgettable champions, from Istabraq to Hurricane Fly, and it remains the definitive test for the world’s best hurdlers.
The Queen Mother Champion Chase
If the Champion Hurdle is about speed over obstacles, the Queen Mother Champion Chase is speed with electricity. Run over the same two-mile distance but featuring fences instead of hurdles, this is the fastest chase of the week and arguably the most thrilling.
Precision and bold jumping matter even more here. One mistake at 30 miles per hour can be race-ending, and the spectacle of top chasers winging fences around Prestbury Park has given the Festival some of its most dramatic moments. Icons like Sprinter Sacre and Altior elevated this race into high theatre, and the Queen Mother Champ Chase continues to embody pure, undiluted pace.
The Stayers’ Hurdle
Thursday’s feature is the Stayers’ Hurdle, a gruelling three-mile contest that tests stamina, resilience, and heart. While the Champion Hurdle rewards speed, and the Queen Mother chase agility, the Stayers’ Hurdle celebrates raw endurance.
The tempo can vary wildly, sometimes run at a crawl until the final sprint, other times a relentless gallop that breaks horses long before the last hurdle. It has produced legends such as Big Buck’s, who dominated the race with four consecutive victories. Each renewal feels like a true test of a horse’s toughness and staying power.
The Ryanair Chase
Introduced in 2005, the Ryanair Chase has quickly become a cornerstone of Thursday’s card and a championship race in its own right. Run over two miles and five furlongs, it bridges the gap between the blistering pace of the Champion Chase and the stamina demands of the Gold Cup.
This middle distance attracts versatile, tactically flexible chasers who might otherwise be stretched at either extreme. Over the years, the race has gained prestige thanks to repeat winners and superstar performers, and it now stands as one of the Festival’s most competitive and unpredictable contests.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Festival’s grand finale needs no introduction. The Cheltenham Gold Cup, run on the Friday, is the pinnacle of National Hunt racing and the most coveted trophy in the sport.
The three-mile-two-furlong trip, combined with 22 demanding fences and Cheltenham’s relentless uphill finish, creates a test that only the finest staying chasers can conquer. From Arkle to Best Mate, Kauto Star to Galopin Des Champs, Gold Cup winners become legends not just for a year, but for generations.
No race better captures the Festival’s essence: courage, stamina, tactical mastery, and the roar of thousands urging horses up the hill.
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