Cheltenham Festival: Our guide on the Prestbury Park courses

Cheltenham Festival History

The first races in the Cheltenham area was a tentative affair of which little was recorded. It took three years to organise the racing meeting, with Cleeve Hill overlooking the current Cheltenham racecourse location. The first racing meeting took place on the 25th August 1818, with five races and the winner Mr E Jones with his five-year-old bay mare, Miss Tidmarsh.

Races were reallocated to Prestbury Park in 1831 after disruption at Cleeve Hill, resulting in the facilities being burnt to the ground! With a 700-seat grandstand for spectators, it was a rather difficult track. Although racing returned to Cleeve Hill, interest soon started to diminish due to the economic depression in the 1840s. As a result, there was no flat racing from 1843 to 1850.

Racing of all kinds was losing popularity as the century drew to a close, and racing at Cheltenham was on its way out. However, in 1881, Mr W.A Baring Bingham, the owner of Cheltenham Racecourse, sold Prestbury Park to a racing enthusiast who wanted to relive the golden days of racing. However, it wasn’t until 1893 that a racing meeting was held there, which successfully established racing at its current setting. Prestbury Park hosted the debut of the National Hunt Festival four years later.

Frederick Cathcart became a well-known figure in the Cheltenham circle through his work on organising Cheltenham as the headquarters of jump racing. Cathcart was the most powerful racecourse official of the twentieth century, managing various racecourses, including Prestbury Park.

Prestbury Park hosted the first Cheltenham Festival in 1911. The Steeplechase Company allowed The National Hunt Meeting to remain at Cheltenham year after year rather than continuing its annual touring. A new stand was built during that year, and Cathcart presided over a “Luncheon and Private View to Press and Official” on the course. With today’s standards of Cheltenham, the stand could be considered relatively small and quaint, but it was still in service for the next 70 years!

Obstacles to look out for

Falls and unseats can occur anywhere at Cheltenham, even over the hurdles course (does Annie Power ring any bells?).

One fence that appears to be particularly difficult is the fourth to last fence on the new course, as is the second to last on the old course, which has proven to be equally problematic.

At the Festival, Ruby Walsh, Champion jockey, has been the unlucky recipient of several high-speed falls, one of which he suffered at Cheltenham with Voix Du Reve on his approach to the finish line.

Cheltenham Festival Fun Facts:

• In 2019, the record prize money for the Cheltenham Festival was over £4,590,000. Over £1,000,000 each day, the most of any Jump Festival globally.
• The Cheltenham Gold Cup has been won 25 times by horses training in Ireland.
• Katie Walsh made history by being the first female jockey to win a Grade 1 race when she won The Weatherby’s Champion Bumper.
• Ruby Walsh has the most wins for a jockey in 2016.
• The prize money for the Cheltenham Gold Cup was £625,000.
• On-site, there are 350 chefs.
• During the Cheltenham Gold Cup, 22 jumps are jumped.
• Every season, 5,000 birch bundles are used.
• The festival’s shortest race distance is 2 miles.
• During the Cheltenham Festival, guests consume 9,000+ gallons of tea & coffee.
• 2001 was the only year that the festival was cancelled, except for World War 1 and 2.
• Approximately 20,000 consumers will fly Ryanair over the Festival period, as the airline will operate 30 more flights on the Dublin to Birmingham route.

Thinking of visiting Prestbury Park? Enjoy a race day in VIP style with our fabulous Cheltenham Festival Hospitality.

With a stunning array of hospitality facilities to choose from, including our Silks restaurant, The Venue and our private Grandstand Boxes, there is undoubtedly something to satisfy every racing fan.

Discover our horseracing hospitality packages for Cheltenham below: