Cheltenham Old course: Left-handed, sharp-to-galloping, severe undulations (used in October / November and on the first two days of the Festival).
Cheltenham New Course: Left handed, galloping, severe undulations.
Cheltenham Cross-Country course: a sort of figure-of-eight inside the two main tracks with an assortment of obstacles.
Known as the home of National Hunt racing. A mix of pace and stamina is required on both the New and Old Courses. The uphill finish is one of the most demanding in the country and the complexity of races can change dramatically in the final stages - which makes for exciting racing! The fences are quite stiff too (some downhill), so a sound jumper with plenty of stamina (and courage!) is required.
Due to drainage work, genuine soft ground is a rarity these days. The Cross-Country Course is so unique that horses who run well over it will reproduce their good form again and again when returned there. The Irish-trained Spotthedifference is a perfect example, having won six times in all.
Notable Races: 2005 saw the first four-day Cheltenham Festival with six races on each day. The championship races are the Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and World Hurdle, although every race at the four-day Festival has a ‘championship’ feel to it. The three-day Paddy Power meeting in November features the Paddy Power Gold Cup, an important handicap chase over 2m5f. December’s two-day meeting features several important races including the Bula Hurdle and December Gold Handicap Chase.
Cheltenham-racing.co.uk Notes: The track is more unique than you think, so look to back previous course winners or horses that have run well here in the past. They can pop up at very rewarding odds, especially in the Festival handicaps.