Sporting News and Events

The 2010 Cheltenham Festival is less than a week away, with the 2010 thoroughbred jump-racing spectacle expected to be the biggest one yet.

March 16 – March 19

The Cheltenham Festival schedule shows the tournament starts on Tuesday, 16 March until 19 March. The weeklong festival is expected to attract over 200,000 attendees from around the globe. Attendees will see over 25 of the best steeplechase and hurdle horse racing on the planet.

The 2010 Cheltenham Festival will feature around 500 horses competing for prize money that exceeds £3.4 million. The big bucks, however, is expected to be spent by pundits with bookies expected over £500 million in bets to be placed.

St. Patrick’s Day

Cheltenham racecourse will play host to alcohol distributors, too, who make a pretty penny during the festival. In this regard, one of the major dates is Wednesday, 17 March, which coincides with St. Patrick’s Day, means the festival will have an added celebratory atmosphere because of the large Irish contingency at Cheltenham.

For fans and purists alike

While its high-rolling attendees finance the 2010 Cheltenham Festival, it is also a major attraction for equestrians and aspirational riders as well. The prize money guarantees the UK and greater Europe’s best riders compete, which makes the festival a hotbed for the world’s most accomplished jockeys. This collection of riding talent on display on the Cheltenham racecourse, coupled with ambitious upcomers makes the 2010 Cheltenham Festival particularly important for riding equipment companies like Charles Owen a key platform for promoting their goods, too.

The Gold Cup

The ultimate goal, of course, is the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the most sought after trophy in world jumps racing. With Gold Cup winner Sam Thomas ruled out through injury, the focus has shifted to stable mates and former winners Ruby Walsh-ridden Kauto Starr and AP McCoy-ridden Denman. What adds a bit of sizzle to this rivalry is the Irish-English faceoff between Walsh and McCoy.

Bookies, gamblers, enthusiasts and riders have less than a week to wait until the big event, and the high paced action on Cheltenham racecourse is sure to be matched by the fun in the bleachers, too.