Undisputedly THE home of National Hunt racing, Cheltenham and its four-day Festival represent the pinnacle of the sport. Put simply, no horse can be considered a jumps ‘champion’ without proving itself on the biggest stage of all in the Cotswolds in March.

For most professionally-involved in the sport, leading in or riding a winner at the Festival is an achievement equal or greater than any other, be it in a blue riband event such as the Champion Hurdle or Gold Cup or in one of the clutch of competitive handicaps that are an equal hallmark of the meeting.

Cheltenham’s position at the top of the tree is further boosted by its racing calendar outside of the Festival, which is possible due to the course having two tracks – the ‘Old’ and ‘New’ courses - at its disposal. The opening October meeting is viewed by many as the unofficial start of the season, whilst the standard of the three-day Open meeting a month later is almost as high as the Festival itself. Valuable races are staged at the mid-December and New Year meetings whilst the late January fixture is rightly billed as ‘Trials Day’. After the Festival there is also a popular two-day meeting in April and the season ends with the Hunter Chase evening in early May.