Cheltenham Racecourse, also known as Prestbury Park, is a horseracing festival that holds in mid-March outside the historic spa town of Cheltenham. It features a total of 28 races, held across four days, that is, seven races per day. It has a history of 160 years in existence, making it one of the biggest horseracing festivals in the United Kingdom. A wide variety of attendees, including members of the Royal Family and Irish visitors, often grace the occasion.
The event adds an estimated value of £100million to the region’s economy. Many businesses rely on the income and prestige that is often associated with selling to spectators at the Festival. Apart from this, each Festival races attract punters as they exchange millions of pounds by wagering a significant amount of money in the Cheltenham betting ring. However, due to the fact that most punters lack enough confidence and money to wager big bets, many bookmakers will stand bets for as low as £2.
Will Cheltenham 2021 be cancelled?
There have been various speculations about whether or not the Cheltenham Festival will hold in 2021. The reason is not farfetched from the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic that impacted many sport activities negatively. The UK entered its third lockdown in early January. However, the good news is that the four-day festival will hold between Tuesday, March 16 and Friday, March 19. However, a little adjustment was made to the festival to make it different from its usual mode of celebration. For instance, this year’s version will not have the usual raucous fanfare that adds to its spectacle.
The event is considered one of the most extraordinary racing events. Participants will have access to the best horses and jockeys. The fact that owners and trainers will also attend the event makes it a noteworthy one. Compared to other similar occasions, the atmosphere and the dress code for the Cheltenham Festival are more relaxed.
Where to place bets on Cheltenham
OLBG.com has provided a thorough list of the best bookmakers to use during the 2021 Cheltenham Festival. It is important to note that betting previews will continue to build up ahead of the festival. Therefore, remember to keep track of all tips and recommended bets along the way. The bookmaker sites give expert opinions by observing all the runners and riders that are participating in the races. All of these are aimed to give you an edge to select your winners accurately.
Events featured in the Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival often features several Grade I races, including Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, and Stayers’ Hurdle. Each of them starts at 3.30 pm. Champion Hurdle is the first big race and holds on the starting day, that is, Tuesday. Of all the events, the Epatante is the favorite. It has +350 odds and won the 2020’s edition. The event is followed by Abacadabras and then Goshen, both of which have +600 odds.
Queen Mother Champion Chase follows on Wednesday. The events for the day include Chacun Pour Soi (an 8 and a half years old French bay gelding), Altior (+800), and Defi Du Seuil (+900). The Champion Chase tends to feature a three-way fight for the crown between Altior and Politologue who are past winners.
On Thursday, the Stayers’ Hurdle takes place. Among the events slated for the day are Paisley Park (+700 odds), Benie Des Dieux (+800), Honeysuckle (+1200), and Thyme Hill (+1200). The 8½-year-old Irish bay gelding Paisley Park won the 2019 race and finished in 7th place in 2020. It promises to take revenge this year concerning its underwhelming outing in 2020.
The final day offers another big race that takes the center stage – the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The events slated for the day include Al Boum Photo (+500 odds), Santini (+600), Champ (+1200), and Lostintranslation (+1200). Al Boum Photo won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in both 2019 and 2020. Apart from this, it also has the biggest prize money – £625,000.
The races will be in two sections: the Old Course and the New Course. The former will be run on the first two days while the latter will be run on the last two days.
Will Cheltenham 2021 have spectators?
Usually, about 250,000 people pass through the gates of the event center across the racing week. However, based on the current lockdown and restrictions on mass gatherings as placed by the government, the organizers have decided to hold the event behind closed doors. The implication of this is that spectators will not be allowed in. Should restrictions get relaxed in the next few weeks, a few fans may be allowed to attend. The probability of this is, however, low. In short, the Festival will be a televised event, without the usual spectators at the course.
Where to watch the Cheltenham festival
Because this Cheltenham Festival 2021 will be streamed live, you may have to get a TV license despite that you will be watching online view ITV Hub. In the previous times, you only required a TV license to watch the event on BBC iPlayer. A new modification was initiated on September 1, 2016, demanding that you require a license for any on-demand iPlayer viewing. The license fee costs £154.50 for color or £52 for black and white. You can stream the event on a variety of devices, including laptops, smartphones, and tablets.
Also, you can consider streaming the Cheltenham through the Bookmakers. Bet365 and a host of other bookmakers provide good platforms to view the races. Register on the bookmaker sites and make the necessary initial deposit. If the ITV Hub goes off the air, especially on the final two races of each day, Racing TV might be your best plug. ITV1 is on Sky Channel 103 and Virgin Media Channel 103, while Racing TV is on Sky Channel 426 and Virgin Media Channel 536.
