Discover the Grade III Races at Cheltenham Festival in the article below. Learn about what the bookies say, the highlights and some interesting facts.
Cheltenham Festival is one of the most popular horse events in the world. Many top jockeys have participated throughout the years, and its prize purse is the second-largest, only behind the Grand National.
Cheltenham Festival takes place at the beginning of March each year, usually around St. Patrick’s Day. There are many Grade I and II races at this event, but we wanted to shed a light on some great races that are not that popular outside of the horse racing world. With that thought, we wanted to present you with all of the Grade III races, as well as provide you with some predictions from the bookies concerning the most popular races at Cheltenham.
What the Bookies Say
Exciting races take place on each day of the festival. For example, the Arkle Chase is one of the most popular on the first day. Notebook leads the table as the biggest favourite with odds sitting at 9/2. Fakir Doudairies is second with 13/2, and Cash Back concludes the top 3 list with 14/1.
The Queen Mother Champion Race is the highlight of the second day. Altior has the lowest odds of winning – 7/2. Defi Du Seuil shares the same odds, while Chacun Pour Soi is second with 5/1. Cilaos Emery is third with 9/1. The biggest event on Thursday is the Stayers’ Hurdle. Paisley Park is the bookie’s favourite with 6/4. Honeysuckle comes second with 8/1 and If The Cap Fits is third with 9/1.
Finally, the 4th day brings the biggest excitement. The Foxhunter Chase, Spa Novices’ Hurdle, and the Gold Cup are some of the highlights. The biggest event is the Gold Cup. Al Boum Photo is the most-likely winner with odds coming at 5/1. Next, we have Kemboy with 7/1, and Clan De Obeaux with 8/1.
The remaining races have excellent odds as well. If you want to wager on your favourite, make sure you take advantage of the numerous promotions available each day.
Now, let’s see which races are labelled as Grade III races at Cheltenham.
Festival Trophy Handicap Chase
Our first race of the 4-day event is the Festival Trophy Handicap Chase. It is open to horses older than 5 years and was inaugurated in 1834. It usually takes place on Tuesday and jockeys compete for a prize purse of £11,000. The winner gets around £61,000 of the total sum.
Coral Cup
The Coral Cup is one of the most famous Grade III races at Cheltenham. Four-year-olds and up are allowed to race here. The total prize is £100,000. This event was established in 1993 and was always sponsored by Coral.
Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle
An interesting fact about this race is that no jockey has won it more than once, however, Paul Nicholls, on the other side, is the leading trainer with 3 wins. This is a hurdle race that was inaugurated in 2005 and carries a prize purse of £80,000.
Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate Handicap Chase
This steeplechase was established in the honour of the 2nd Baron Mildmay of Flete, who was an amateur jockey at the Cheltenham Festival. Horses older than 5 are eligible to compete and the reward for the 1st spot is £61,000. The total purse is £110,000.
County Handicap Hurdle
County Handicap Hurdle is a Grade III race taking place on the New Course at Cheltenham. Ruby Walsh is the leading jockey with 4 wins, and no horse has won this race more than once. The total prize purse is £100,000, and the winner gets half of it.
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase
The last race takes place on Friday, which is the 4th day of the Cheltenham Festival, and it is the oldest race at this festival. The prize purse is £110,000 and the winner gets £61,000.
You may also like
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.