Cheltenham Racecourse

HORSE RACING HISTORY

Already in the early years of the town's development as a fashionable spa, horse racing meetings were held in Nottingham Hill a few miles away near Bishop's Cleeve. In 1818 the first official race meeting was held at the Cleeve Hill venue, the winner of which was Miss Tidmarsh, a five-year-old bay mare. The first ever 3-day event featuring the Gold Cup race took place in 1819. By 1825 attendances were around 50,000 and a large grandstand had to be built.

However, racing and gambling were criticised by Cheltenham's parish priest, the Rev Francis Close, who organised demonstrations against the sport. Bottles and rocks were thrown at the horses and their jockeys and in 1830 the grandstand was burnt down. That's why Lord Ellenborough offered his own land for racing and in 1831 Prestbury Park, the present location for Cheltenham racecourse was used for the first time. Despite that other locations were used for the race meeting and it was not until 1902 that racing returned to Prestbury Park. Grandstand and rails around the course were erected. The course established itself as a major racing venue and the first four-mile National Hunt Steeplechase was run there in 1904. In 1924 the first Gold Cup Steeplechase is won by Red Splash with prize money of £685.

FAMOUS HORSES

One of the most famous horses in Cheltenham racing history is Golden Miller, affectionately known as ‘The Miller’. It is the only horse to have won both premier steeplechase races - the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National - in the same year. It was 1934 and for Golden Miller it was one of record-breaking five consecutive Gold Cup victories between 1932 and 1936.

Arkle, the legendary Irish steeplechaser named after a mountain in Scotland, won the Cheltenham Gold Cup for three years running from 1964 to 1966. Allegedly, Arkle's main daily feed was made up of oats, mashed together with six eggs and two bottles of Guinness. Unfortunately, his career ended abruptly when in 1966 Arkle broke his pedal bone in the King George VI Steeplechase at Kempton and he had to retire.

Desert Orchid, affectionately called 'Dessie' was voted the fourth best National Hunt horse of all time. Much loved by supporters for his front-running attacking style, when he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1989 three cheers rang out among his thousands of adoring followers as he was being unsaddled. Over a longer distance and more demanding muddy track of left-handed course, all of which he didn't like, he won by a length and a half over mud-loving Yahoo.

Another triple Gold Cup Champion is Best Mate. From 2002 to 2004 with the jockey Jim Culloty he matched the record of Arkle, but was withdrawn from the 2005 Gold Cup due to burst blood vessel. This much loved horse met his death while racing in Exeter in 2005. Best Mate was cremated and his ashes buried beside the winning post at Cheltenham Racecourse.

Cheltenham Gold Cup

HORSE RACING TODAY

Development of Cheltenham has been spectacular. In 1979 the large grandstand was opened by the Queen Mother, a regular visitor at the National Hunt Festival and a great horse racing fan. Her bronze bust by Angela Conner was unveiled by the Queen in 2003 to commemorate her mother's love for Cheltenham's horse racing. After 2001 when due to foot and mouth the Festival had to be cancelled, Cheltenham racing has been booming again. In 2002 the tickets for Gold Cup sold out in record time and because of an increasing demand, in 2005 fourth day was added to the event. The multi-million-pound Centaur centre was opened for the 2004 National Hunt Festival, and it includes a 2,200-seat arena and adds another 4,000 to the capacity of the 50,000 course on race days.