Event of the Day: Cheltenham Festival Day 1

Our event of the day is Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival from Cheltenham Racecourse. Known as Champion Day, Day 1 of The Festival raises the curtain on one of horse racing’s most hotly anticipated annual events. The Festival sees four consecutive days of racing with some of the biggest races and biggest names in the calendar on show. Champion Day’s feature races are the famous Champion Hurdle, as well as the Mares’ Hurdle and the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Day 1 means the wait is over and the famous roar can finally be heard after 12 months of waiting and begins the build up to the climax of the race-meet on Friday (Day 4), the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The Festival sees over 200,000 people pass through its gates during the course of the four day event with each day having its own specific lure. Day 2, Ladies’ Day, is all about adding a splash of colour to your outfit and last year saw a record attendance with over 57,000 punters witnessing the racing.

This year, the highlight of Day 3, St Patrick’s Thursday, will again be the Stayers’ Hurdle, which was won in 2017 by Irish duo Ruby Walsh (Jockey) and Willie Mullins (Trainer) much to the delight of the large Irish contingent attending. The final day, Gold Cup Day sees the most sought after title of the week being contested, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which was last year won by Sizing John. Buveur D’Air returns on Day 1 to defend the title won in last year’s Champion Hurdle, can he do it? Find out today.

Honourable mentions around the globe go to the return leg of Manchester United and Sevilla’s round of 16 UEFA Champions League match at Old Trafford. A 0-0 draw in the last fixture means an away goal from Sevilla would make things very difficult for Manchester United. Elsewhere in the UEFA Champions League, Roma play Shakhtar Donetsk and in the EFL Championship Aston Villa are at home to QPR. In the NHL, the Western Conference sees two of its top three teams meet as the Winnipeg Jets travel to Nashville to play the Predators. In the NBA, play-off chasers Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards meet in Washington, D.C., whilst the Philadelphia 76ers are at home against the Indiana Pacers. Tennis’ ATP and WTA BNP Paribas Opens begin their 6th and 7th Days respectively in Indian Wells.

Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!

Fixture 

Photos by Cheltenham Race