Cheltenham 2019 for dummies: Horse racing basics and key terms explained ahead of the competition

What’s all of the fuss about?

Though no longer an official ‘finals’ like one might locate in many other sports, nor even the season finale, the Cheltenham Festival is broadly considered the biggest meet of the British and Irish National Hunt season. Many of the essential races inside the jumps calendar, both in prize money and status, are run on the four-day occasion.

What are a lot of these distinct races?

There are currently 28 races at the Cheltenham Festival, seven in line with the day. The majority of those are run over one in every two barriers – either taller fences or shorter hurdles, and variety in the distance from around two miles to the four-mile National Hunt Chase. The races are divided into diverse divisions, based on a range of things, including revel in, age, intercourse, and, in a few races called handicaps, wherein horses convey weight to stage the playing field theoretically, potential.

What are the largest races?

Of the 28 races at the Festival, 14 are classed as grade ones – the best class of race in the sport. Each of the four days has the main feature race, known as a championship race. They are Tuesday – Champion Hurdle: The most prestigious hurdle race in the game, run over two miles. Wednesday – The Queen Mother Champion Chase: The pinnacle prize on provide for horses going for walks miles over fences. Thursday – The Stayers’ Hurdle: This three-mile hurdle race is considered slightly less prestigious than the opposite championship races, and the Ryanair Chase, a -and-a-1/2 mile run over fences on an identical day, is now and again thought of as co-headliner.

Friday – The Cheltenham Gold Cup: The Festival’s blue-ribbon event, a grueling test of stamina run over three-and-a-zone miles over fences. Altior received the remaining yr’s Champion Chase and remains unbeaten over barriers in his profession. He’ll be searching out a report-equalling 18th consecutive career win and a fourth on the Festival. His stablemate Bouvier D’Air is at the cusp of history, trying to land a 3rd successive Champion hurdle, even as Native River arrives. The defending Gold Cup champion and is looking to come to be the primary horse is greater a decade to preserve he identity. Away from the principal championship races, the final yr’s Grand National winner Tiger Roll runs in the Cross Country Chase, which he received last year.

And human ones?

Ireland’s Willie Mullins is the maximum successful instructor in the records of the Festival with 61 winners, just one more than British champion instructor Nicky Henderson. However, the pinnacle trainer prize at Cheltenham remaining yr went to Gordon Elliott, who had eight winners. Ruby Walsh remains possibly the famous maximum jockey in the game. However, fellow Irishman Davy Russell took the top jockey crown last yr with four winners.

What does this imply?

Bumper – This is a flat race for National Hunt horses. Usually, the horses competing are younger horses who will run over hurdles the following season. The Champion Bumper is the most effective such race at Cheltenham. Chase – A chase, as in ‘steeplechase,’ is a race run over tall fences in place of brief hurdles. The horses competing in those races are referred to as chasers. Connections – The humans are intently associated with the pony, usually the owner and trainer. Furlong – There are 8 furlongs in a mile. With maximum races at Cheltenham run between two and 3 miles, you’ll regularly right here the commentator mention the number of furlongs left to run within the very last levels.

Going – This refers back to the state of the floor. Heavy ground could be moist and muddy, while the hard, drier ground is known as ‘firm.’ Usually, at Cheltenham, the going is somewhere in the center, between true and gentle. Novice – This is the name given to a horse who had no longer gained over a sure impediment previous to the beginning of the present-day season. At Cheltenham, there are several races for both amateur hurdlers and chasers. On the bridle – Specifically, this refers to a horse walking with the bridle, orbit, nevertheless in his mouth. However, in exercise, its miles are frequently used to refer to a horse who wins easily. Pulled up – If the jockey feels a horse is out of contention, both due to the fact he’s tired and properly beaten or due to damage or an awful mistake, he will sometimes pick to forestall the pony mid-race to shield its wellness.

Ridden along/being ridden – A horse receiving physical encouragement from the jockey to quicken up, either to stay in competition mid-race or to go flat out at the end, is said to be ridden along. Stay – A horse that ‘stays’ properly has the stamina to finish the specified distance, while a horse that doesn’t live ought to be going for walks over a shorter distance likely. Horses that run over longer distances and the Gold Cup at Cheltenham are referred to as ‘stayers.’ Trip – This is another phrase for the gap run. For example, the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham is administered over a ride of miles. Yard – Specifically, this is the backyard of a given instructor, but it will often be utilized about the organization of horses educated there. For instance, if the yard is in the exact shape, the instructor’s horses are jogging nicely.