2009 Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide & Information

A win at the Cheltenham Festival is a defining moment in the career of any National Hunt horse, jockey or trainer. Run every year in March, the Cheltenham Festival sees the finest talents in National Hunt horse racing converge on the Cheltenham Racecourse at Prestbury Park to compete in the one of the year’s most entertaining sporting events - scheduled for 10 - 13 March 2009.

The 2009 Cheltenham Festival betting markets will be some of the richest in the sport. Punters from all over the world cumulatively bet millions on the Cheltenham Festival, and tens of thousands make the pilgrimage to Cheltenham to watch riders compete in some of National Hunt racing’s most exciting horse races.

The undisputed highlight of the Cheltenham Festival is the Cheltenham Gold Cup which ranks alongside the Grand National as the most sought-after title in National Hunt racing. The Grade 1 steeplechase sees the finest racehorses in the sport taking on 22 fences during the 3 mile, 2½ furlong race.

Cheltenham Festival Heritage

Racing at the Cheltenham racecourse dates back to the early 19^th century, with the meeting that evolved into the Cheltenham Festival first held in 1831. By the turn of the century the Cheltenham Festival had emerged as the most prestigious horse race meeting in National Hunt racing.

The first decades of the 20^th century saw great horses like Golden Miller capture the public imagination, whilst successes from Irish horses like Cottage Rake rapidly led to the event developing into an unofficial National Hunt championship contested by the finest talent in Ireland and England.

At present the Irish dominate the festival, and in recent years the only Englishmen to have challenged the dominance of the likes of Tony McCoy have been Richard Johnson and Robert Thornton.

Cheltenham Festival Betting

Many punters regard the Cheltenham Festival to be the first part of a two-legged betting bonanza, which concludes with the Grand National. The two meetings involve many of the same horses and trainers, and good form at the Cheltenham Festival is often a predictor of form at the Grand National.

With an array of excellent horse races including the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase, Cheltenham Festival betting opportunities are considered to be particularly lucrative.

Visit our Cheltenham Festival betting page on this site to pick up hints and tips on making the most from your Cheltenham Festival betting.

For live horse race betting we use William Hill, one of the world's largest betting companies.