CHESHIRE, England--The Cheltenham Festival, which runs Wednesday, March 12 through Sunday, March 16, is the pinnacle of National Hunt jumps racing and a week that all racing fans look forward to.

Marine Nationale (Ire)The prestige of the Cheltenham Festival is unrivaled with 28 top class races spread across four days showcasing many of the sport’s best horses.

There are 14 Grade 1 contests including the feature race on each day, the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Stayers Hurdle and The Gold Cup.

Cheltenham has three courses, the New Course, the Old Course and the Cross Country Course. The first two days of the Festival are run on the Old Course, before switching to the New course for the final two days.

The Cross Country Chase on Wednesday is the only race to be run over the cross country fences, a figure-of-eight course set in the centre of Cheltenham racecourse that crosses both the Old and New courses.

On opening day, champion trainer Willie Mullins saddled three winners, including Lecky Watson (Ire), ridden by Sean O'Keefe, who won the G1, $250,000 Brown Advisory Novice Chase.

Barry Connell saddled Marine Nationale (Ire), ridden by S. Flanagan, to win the $500,000 G1 Queen Mother Chase.

 

IN PREVIEWING the meet, SportsBoom interviewed Former Irish National Hunt jockey Daryl Jacob, and the interview follows.

"Jacob believes Galopin Des Champs will rewrite the record books at this week’s Cheltenham Festival.

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In this exclusive chat, he also previews the Champion Hurdle offering his tips for the race.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Galopin Des Champs to win three Gold Cups back-to-back and have another horse go into the history books. I think he will. Barring a mishap or anything he will win it. He’s the best chaser in England or Ireland at the moment by a long way.”

“The Champion Hurdle is going to be a belter now with Brighterdaysahead. I think that’s going to be a really good race now. I think that opens the Champion Hurdle up a lot so I’m looking forward to seeing that. The Ryanair will be a very good race and a really competitive race.”

“There’s no other thrill like Cheltenham. There’s something about Cheltenham. It’s a very special place, it’s our Olympics. It’s the four biggest days of the calendar year in racing.”

“That walk down when you’ve crossed that line and you’re coming under the bridge and the stairs and you come into that monstrous roar in the winners’ enclosures, there’s no other thrill like coming through there as a winner at the Cheltenham Festival, I can promise you that.”

Full interview here:

Exclusive: Galopin Des Champs Destined to Enter Record Books at Cheltenham, says Former Jockey

Former Irish National Hunt jockey Daryl Jacob believes Galopin Des Champs will rewrite the record books at this week’s Cheltenham Festival.

Willie Mullins’ heavily fancied mount looks destined to emulate Best Mate and Arkle by winning three successive Gold Cups.

Mullins has labelled the great horse as “the best chaser I’ve ever trained”.

A stature of Best Mate, Gold Cup champion in 2002-2004, stands proudly at the racecourse and Galopin Des Champs could be honoured in a similar fashion could he compete the treble.

And Jacob, who came third in the Gold Cup on Bristol De Mai in 2019, believes only an injury or a mistake can stop him in his chase for glory.

He told SportsBoom.com: “I’m looking forward to seeing Galopin Des Champs to win three Gold Cups back-to-back and have another horse go into the history books.”

“I think he will. Barring a mishap or anything he will win it.”

“He’s the best chaser in England or Ireland at the moment by a long way.”

CHAMPION HURDLE ONE TO WATCH

There are a number of other races which stand out for Jacob, who rode three winners at The Festival during his career.

Nicky Henderson’s Constitution Hill, winner in 2023, is a big favourite to score a second success in the Champion Hurdle, which he missed last year with illness.

Gordon Elliot has entered Brighterdaysahead to take on the8t-year-old, who is unbeaten over hurdles.

Constitution Hill beat State Man, who won the Champion Hurdle in Hill’s absence last year, on the bridle by nine lengths when winning comfortably two years ago.

Brighterdaysahead has beaten State Man in Grade 1s at Punchestown and Leopardstown in his last two starts to set up an intriguing meeting.

“The Champion Hurdle is going to be a belter now with Brighterdaysahead,” added Jacob.

“I think that’s going to be a really good race now. I think that opens the Champion Hurdle up a lot so I’m looking forward to seeing that.”

“The Ryanair will be a very good race and a really competitive race.”

NO BETTER THRILL THAN COMING UP THE HILL

Jacob holds his three Festival winners alongside his famous Grand National triumph in 2012.

He said: “There’s no other thrill like Cheltenham. There’s something about Cheltenham.”

“It’s a very special place, it’s our Olympics. It’s the four biggest days of the calendar year in racing.”

“That’s the meeting you want to be at and the one you want to have good rides at.”

“That walk down when you’ve crossed that line and you’re coming under the bridge and the stairs and you come into that monstrous roar in the winners’ enclosures, there’s no other thrill like coming through there as a winner at the Cheltenham Festival, I can promise you that.”