Being the premiere National Hunt chase, the Cheltenham Gold Cup for horses aged five and more is a prestigious British event. Run over a course of over three miles, the track is set with twenty-two jump fences. The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a non-handicap all out chase with the highest prize offered in its field. With nearly two hundred years of tradition behind it, the Cheltenham Gold Cup is most recently run on the “New Course” since 1959.

The mid-March festival surrounding a set of races leading up to the Gold Cup at the end offers four days of racing and dining and enjoying life to the fullest. In 2010 the first day starts with the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle race to celebrate the champions of the sport of the jump. This year the Festival and St. Patrick’s day join in the luck of the Irish to present the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase. The crown of the festival comes with the running of the Gold Cup hunt on the last day. This year’s prize clocks in at nearly a half a million pounds.

Nearly a quarter of a million people flock to the Cheltenham Festival. Last year’s winner of the Gold Cup was Kauto Star. The strong, consistent gelding has the distinction of being the only horse yet to have won the Gold Cup twice as he also took the race in 2007. The best of the best will be in the running at Cheltenham and whether seeking enjoyment of reward, this is one of the best racing festivals you could attend. You can find lots of resources for cheltenham tickets online.