Racing News
	Wednesday 17th January 2018

About the Cheltenham Trials Day Events

Considering the fact that the main Cheltenham Festival is only a few weeks apart from the Cheltenham Trials Day, these trials constitute the last racing day at the Prestbury Park, before the holding of the main festival. The trials feature many top-class races and people get a fair idea about the festival hopefuls.

Over the years, these trials have proved to be extremely invaluable for the horserace bettors as any horse that acts around Cheltenham on the trials day, often comes into serious consideration during the main races. A good number of punters also actively bet on Cheltenham Festival Trials. Let’s tell you about some of the main events of the Trials Day.

Betbright Cup Chase

Being a significant chase in itself, the Betbright Cup Chase is always the main highlight of the Trials Day. It also serves as an important trial for many main Cheltenham races.

As this chase is run over a distance of 3 miles and 1 furlong, you get to see many RSA Chase and Gold Cup hopefuls taking part in it. To throw some more light on its significance, year 2000 saw ‘Looks Like Trouble’ win the race and then returning in March (during the main Cheltenham Festival) to win the Gold Cup! In 2007, ‘Exotic Dancer’ won the chase, but got left behind by ‘Kauto Star’ in the Gold Cup race.

JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial

This Trials Day race proves to be a very important one with respect to the Juvenile Hurdlers during the Cheltenham Festival. It has had some very impressive winners in the past. Not only is it the very first race held on the Trials Day, it has also successfully proven to be a stepping stone to success in the main Cheltenham Festival. This was seen in the year 2007 when Katchit, trained by Alan King, won the JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial, before going onto claim the main race.

Cleeve Hurdle

This is the main support in place on the Trials Day at Cheltenham and serves as an important form-pointer ahead of the World Hurdle. It is run over a distance of 3 miles and therefore is an important stepping stone for staying hurdlers.

Inglis Drever won the Cleeve Hurdle and returned to bag the World Hurdles for Howard Johnson during the same season in 2008. Big Buck did the same in the year 2009 by winning both the hurdles.

Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle

A very important race on the Trials Day, Neptune Investment Management Novices Hurdle is a 2 mile 5 furlong race. It has continued to be a significant race from the perspective of the main festival, ever since it was moved from Uttoxeter to Prestbury Park in the year 2005.

It attracts some of the best novice hurdlers and the horses that do well here often continue their good run into the main Cheltenham races. For instance, Wichita Lineman won the Neptune Investment Hurdle in the year 2007 and went on to claim the main festival’s Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle that year.