Cheltenham Festival 1980 to 2004

2004
The multi-million-pound Centaur centre is ready in time for the 2004 National Hunt Festival. It includes a 2,200-seat arena and another 4,000 to the capacity of the 50,000 course on race days. The centre also provides Cheltenham with an arena big enough for pop concerts for 6,000 people.
2003
The new National Hunt season opens with more than 25,000 tickets already sold for the 2004 Festival.
2003
Best Mate completes an historic double by winning the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup for the second year running.
2002
It is announced that prize money for the new season at Cheltenham will break the £4 million barrier for the first time, with more than half the money is attached to the Festival meeting in March. There are also plans to extend the meeting from three to four days from 2005.
2002
Work starts on a multi-million redevelopment at the course.
2002
Tickets for 2002 Gold Cup Day sell out in record time.
2002
Ambitious plans are announced for a £15 million redevelopment scheme at the racecourse including a new purpose-built arena and widening of the course to increase crowd capacity from 50,000 to 54,000.
2001
After being postponed from March until after Easter as a result of foot and mouth restrictions, the Festival is cancelled for the first time in 50 years.
1997
The £10 million Tattersalls grandstand and Panoramic Restaurant opens.
1996
The luck of the Irish strikes gold with seven Festival winners from the Emerald Isle, the best Irish tally since 1977.
1993
Cheltenham Hall of Fame exhibition opens, a display of the history of racing at Prestbury Park featuring a gallery of truly great Gold Cup winners including multiple winners Easter Hero, Golden Miller, Arkle and L’Escargot.
1992
New parade ring opens with 25 open boxes and facilities to accommodate up to 1,000 spectators.
1989
A £5 million grandstand extension opens, with standing room under cover for 2,000 people and seating for an extra 300. There are also restaurants, boxes and entertainment rooms. Later the same year a £1 million stable block for 160 horses is completed at the racecourse entrance.
1981
Work begins on a new landscaped paddock, weighing room and permanent facilities for the tented village

Cheltenham Festival History

The 2008 Cheltenham Festival once again will be dramatic over 4 days after it proved a great success the previous year. It is the perfect race meeting of the National Hunt Season. Cheltenham Festival Betting is now on 24 races runs and is followed almost fanatically by a massive quantity of racing enthusiasts. Each year the attendances keep on to grow and over the duration of the racing meeting crowds will easily exceed 180,000, combined with the watching television, radio and live online audio audience it is without doubt one of the world's most anticipated racing spectacles.
The first Cheltenham Festival meeting took place in 1902 and since then has continued to gain prominence within the racing calendar. The National Hunt season is now hard to imagine without the build up to Cheltenham, the expectation creates and the excitement begins many months before the first Cheltenham race goes under starting orders. The volumes of beting that takes place during the Cheltenham Festival Races is nothing short of staggering with millions of pounds changing hands between bookmakers and punters in every race. Cheltenham Festival racing is of paramount importance to the UK racing industry and without the three day meeting National Hunt Racing would never be the same again.
The quality of the entrants for the jump racing action is fantastic in each and every race, but of course the feature races attract the most attention. The Champion Hurdle ran on the Tuesday is the first showpiece event and is followed on the Wednesday with the Queen Mother Champion Chase and on Friday with the Cheltenham Gold Cup. With the supporting Steeplechases, Hurdling and Handicap races Cheltenham deservedly remains as the most important National Hunt meetings of the year!