The Cheltenham Festival is the unmissable event on the calendar of all horse racing fans. It is considered the most important meeting of the year in equestrian sport. The Cheltenham Festival will take place this year from Tuesday March 15 to Friday March 18 and guarantees four days of the most prestigious races.
Champion Day Cheltenham Festival Day 1 (Tuesday 15 March 2022)
The first day of the Cheltenham Festival is eagerly awaited by horse racing fans. Better known as Champion Day, this day traditionally takes place on a Tuesday and is headlined by the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle. Of course, there are other prestigious races on this first day: the Grade 1 Arkle Trophy and the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. There are also some great handicaps to consider, including the Festival Handicap Chase.
The Latest Race Information from Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival
The opening of the festival is the famous Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, which marks the start of this level 1 competition accompanied by the traditional “Cheltenham roar”, a huge noise caused by the delirious crowd which officially launches this festival! The second is the Arkle, a Tier 1 Novice Pursuit. The winner of the Arkle usually turns into a major contender for the Queen Mother Champion Chase in the next edition. The third is the Ultima, a very competitive handicap pursuit. And finally, the famous star race of the first day of the Cheltenham Festival is the Champion Hurdle, the first of five championship races of the week. In the second half of the afternoon, the Mares’ Hurdle will be the fifth race, while the Fred Winter and the National Hunt Chase will conclude a brilliant opening day of high-quality jumps at Prestbury Park.
Cheltenham Festival Day 1 Rewards
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the biggest racing events of the year and there are plenty of opportunities for punters to win big. The countdown is on, and turf enthusiasts are all set for day one of the 2022 Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday afternoon. It will be possible to watch the seven races of Day 1 of Cheltenham thanks to the live broadcast on the dedicated sites. The day one tips are delivered in real time to make the most of this day of racing at the festival. The rewards promised for this day of racing are gigantic:
- Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1), £125,000: Opening the Cheltenham Festival is the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, a litmus test for the season’s most promising two-mile runners.
- Arkle Challenge Trophy Steeplechase (Grade 1), £175,000: The Arkle is a race steeped in Cheltenham Festival history and named after one of the greatest of all time.
- Festival Handicap Steeple Chase, £110,000: A very competitive start for Cheltenham Festival handicaps with this three-mile and one stage contest.
- Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Grade 1), £450,000: This is undoubtedly the major event of this first day of the festival. The Champion Hurdle is a true test of fast hurdle racing. Since its first race in 1927, the Champion Hurdle has become one of the most famous races on the National Hunt calendar. Open to horses four years and older, the best of Ireland’s two-mile horses will compete against the best horses led by defending champion Honeysuckle, who won the race last year. Willie Mullins contributed to the success of the Champion Hurdle and Nicky Henderson, Britain’s most famous racehorse trainer, trained a record eight winners at this race!
- Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1), £120,000: A new addition to the Cheltenham Festival programme, the Mares’ Hurdle has been won six times by the vigorous Quevega from 2009. His trainer Willie Mullins dominated this run but was denied by the stunning Honeysuckle in 2020.
- Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle, £70,000: Another new addition, this race was introduced to the program in 2005 and is open to novices with a score of up to 145!
- National Hunt Steeplechase Challenge Cup (Grade 2), £125,000: The first day of the Cheltenham Festival ends with a tough test of endurance.
You can watch all the Cheltenham Festival races live and check out the latest odds as well as special offers and promotions over the four days of the festival. Also, be sure to check out the daily expert Cheltenham Festival tips during the four days of the iconic Festival before you start betting!z
