The mercury has dropped and the nights are drawing in which means one thing… the Jumps are nearly back!
With the Flat season in the rear view mirrors, attention is gradually returning to the old favourites and exciting new stars of the National Hunt game – and the big event of the upcoming season, the Cheltenham Festival, is already on a few minds.
To add to the excitement, Prestbury Park bigwigs have given the mega March meeting a fresh lick of paint after calls to make a few changes.
The Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Chase – won by Grey Dawning in 2024 – will be replaced by a Grade 2 limited novices’ handicap, the Cross Country Chase – abandoned in 2024 due to a waterlogged track – will switch to a limited handicap with a 20lb weight range from a conditions contest, while the National Hunt Chase becomes a 0-145 novice handicap chase and the amateur ride requirement has been removed.
The changes don’t stop there as runners in non-novice handicaps will need more experience to be eligible to run, penalties will be removed from the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and winners of Pertemps Qualifiers will be given protection to run in the Pertemps Final.
They will be hopefully make the action on the track even more competitive at next year’s edition of the Cheltenham Festival, but when is the fun all set to begin?
Cheltenham Festival odds can be found on the Paddy Power website and Paddy Power app, otherwise, the dates for the Cheltenham Festival 2025 are below.
Cheltenham Festival 2025 dates
The Cheltenham Festival is set to take place from Tuesday, 11th March to Friday, 14th March.
The Champion Hurdle is the feature on the opening day of the meeting. Will Constitution Hill regain the crown from State Man or can Mares’ Hurdle heroine Lossiemouth make the step up from competing against her own sex?
The Champion Chase is the big race on day two of the fiesta. Captain Guinness landed his maiden Grade 1 in last season’s edition, but El Fabiolo will be out for revenge and Jonbon could continue at the minimum distance.
The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle tops the bill on the third day as the racing switches to the New Course. Can Teahupoo win the crown for the second season on the spin?
The final day of the Cheltenham Festival is headlined by the Gold Cup. A hat-trick would seal Galopin Des Champs’ place in the history books as one of the greats, but stablemate Fact To File could have a thing to say about that!
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