Festival Trials Day

the stage is set for the festival, start dreaming

Finalise your choices for the big one at Festival Trials Day on Saturday 26 January, before all roads lead to Cheltenham Racecourse for The Festival™ presented by Magners in March.

• Gates Open: 10:30am
• First Race: 12:40pm
• Last Race: 4:10pm
• Scott Mills in The Centaur: 4:30pm - 6:00pm

Featuring Scott Mills

Join Scott Mills who will be taking to the decks in The Centaur where Club/Tatts ticket holders will be able to party into the evening on the last day of racing before The Festival™ presented by Magners in March.

Broadcast live on ITV Racing, it's the last Cheltenham raceday before The Festival and there is always an excitable atmosphere. Huge crowds gather to catch a glimpse of Festival contenders as they show the world what they're really made of. 

The racing highlight of Festival Trials Day is the BetBright Trial Cotswold Steeple Chase, often considered a trial for the Magners Gold Cup in March. Last year Definitly Red relished the wet ground conditions and flew home in front for connections.

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Highlights from Festival Trials Day 2018

The 2018 line-up competed for a record £354,000 prize pot across five graded races. It was the £100,000 BetBright Trial Cotswolds Chase, over the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup course and distance, that was the feature race of the day.

Soft ground brings out the best in the Brian Ellison-trained chestnut, Definitly Red and he followed up an impressive Aintree victory in December 2017 with an eight-length win here at Cheltenham under Danny Cook. In second was American finishing ahead of the 7-4 favourite Bristol De Mai. Definitly Red went onto finish a respectable sixth place in the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2018.  

Bryony Frost's outstanding season continued with a victory aboard the Paul Nicholls-trained Frodon in the Grade Three Crest Nicholson Handicap Chase and cruised home, beating Cheltenham perennial Shantou Flyer by 17 lengths. 

Nicky Henderson scored a Grade Two double over hurdles, taking the opening race of the day, the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle with odds-on favourite Apple's Shakira and the Ballymore Classic Novices' Hurdle with Santini. 

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