The Festival™ presented by Magners
Tuesday, 10 March to Friday, 13 March, 2020
Dear Member of the Media,
First of all, may I wish you all the best for a successful 2020 and thank you for your support of Cheltenham Racecourse over the past 12 months.
I am writing to outline the plans for the dispatch of information about the entries and other aspects of The Festival.
As in the past, information packs will be compiled and distributed by Racenews. Once again, these media information packs containing the entries will be e-mailed to you by 12 noon on Wednesdays and Thursdays, as per the schedule below.
If you want to contact Racenews, please e-mail info@racenews.co.uk or ring +44 (0)20 7704 0326 or +44 (0)7507 833105 (Ben Cox mobile)
The Festival™ presented by Magners - release of entries
Pack 1) Wednesday, January 8 - entries - Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Pack 2) Thursday, January 9 - entries - Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase & Ryanair Chase.
Pack 3) Wednesday, January 15 - entries - Unibet Champion Hurdle.
Pack 4) Thursday, January 16 - entries - Stayers' Hurdle & David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle.
Pack 5) Thursday, January 23 - entries - Racing Post Arkle Novices' Chase, RSA Novices' Chase, National Hunt Chase & MARSH Novices' Chase.
Pack 6) Thursday, January 30 - entries - Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle, Ballymore Novices' Hurdle, JCB Triumph Hurdle & Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.
Pack 7) Thursday, February 6 - Spotlight on jockeys at The Festival™ presented by Magners.
Pack 8) Wednesday, February 12 - latest entries following scratchings deadline - Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup, Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, Ryanair Chase, Unibet Champion Hurdle, Stayers' Hurdle & David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle.
Pack 9) Thursday, February 13 - Spotlight on trainers and owners at The Festival™ presented by Magners.
Pack 10) Wednesday, February 19 - latest entries following scratchings deadline - Racing Post Arkle Novices' Chase, RSA Novices' Chase, National Hunt Chase, MARSH Novices' Chase, Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle, Ballymore Novices' Hurdle, JCB Triumph Hurdle & Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.
Pack 11) Thursday, February 20 - entries - Ultima Handicap Chase, Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase, Coral Cup, Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, Pertemps Network Final, Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate, Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase, Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase, Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle & Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle.
Pack 12) Wednesday, February 26 - weights - Ultima Handicap Chase, Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase, Coral Cup, Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, Pertemps Network Final, Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate, Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase, Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase, Randox Health Handicap Hurdle & Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle.
Pack 13) Wednesday, February 26 - entries - Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase, Weatherbys Champion Bumper, Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle & St James's Place Foxhunter Chase.
Pack 14) Wednesday, March 4 - Latest information ahead of The Festival.
Pack 15) Wednesday, March 18 - After The Festival™ presented by Magners information.
The Festival™ presented by Magners 2020 race programme
Day One - Tuesday, March 10 (Old Course) - prize money £1,175,000
1.30pm Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 87y £125,000
2.10pm Racing Post Arkle Novices' Chase (Grade 1) 1m 7f 199y £175,000
2.50pm Ultima Handicap Chase (Grade 3) 3m 1f £110,000
3.30pm Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 87y £450,000
4.10pm David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 3f 200y £120,000
4.50pm Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase (Listed) 2m 4f 44y £70,000
5.30pm National Hunt Chase (Amateur Riders' Novices' Chase) (Grade 2) 3m 7f 147y £125,000
Day Two - Wednesday, March 11 (Old Course & Cross Country) - prize money £1,020,000
1.30pm Ballymore Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 5f £125,000
2.10pm RSA Insurance Novices' Chase (Grade 1) 3m 80y £175,000
2.50pm Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) 2m 5f £100,000
3.30pm Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1) 1m 7f 99y £400,000
4.10pm Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase 3m 6f 37y £65,000
4.50pm Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) 2m 87y £80,000
5.30pm Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Grade 1) 2m 87y £75,000
Day Three - Thursday, March 12 (New Course) - prize money £1,195,000
1.30pm MARSH Novices' Chase (Grade 1) 2m 3f 166y £150,000
2.10pm Pertemps Network Final (Handicap Hurdle) (Grade 3) 2m 7f 213y £100,000
2.50pm Ryanair Chase (Grade 1) 2m 4f 127y £350,000
3.30pm Stayers' Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 7f 213y £325,000
4.10pm Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate (Handicap Chase) (Grade 3) 2m 4f 166y £110,000
4.50pm Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle (Grade 2) 2m 179y £90,000
5.30pm Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Amateur Riders' Handicap Chase 3m 2f £70,000
Gold Cup Day - Friday, March 13 (New Course) - prize money £1,200,000
1.30pm JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 179y £125,000
2.10pm Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) 2m 179y £100,000
2.50pm Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 7f 213y £125,000
3.30pm Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1) 3m 2f 70y £625,000
4.10pm St James's Place Foxhunter Chase 3m 2f 70y £45,000
4.50pm Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase (Grade 3) 2m 62y £110,000
5.30pm Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle (0-145) 2m 4f 56y £70,000
Website
The media packs will also be available on our website www.cheltenham.co.uk where you will find lots of information about Cheltenham Racecourse.
The site hosts Cheltenham Radio, which streams live commentaries, previews and reports throughout The Festival each year.
Previous races from all meetings at Cheltenham can be found at https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/the-racing/race-replays/
The latest information can also be found on:-
Twitter @CheltenhamRaces
Facebook www.facebook.com/thehomeofjumpracing
Instagram @CheltenhamRaces
In addition, badges and tickets for The Festival can be purchased online and full details of dining and hospitality offerings are also available.
Media Events
We shall be arranging media stable visits to the leading contenders in the build-up to The Festival. These will commence in the week beginning February 17. Further details will be announced in due course.
In addition, The Festival Press Conference will take place in 2020 on Wednesday, February 26 at Cheltenham Racecourse. This features the release of the weights for all of The Festival handicaps, as well as the announcement of the final entries for The Festival, and is attended by many of the leading trainers and owners, plus the British Horseracing Authority's handicapping team. It is the perfect opportunity to visit Cheltenham Racecourse ahead of The Festival. Again, further details in due course, but please put this date into your diary.
Race Titles
Your help in using the full titles of races at The Festival is much appreciated.
Media Accreditation
You are requested to submit your application for media accreditation from now up to Friday, February 14, after which time applications will not be considered.
All applications from media personnel for accreditation at The Festival must be made online through the Cheltenham Racecourse website or via the following dedicated link.
https://jcraccreditation.thejockeyclub.co.uk/
As usual, we shall not be permitting racecourse admission for The Festival by RCA Press ID Cards or pass cards.
Free wi-fi will be provided in all press areas.
Accommodation
For those of you who will be staying in the area, remember that accommodation is in high demand, so if you have not already done so I suggest that you book something as soon as possible.
Further Information
Please let me know if you require any further information that will help you to achieve the best possible coverage of The Festival, or if there is any aspect of our relationship with the media that you would like to discuss.
On behalf of the whole team at Cheltenham Racecourse, thank you for the part that you play in the build-up to, and reporting of, four of the most exciting days of the year.
I very much look forward to welcoming you to Cheltenham for The Festival and to seeing you at our media events in the build-up.
Festival Trials Day on Saturday, January 25 is the final raceday at Cheltenham, the Home of Jump Racing, before The Festival and has seven excellent races, five of them Graded contests.
Kind Regards
Sarah-Jane Murie
Regional Communications Manager- Jockey Club Racecourses South West,
