Overview

A beautiful race course, well laid out, lots of room on most race days (forget the famous Festival meeting in March, far to crowded for disabled people, you will not see a thing ) One of the most famous race courses in the UK, lies in Prestbury Park, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, easily reached off the M5 motorway. The course is run by the Jockey club, who stage a number of not only race days, but other festivals as well, or special events during the year. On the Cheltenham course, it hosts National Hunt racing, which is aimed to have horses jump rather than flat racing, with horses jumping over the lower heights of Hurdles, these being smaller obstacles usually made of brush and flexible enough to help a horse get over them. This type of race has a minimum of eight hurdles, usually two miles or longer, the longer distances known as Stayers hurdles. They tend to be run at a fast pace as the hurdles are just 3 1/2 feet high. Young horses start racing as two year olds, nearly always in flat races, before being encouraged to go hurdling, but many will then go on to jump higher fences in a steeple chase race, although many will stay as hurdlers for their lives, the horse preferring fast races rather than the harder work of jumping over fences that are used in steeplechasing. The first recorded hurdle race was over 5 hurdles in a mile race, but held in three heats. A steeplechase is a distance race where horses need to jump over various heights and fixed obstacles, an example of this can be noted in the famous Grand National fences, where they jump fences, ditches and water jumps. The distance run can range from two miles and as long as 4 1/2 miles, over fences that must be a minimum of 4 1/2 feet. The name steeplechasing simply refers to the original early races where a course was set between one church steeple and another. This type of racing originated in Ireland in the 18th century, the first known race is said to have been a bet between two men, Cornelius O’Callagan and a Edmund Blake, racing four miles around the countryside in Cork, Ireland. The early races were contested over cross country courses, before eventually being taken over a track. In 1792, and at Leicestershire, three horses raced eight miles to be the first recorded steeplechase in England, while the first recorded steeplechase on a track was run in Bedford in 1810, but the first English National Steeplechase ran on Monday 8th March in 1830 in a four mile race, the winning horse being “ The Wonder” owned by Lord Ranelagh. One of the earliest and most notable race was the St Albans Steeplechase. Then in 1860 the National Hunt Committee was formed, and more organised events were then produced. The first racing that took part in Cheltenham was actually in 1815 on Nottingham Hill, but these were flat races, and the racing at CLEEVE HILL started just 3 years later in 1818, when the first race was won by the horse Miss Todmarsh. In 1834 the Grand Annual Steeplechase took place, and five years later, a horse appropriately named “Lottery” won the race, having already won the Aintree Grand National. Then in 1902, racing moved to its present day course at Prestbury Park. New stands were built in 1914, then soon afterwards in the 1920’s such races as the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Champion Hurdle races were introduced. The highlight of racing is the Cheltenham Festival, held each year during March, where the top horses of the day take part in a number of grade one races, the panicle of their racing lives. Until 2005, the festival meeting was held over three days, before then being changed to the present four day meeting. The race course today has two separate courses, The Old course, which is used on the November meeting and during the first two days of the Cheltenham Festival meeting in March, while the New Course interestingly enough has a longer run home for the steeplechases, while the hurdle races run over two miles have most of the hurdles jumped early on, and then just two hurdles jumped on the final seven furlongs. In 1964 Racecourse Holdings was formed, but nowadays it has become the Jockey club who along with Cheltenham have 13 other courses under their care. Today, we will be reviewing the April meeting, basically one of the last of the jump meetings of the winter to spring season (although in fact jumping has a 12 month calendar) less popular but still a vital role to play in the horse racing calendar, and growing year by year, and it is one of the last days that jump jockeys can use as they test themselves before the summer break, and this meeting is one of the quieter days, so an ideal time to go and watch racing if you are newcomers to the sport. ==================================================================== OUR REVIEW OF THE APRIL MEETING 2023. Traffic are directed to certain car parks depended on what stand you prebooked a ticket for, and you follow the signed colour coded ticket you hold, but you can also turn up on the day and buy an entrance ticket. One of the car parks is on the main island approach on Evesham Road, after coming off the M5 motorway, and well signed (photo 1) and this takes you directly to the car park and ticket office (photo 2) with a walk up to the grandstands (photo 3). It is not a very big carpark though (photo 4) and you need to get there early. However, the main route your prebooked ticket will direct you to will be at the other end of the course, and again you follow the colour coded ticket you hold. All routes converge then towards the welcome sign for the course (photo 5) and you simply follow your coded route, easy enough to follow as you stay in your lane. Our ticket was coded RED, and this car park is close to the stands entrance (photo 6) BUT NOTE THIS Although there are many disabled bays, we were not allowed to park in a bay, as they said we were not Jockey club members, and were directed to the Steam train car park, it is part of the course, but to far for us to walk, so we doubled back to the main car park and snuck in, which allowed us to park in normal bays (photo 7) The gates do not open until 11.30 prompt, that is why we have offered TWO SUGGESTED starting points, the Ellenden Farm Shop, or at Ellenborough Park hotel where you can stop for a cup of coffee, so that you can time the journey before making the 15 minute ride to the racecourse. (SEE REVIEW FOR “ELLENDEN FARM SHOP”. or REVIEW FOR “ELLENBOROUGH PARK” On leaving you car, it was a level approach to start with, and it’s level to get you into the booking hall, however ladies, your bag will be looked into by staff at the security gate in the hall, before you exit and make your way round to your chosen stand. We found staff here though to be most unhelpful, with no signs to show us how to get to our stand, and the staff did not seem to have a clue on how to direct us, most of them are contented enough to just stand around and watch you struggle to find where to go, (we will be telling the course of this concern) but we made our way to the right from the gates, and reached the parade ground (photo 8). This gave us a chance to see where horses parade before each race, and where they return to after each race if in placed positions, and where owners, trainers and jockeys assemble for photographs (photo 9) It’s here that the public can assemble to see the horses parade, with views over to the main stands (photo 10). Now the problem starts for disabled. You need to find out how to get into your chosen stand. Restaurants and Hospital entrances are on the upper levels, and this means a steep ramp that your carer will have to push you up (photo 11) If you have booked a simple stand ticket, then the entrances are ahead of you to enter on the flat to reach the main ground level which overlook the course with ground level views (photo 12) there are a few seating spots you may be lucky enough to get if you arrived early, but a waste if it’s raining, then you you will have to join the throng under cover, with restricted views for disabled who can not get out of their chairs, if you have a little mobility and can manage steps, then there are plenty of seating areas under cover in the main stands, with good overall views of the track (photo 13) If you fancy a little gamble, then the bookies will be willing to take your money on one of the stalls on the ground level (photo 14) or you can bet at the tote on higher levels, but which ever you choose it usually means a loss on the day, as you watch your chosen horse race past the winning post in last position (photo 15) OUR FINAL THOUGHTS. If it’s raining, you are going to get soaked from the car park, it’s a long way, we were not impressed by the walk needed to get around the course, for upper stands and the hospitality restaurant, it was hard work getting to them for a disabled person. HOWEVER, IF YOU TAKE OUR ADVICE AND BOOK A TABLE, IN ADVANCE, FOR THE HOSPITALITY OFFER, THEN YOU WILL ENJOY THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE TO THE FULL. (Read our next review to see what to expect on this fantastic offer)

Transport & Parking

A bit of a let down for disabled. We were not allowed to use disabled bays as we are not jockey club members, and spaces are kept for members. We were directed to the steam train car park, far to far away to push chairs, so we snuck back and parked in main car park without being challenged, but it’s a bit of a nightmare ride from there, the course has a hilly push to reach main stand, unless you want to be down on the level, and the view can be disappointing from the stands for disabled, as race goers will stand in front of you. HOWEVER, WE SUGGEST YOU DO AS WE DID, AND MAKE A DAY OUT OF IT. WE BOOKED A HOSPITALITY VISIT, AND WITH PARKING ALLOWED NEAR TO ENTRANCE, AND TICKETS THAT ALLOWS YOU ENTRANCE INTO THE RACE COURSE , A FIVE COURSE DINING EXPERIENCE IN THE PANORAMIC RESTAURANT, WITH YOUR OWN SEAT AT A TABLE WITH FANTASTIC VIEWS OF THE WHOLE COURSE AND OVERLOOKING THE WINNING POST SO THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF NOT BACKING A WINNER CAN BE ADDED TO. (To see if this appeals to you then read our next review )

Access

Very poor really, it’s a bit of a push from car park areas into the course, with an uphill push to get towards main stands, depending on where your ticket allows you to see, Lots of steps for good views, but then you have to hope no other race goer stands in front of you. There is only one solution to help you, BOOK A HOSPITALITY VISIT, FANTASTIC. ( see our next review to tell you what you will get for your money )

Toilets

On the stands, Plain and simple, if you can get to it.

Staff

We did not find the staff very helpful. Most did not seem to know anything, we were led on a bit of a wild goose chance to reach where we needed to be, no one moved to help us, so very disappointed with staff.

Photos