Cheltenham Festival LIVE: Day 1 races and results

Rachael Blackmore etched herself further into racing folklore when she added the Cheltenham Gold Cup to the 2021 Grand National as she led A Plus Tard to runaway success in the pursuit of the blue ribbon last year.

Not everything had gone right for A Plus Tard at last year’s Gold Cup, when he finished second to Henry de Bromhead-trained stablemate Minella Indo, and the queen of jump jockeys felt her job wasn’t done yet because she was picked the wrong horse.

It proved it as the 3-1 favorite left the previous winner behind after a perfectly timed run.

The Dublin stout is a popular drink at the prestigious spring event, with the Diageo brand being a prominent partner of the festival.

For the first time, fans will be able to purchase non-alcoholic Guinness, including at the UK’s first racecourse honesty bar.

The 274,000 viewers can buy pints of the alcoholic version for £7.50, accordingly The sun.

St. Patrick’s Day falls on Gold Cup Day this year, with Friday set to be the busiest afternoon for beer sellers.

The researchers surveyed 2,000 adults and found that half became “equestrian experts” when a major horse race took place – although many say this fleeting interest could lead to a year-round love of the sport.

Up to 90 per cent of supporters of the big three racing events – Cheltenham, Grand National and Ascot – will have a flutter and usually bet on six races.

While 26 percent take their interest to another level by buying a copy of Racing Post to find “absolute certification”.

And 31 percent have arranged social gatherings so they can enjoy all the ups and downs of race day with family and friends.

Sadly, Cheltenham is also intertwined with tragedy, with horse deaths being an all too regular occurrence over the past 23 years. We hope all of our runners and riders are safe at this year’s festival.

A dry and at times cold winter has caused many problems on both sides of the Irish Sea in recent months and conditions could deteriorate over the next four days for participants and spectators alike. Wind and rain are expected to hit Cheltenham but today could be the best of the week.

We still have a while before the action kicks off at Cheltenham, which means there’s still plenty of time for a bet or two on the opening races of the day.

The Independent interviewed the experts and put together our top tips for the festival.

The eyes of the racing world are once again turning to this fertile patch of Gloucetershire countryside, with almost 300,000 fans ready to pack four days of quality National Hunt racing to Cheltenham.

The Independent will be bringing you full coverage of the races, some top tips and those important weather updates throughout this year’s festival.

Here is the full itinerary:

Welcome to that of the independent Coverage of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival which starts this afternoon.

Four fascinating days lie ahead as Britain’s biggest racing festival returns, with the Champion Hurdle being the highlight of day one in the Cotswolds.

Stay with us for full live coverage.