Cheltenham Jumps Race meeting this week

It starts on the 13th and goes through the 16th. The Gold Cup is at 1:30 British time on Friday. The Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase is on Wednesday.

TVG is carrying all the races at Cheltenham Festival.

Just finished watching one… amazing course with a challenging set of hurdles/jumps.

I’ll have to figure out when the Gold Cup is my time on Friday and record it (won’t be able to watch live).

My wife is there the lucky dog!!
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Sounds/looks like she is having a fabulous time!

Next? Royal Ascot??? :slight_smile:

Love the pic of “The Hamster” on the weigh scales! Gumtree, looks like your wife is having a blast. Looking forward to tomorrow’s big race - how amazing to be there in person.

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way too cool. Must be amazing to be there in person

Great pix! I love her hat, she definitely looks like she’s enjoying the races. Lucky dog indeed :slight_smile:

Gold Cup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JtDOs9nljY

Old Cue Card - time to go hunting ?
https://youtu.be/qI-IZl0fqU4

I wonder if Native River’s jockey will get penalized for overuse of the whip. He was whaling away at his horse for a couple of fences and to the finish line.

And he was. He was banned for seven days and fined 6500 pounds for overuse of the whip in the Gold Cup. But they didn’t set down his horse for it.

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I was thinking the same thing. Watched it several time. But didn’t do the count.

Me too. That is Michael Dickinson with him.

Looks fun but chilly!!

The fatalities were unfortunate.

Have to say I am coming back here to comment on the amount of horses humanely destroyed during the festival due to catastrophic injuries. I know no one wants to ruin a thread about a fun time at a legendary race meet BUT Six horses dead in 3 days. Four of them were put down on the final day.

Sandsend was euthanized during the County Hurdle after a leg injury

Dresden, Some Plan, and North Hill Harvey all suffered fatal injuries in the Grand Annual Chase

Mossback (Fractured front leg) and Report to Base(Fell) were euthanized in the National Hunt Chase and Close Brothers’ Novice Chase. It did state that both of those horses were euthanized after running in the chase but sounds like the both fell during the running

The BHA will be examining existing penalties for excessive use of the whip, how they apply, and whether or not they are an adequate deterrent to the jockeys

As noted above, Native River’s jockey was whaling on that horse all the way to the wire; horse looked absolutely exhausted by the finish; barely holding a canter together. I am glad he was fined and suspended but are the fines and suspensions enough to keep him from beating the horse to the finish?

While the festival looks like lots of fun; mixed feelings on it. Not sure I could attend an event where even the average of 1 animal ending up dead would be the norm at a festival like this.

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Aside from the fatalities I was finally able to view the Gold Cup race on a PC instead of my phone. Native River, top class. His gallop is unreal. That swinging, sweeping stride that so many people want to see in hunters and event horses as well. He is 8 years old this year and his pedigree is quite interesting as well. Watching him gallop compared to the others in the field it is clear to see why he is heads above the rest. His jump as well, so much scope!!! Some jump TB’s can be cringe-worthy in their jump styles but Native River could go jump 4 star and do quite well… or even the jumpers. Rare to see a horse like that in a steeplechase field with that much talent, scope, stride. He is just lovely.

It’s really too bad he is a gelding (as many of the steeplechasers are).