Cheltenham Festival 2012

By Jason Millward

image: depositphotos

The festival features a total of 27 races including 14 chases, 12 hurdle races and 1 flat, or bumper, race. Cheltenham takes place every March and almost always coincides with St. Patrick's Day, making it a very popular choice with Irish visitors and Guinness drinkers!
Cheltenham's official title is the National Hunt Meeting, going all the way back to 1860 when the National Hunt Chase was held at Market Harborough. The Betfred Gold Cup is the undoubted jewel in Cheltenham's crown and was first established in 1924. For the vast majority of its history Cheltenham has been a three-day long festival, however all this changed in 2005 with the introduction of a fourth day; meaning there would be one championship race on each day, with the Gold Cup taking place on the final day of the event.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the jewel in the crown of the Cheltenham Festival and is one of the most anticipated races of the National Hunt season as it showcases the best race horses that Britain and Ireland have to offer. It is run over the new course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3miles and 2.5 furlongs, and with 22 fences to be jumped it's a fantastic spectacle.
With this being such a prestigious event in the racing calendar there will be an estimated �25million spent on betting for the event. With no shortage of free bet offers from some of the world's leading bookmakers Free Bets Online brings you a handy guide to Cheltenham Gold Cup Free Bets to help you make the right choice.