I found this quite interesting, so decided to copy and paste for the forum. A racing pub quiz might include the questions âWhen was the Cheltenham Gold Cup first run?â Those in the know might well answer 1924, and the anoraks amongst them might add that a horse called Red Splash won the race. But they would be wrong. The Cheltenham Gold Cup goes back more than 100 years before the first jumping contest at Prestbury Park, and even that race was not held at the first venue for racing in Cheltenham. Racing began on Nottingham Hill in 1815, which anyone coming to Cheltenham on the steam train from Winchcombe will pass just before reaching Bishop Cleeve. Racing was short lived there, and in 1818 moved closer to home with a two day meeting in July on Cleeve Hill. In the following year the meeting was extended to three days, and the Gold Cup introduced. This was a 3 mile flat race, first won by a horse called Spectre, who picked up a prize of £100 guineas for his owner. As the attraction of racing increased, so did the crowds, and itâs reported that over 30,000 were coming by the middle of the 1820s. In 1825 a large grandstand was built to accommodate some spectators, and attendances continued to grow with some estimates suggesting that by the end of the decade the racing was attracting 50,000 people. As happened in many other places, this was too much for the local clergy, and Cheltenhamâs parish priest, Rev Francis Close preached against the evils of gambling and the racecourse. He stirred up such strong feeling that stones and bottles were thrown at the jockeys and horses in 1830, and before the following yearâs meeting, the grandstand had been burnt down. It was then that Lord Ellenborough, Lord Privy Seal in the Duke of Wellingtonâs Government, whose family seat was at Southam House, near Cheltenham, offered some of his land, and in 1831 racing took place at Prestbury Park for the first time. Over the next 70 years, meetings continued to take place at several venues around the town, before finally settling at the Festivalâs present home in 1902. All this time, racing at Cheltenham was confined to flat races. Steeplechases had been run at Andoversford, just seven miles away, since 1834, and were not run at Cheltenham until 1898, and it was to be a further 13 years before the National Hunt Committee settled on Cheltenham as the permanent home for its annual National Hunt Meeting. Thus, the first Cheltenham Festival took place in 1911. And with the occasional interruption for World War Two and foot and mouth disease, it has taken place every year since.
Hawkeye, good post! I think I read recently that the first Cheltenham Gold Cup was a flat race over 3 miles, and that Spectre won one on the flat, but I don't know whether it was the first one. Sorry, I missed that line when reading your post! Anyway, good thread!
Excellent Hawkeye. I knew of racing on Cleeve Hill but not of Nottingham Hill so you learn something new every day. I know the original festivals were built around the NH Chase which was a far bigger race than the Gold Cup. Did you also know there used to be 2 divisions of the Supreme...
Grizzly,good morning. I presume you refer to the Gloucester Hurdle - I think V.O'Brien won 12 or 13. I also believe there were 3 divisions for a period.
Tam, really ? I've not heard they had 3 divisions of the race, I know the great Bula won one of the last 2 divisions of the race before going onto bigger things, do you know how they used to decide on who ran in which race ?
Believe it was split into 3 divisions in 1946 and 1963 (good old Google!). At one stage it was restricted to maidens at closing. One race which was a part of the Festival up to the mid 1950's was a Juvenile novices chase for four year olds. Can you imagine that happening now! In most years the casualty rate was very high and thankfully it was eventually axed. There is no doubt the quality of festival programme improved over the years but you could argue that has now taken a backward step with the addition of another day and more races. But with the event becoming such a financial bonanza you can see why they gave in to temptation and added the fourth day.
Grizzly, apparently they started with 3 divisions in 1946 and then only 2 divisions therafter until 1971-EXCEPTING 1963 when they had 3 divisions for that year only. In 1972 it became one division and was the LLoyds Bank Hurdle from '74-'90. I don't know how they decided which division a horse would enter/compete. Perhaps they split them according to quantities and chronological submission of entries, but maybe they had so many entries in '63 that they decided on 3 divisions that year. From memory, the first division was usually the stronger, but there are many exceptions-Saffron Tartan, Bula, L'Escargot, and Buona Notte all won the second division.
Excellent info Gentlemen, thank-you both Just out of interest, does anyone know if there's any memorial on Cleeve Hill from the times that was used as a racecourse ? 22 years of driving past/through it and I've never considered stopping off but I might if there is something there....
