Cheltenham Racecourse announces changes to the order of running
for the first two days of The Festival in 2014.
On the
opening day, Champion Day, Tuesday, March 11, 2014, the Grade Two OLBG Mares'
Hurdle moves to become the fifth race (previously sixth) on the card at 4.00pm,
immediately following the Grade One Stan James Champion Hurdle (3.20pm).
This
will enable the race, run over two and a half miles, to be shown live on
Channel 4 Racing, giving terrestrial viewers the chance to see history being
made if the remarkable Quevega records a sixth straight victory in the OLBG
Mares' Hurdle. The OLBG Mares' Road to Cheltenham currently consists of five
mares' hurdle races, the highlight race being the OLBG Mares' Hurdle at The
Festival.
The
Willie Mullins-trained mare currently shares the record of five consecutive
successes at The Festival in the same race with Golden Miller, who won the
Cheltenham Gold Cup every year between 1932 and 1936.
The
Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase, previously scheduled as the fifth
contest on the Tuesday (postponed to the Thursday in 2013 because of frost),
switches to the same slot on the Wednesday, Ladies Day, March 12, 2014.
The
National Hunt Chase, which opened proceedings on the Wednesday in 2013, moves
to Champion Day, Tuesday, March 11 as the sixth race in 2014.
The
programme on Ladies Day, Wednesday, March 12, 2014, now starts with the Grade
One Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle at 1.30pm, with the fifth
race that day this year, the Coral Cup, moving forward to be the third contest.
Simon
Claisse, Director of Racing and Clerk of the Course for Cheltenham, commented:
"The changes introduced to the order of running for The Festival have
meant that the OLBG Mares' Hurdle is now positioned so it is part of the
Channel 4 Racing programme on the opening day.
"I
very much hope that we might see Quevega return to Cheltenham to attempt to win
the race for a sixth time, which would be such an amazing achievement.
"Cheltenham
has been working on supporting the mares' pattern races over the season for a
few years now and by bringing the mares' race onto terrestrial TV this allows
further exposure for this category of races. We have also introduced a new
mares' bumper which took place on The Open Saturday and was won by The
Govaness."
The
revised order of running is as follows:
THE FESTIVAL 2014
Champion Day - Tuesday, March 11 (Old
Course)
Time
Race Distance Prize Money
* 1.30pm Sky Bet Supreme Novices'
Hurdle 2m ½f £120,000
* 2.05pm Racing Post Arkle Challenge
Trophy Chase 2m £150,000
* 2.40pm JLT Specialty Handicap
Chase 3m ½f £90,000
* 3.20pm Stan James Champion
Hurdle 2m ½f £400,000
* 4.00pm OLBG Mares'
Hurdle 2m 4f £85,000
4.40pm National Hunt
Chase 4m £85,000
5.15pm
Rewards4Racing Novices' Handicap Chase 2m 4½f £60,000
Ladies Day - Wednesday, March 12 (Old
Course)
Time
Race Distance Prize Money
* 1.30pm Neptune Investment Management
Novices' Hurdle 2m 5f £120,000
* 2.05pm RSA
Chase 3m ½f £150,000
* 2.40pm Coral Cup Handicap
Hurdle 2m 5f £80,000
* 3.20pm BetVictor Queen Mother Champion
Chase 2m £350,000
* 4.00pm Glenfarclas Cross Country
Handicap Chase 3m 7f £45,000
4.40pm Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap
Hurdle 2m ½f £75,000
5.15pm Weatherbys Champion
Bumper 2m ½f £60,000
Thursday and Friday's running orders
remain the same.
* Channel 4 Televised Races
All races will be shown on Racing UK
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