Friday 14 March 2014

Cheltenham Gold Cup

As many of you know, I love all things horsey and despite the controversy around horse racing, I absolutely love it!

It's easy to get sucked in to all the hype though and get carried away with your betting so please gamble carefully if you wish to have a flutter, but if you do have a couple of quid to spare, backing your favourite horse is a great way to get a short lived adrenaline rush, especially at a meeting as huge as this.

I've watched the Cheltenham Festival for a few years now on TV and have loved it so much I am desperate to get myself there one year. This year I missed most of the live races due to work commitments but I was lucky enough to get an early finish on the day of the Gold Cup! For those of you who don't follow horse racing the Gold Cup is the most prestigious race of the whole festival where only the very best hurdlers are entered.

After a couple of false starts they were away and despite only being in our living room we were shouting as though they could hear us all the way from Manchester. There's nothing quite like the buzz you get as you shout and cheer in hope of a winner, when the field of pure equine power approaches the final fence.

A couple of very lucky bets (and a nail biting stewards enquiry) for Lord Windermere by both me and my OH meant that we were 'quids in' and dinner that night was curtesy of a very talented 4 legged Equus. 

            (Photo from daily mail)

It's not all about winning money though. I sat quietly after the race watching the presentation & the reaction of the owners, trainers and grooms etc. So many people work together to get the best out of each and every horse you see racing. From the owners you see living the 'high life' at the festival to the stable hand who didn't get to join them as they are back home looking after the others! They dedicate their whole lives to their sport in hope of a winner and when that moment comes it's magical. You can clearly see how much it means to each and every person who has had involvement in that horses' journey. It's one of the few places you will see grown men cry. A real goosebumps moment.
Channel 4 summed it up well with the highlights... "Nothing comes to those who wait. Make memories now."

Have you ever been to Cheltenham Festival? 





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