Dear Country Life readers, welcome to The Festival. A fiscal boon for the local economy, a semi religious experience for all, and a chance to revisit Anglo Irish rivalries for many.
Let’s take these Cheltenham tips, or tactics, in game time order.
Set the alarm early. Have a big healthy breakfast. The Festival is a stamina test, don’t get your shorts wet before you hit the water. Take the quiet time first thing to read your paper of choice, and make your calls. This is the time to mentally set up your day.
Next tip, what do you wear? Go careful on the tweed I’d say. Tweed is fine but some of the checks are, shall we say, sospechoso. Drake’s is your ‘go-to.’ Harvey Specter would look no further.
Third tip, get on course early. I am widely ridiculed for being in the car park at the crack of sparrows but what’s the fun in the last 5 miles taking 1hr.
Instead, take that time to suck up the racecourse air, dig your heel in the turf, have that double mac from the Organic Fairtrade coffee stand at the back of the Main Grandstand, and feel the adrenaline start to course through your veins.
If you are not in a box head for the Quevega bar where they do a good spread of Spanish tapas. It is handily positioned close to the Winners' Enclosure so the atmosphere is tip top.
With regards to the races themselves, the big names are Buveur D’Air for the Champion Hurdle, Altior for the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Might Bite for the Gold Cup.
But the best tip is to be your own judge. There is a tsunami of information out there. Analysis paralysis if you ask me. Back yourself, pace yourself... and remember, it’s a marathon not a sprint.
Post racing, if you are heading into town make a beeline for The Clarence Social where the wagyu beef is superb. If you are staying closer to the racecourse or looking for somewhere en-route home The Lion in Winchcombe is a beauty.
It is disingenuous of a bookmaker to wish you luck but have a fantastic time and may horses, jockeys and racegoers alike get back in one piece!
Balthazar Fabricius is CEO of private bookmaker Fitzdares – www.fitzdares.com.
Queens Hotel, Cheltenham: A Georgian gem in one of England’s prettiest towns
In the heart of the beautiful spa town of Cheltenham you'll find this beautiful neo-Classical hotel where even the wallpaper
-
Uniquely unique? The Yorkshire grain silos transformed into a home that's a symphony in glass, steel and curvesAmid the beautiful countryside of North Yorkshire, on the edge of the Castle Howard Estate, The Silos is a property for which the word 'house' simply doesn't cut it. And that's not the only way in which it's made us throw out the dictionary.
-
Polluting water executives now face up to two years in prison, but will the new laws make much of a difference?The Government has announced that water company executives caught covering up illegal sewage spills could now be imprisoned for two years, under new laws — but many still have their doubts.
-
Betty is the first dog to scale all of Scotland’s hundreds of mountains and hillsFewer than 100 people have ever completed Betty's ‘full house’ of Scottish summits — and she was fuelled by more than 800 hard boiled eggs.
-
'A delicious chance to step back in time and bask in the best of Britain': An insider's guide to The SeasonHere's how to navigate this summer's top events in style, from those who know best.
-
Burberry, Jess Wheeler and The Courtauld: London Craft Week 2025 explainedWith more than 400 exhibits and events dotted around the capital, and everything from dollshouse's to tutu making, there is something for everyone at the festival, which runs from May 12-18.
-
New balls please: Eddie Redmayne, Anna Wintour and Laura Bailey on the sensory pleasures of playing tennisLittle beats the popping sound and rubbery smell of a new tube of tennis balls — even if you're a leading Hollywood actor.
-
Arthur Parkinson: ‘I want my chicken coop to look like the one from “Far from the Madding Crowd”’In his second instalment of all things chicken keeping, our columnist outlines the dos and don'ts of hen house maintenance.
-
RHS Chelsea Flower Show: Everything you need to know, plus our top tips and tricksCountry Life editors and contributor share their tips and tricks for making the most of Chelsea.
-
What the cluck? Waitrose announces ‘trailblazing’ pledge to help improve chicken welfare standardsWaitrose has signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment, but does the scheme leave Britain open to inferior imports?
-
Having a ruff day: Kennel Club exhibition highlights the plight of vulnerable spaniel breedsPhotographer Melody Fisher has been travelling the UK taking photographs of ‘vulnerable’ spaniel breeds.
