January is a key month for horses and stables involved in National Hunt racing (jump racing) as preparation begins for some of the sport’s biggest festivals. Trial events will soon take place up and down the country, with one of the biggest being Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham.
Set to take place on 27 January, Festival Trials Day is the final meeting at Cheltenham Racecourse before the famous Cheltenham Festival in March. The event features 7 races, all of which are trials for the Festival, meaning many of horse racing’s most popular runners and riders will be in action.
With coveted spots at the Cheltenham Festival on the line, Festival Trials Day has proven to be one of the most thrilling and emotionally-charged events on the horse racing calendar. As well as battles between rivals, and breakout performances, Festival Trials Day also provides racing fans with unmatched insight into which horses are likely to perform well at the Cheltenham Festival. For instance, in 2022, 3 of the 7 Trials Day winners went on to repeat the feat on the hallowed Cheltenham turf in March.
Editeur Du Gite, Gold Tweet, and Ahoy Senor were among the big Trials Day winners in 2023, but who will prove victorious this time around? The 7 races providing opportunities for glory in 2024 are:
- The JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle
- The Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase
- The Paddy Power Cheltenham Countdown Podcast Handicap Chase
- The Paddy Power Cotswold Chase
- The Unibet Hurdle
- The McCoy Contractors Cleeve Hurdle
- The SSS Super Alloys Novices’ Hurdle
Festival Trials Day is a popular tradition for a reason, and provides all the excitement fans would expect from a day at the races. As well as brightening up January, the event also gives racing fans their last chance to see world-class horse racing at Cheltenham before the countdown begins for the big one – the Cheltenham Festival.
For more information on racing at Cheltenham, or to purchase tickets, click here.
