28 Cheltenham Festival races consist of 13 Chases (over fences) and 13 Hurdle races, plus a Cross Country Chase and a Bumper.
14 are Grade 1 contests, in addition to 3 Grade 2, 7 Grade 3 and 4 Listed races.
Distances vary from 2 miles up to 3 miles, 6 furlongs - with Days 1 & 2 races on the Old Course and Days 3 & 4 on the New Course.
FEATURE RACES

Each day of the Festival has a showpiece contest, but there are five feature races - Thursday boasts two blue riband events.
FESTIVAL RACES BY PRIZE MONEY
The respective prize money of Cheltenham races tends to reflect their status.
FESTIVAL HANDICAPS
There are nine handicaps at the Festival, all of which are Grade 3 or Listed races.
A handicap mark in the low 130s is the bare minimum required for entry to most - and at least 140 for the more valuable events.

FESTIVAL NOVICE RACES
Eight Festival races are for Novices only (4 hurdles and 4 chases).
Those hurdles are open to horses aged four years or older, but most novices' at the Festival are aged at least five or six.
These races feature horses that have the potential to become future Festival stars.

JUVENILE RACES
There are also two Festival Juvenile Hurdle races, the more prestigious of which is the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle.
These are for four-year-old's only, the youngest horses racing at Cheltenham.

AMATEUR JOCKEY RACES
Three Festival races are for amateur riders only (professional jockeys took part in 2021 due to Covid restrictions).
Leading amateur jockeys with Festival wins include Jamie Codd, Patrick Mullins, Sam Waley-Cohen and Derek O'Connor.
Several of the leading amateurs regularly compete with the pros in other races too.
Notably, Jamie Codd has ridden a total of 10 Festival winners (7 amateur races).
CONDITIONAL JOCKEYS
There is also one Festival race that is only open to apprentice jockeys just starting out in the professional ranks.
FILLIES & MARES RACES
Finally, three of the races at the Festival are solely for female horses: fillies (four-year old's) and/or mares (five years+).
The Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle was a steppingstone in 2020 for Honeysuckle, who went on to win the Champion Hurdle in 2021 and 2022.
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