Spring is the most exciting time of the National Hunt season, with the calendar building towards three iconic meetings that define jumps racing: the Cheltenham Festival, Aintree’s Grand National Festival, and the Punchestown Festival. As anticipation grows, fans and punters alike are checking market odds ahead of the big spring meetings, weighing up their chances and strategising how to bet on horse racing in some of the sport’s most high-stakes contests. Each of these events offers top-class racing, dramatic storylines, and unforgettable moments for fans, trainers, and punters alike.
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival, held every March at Prestbury Park in Gloucestershire, is widely regarded as the jewel in the crown of National Hunt racing. This four-day extravaganza attracts huge crowds, the sport’s leading trainers and jockeys, and a staggering amount of betting activity. The festival is renowned for its signature races, including the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, and Stayers’ Hurdle.
Among them, the Gold Cup is often called the ‘Blue Riband’ of jumps racing, testing horses’ stamina, speed, and jumping ability over more than three miles. Beyond the elite racing, Cheltenham is famous for its atmosphere — from the ‘Cheltenham roar’ as each big race begins to the social side, with racegoers in stylish attire and fans enjoying the spectacle. For many participants, Cheltenham represents the ultimate goal of the National Hunt season, where legacies are made and careers are defined.
Aintree Grand National Festival
Just a few weeks after Cheltenham, attention shifts to Liverpool’s Aintree Racecourse for the Grand National Festival. Spanning three days, this meeting culminates in the world-famous Grand National, a gruelling handicap over nearly four miles with enormous fences that test even the most seasoned horses and riders.
While the National itself dominates the headlines, the festival features a series of top-class Grade 1 races, such as the Manifesto Novices’ Chase, the Anniversary 4-Year-Old Juvenile Hurdle, the Aintree Bowl Chase, and the Liverpool Hurdle. The Mildmay Novices’ Chase provides further excitement for inexperienced chasers, and the entire meeting offers a different challenge from Cheltenham, with a flatter course and unique obstacles. Globally recognised, Aintree draws an international audience both on-course and through broadcasts, making it one of the most-watched and celebrated events in jumps racing.
Punchestown Festival
Crossing over to Ireland, the Punchestown Festival in County Kildare marks the grand finale of the spring National Hunt season. Running over five days in late April and early May, it is the premier Irish jumps festival and attracts many of the same horses, trainers, and jockeys that competed at Cheltenham and Aintree.
Punchestown is renowned for its Grade 1 races, including the Champion Chase for elite two-mile chasers and the Punchestown Gold Cup for stayers. The festival also features top novice chases, hurdle races, and a cross-country chase that takes advantage of its unique banks course. With over €3 million in prize money up for grabs, the festival is a crucial season-closer for trainers and horses alike. Irish trainers, particularly Willie Mullins, often dominate the entries, creating compelling rematches from earlier in the spring. Beyond the racing, Punchestown combines elite competition with a vibrant social atmosphere, celebrating Irish racing in style.
