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Cheltenham Festival

Who will reach the finishing line first?

Events calendar sponsored by AVIS

Cheltenham festival hosts some of the most hotly contested events in the racing calendar. The four-day event reaches its 101st year in 2012 and the festival will start on the 13 March with centenary day to celebrate the festival's anniversary.

There are 27 races that make up the Cheltenham festival - 14 chase, 12 hurdle and one bumper (also known as a flat race). Eleven of these races are handicap events which means horses of different weight categories can enter.

Back to the events calendar.

Cheltenham Festival

Cheltenham Festival

13-16 March Will this year's Cheltenham festival be awash with sunshine or a washout? Check the Cheltenham weather forecast.

Race highlights

The festival highlights are spread over all four days with the ones to watch listed below.

DateDayBig racesPrevious winners from 2011
13 MarchCentenary DayThe Stan James Champion HurdleHurricane Fly - Willie Mullins
14 MarchLadies DayThe Sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion RaceSizling Europe - A. E. Lynch
15 MarchSt Patrick's DayThe Ladbrokes World HurdleBig Bucks - R. Walsh
16 MarchGold Cup DayThe totesport Cheltenham Gold CupLong Run - S. Waley-Cohen

Will the weather affect the outcome of this year's event? Check the Cheltenham weather forecast.

You can check the weather forecast for other events through the Events Calendar.

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