2008 Horse Racing Fixtures at Cheltenham Racecourse

1 January 2008 – New Year’s Day Racing
2008 horse racing at Cheltenham Racecourse starts with New Year's Day Racing. The New Year is kick started with some of the best horses, jockeys and trainers in the land. Gates open at 10.00am, first race is on at 12.25pm, last race at 3.55pm.

26 January 2008 – Festival Trials Day
This is arguably the best one day Jumps meeting of the entire season anywhere. Seven races give some final clues as to the destination of the big prizes at The Festival (Five Festival winners ran on this day last season), but this is a day of sporting drama that is far more than a prelude to four days in March. Highlights include the Letheby & Christopher Chase, Byrne Bros Cleeve Hurdle and the Ladbrokes Trophy Chase. Gates open at 10.30am, first race is on at 12.55pm, last race at 4.20pm.

11 March – 14 March 2008 – The Festival
The National Hunt Festival is the highlight of Cheltenham's horse racing calendar, with its importance in British racing, comparable to the World Cup in football. It features the famous Cheltenham Gold Cup, the tradition of which goes back to 1819 and which had its present form since 1924. The four-days of the best steeplechase and hurdle racing attracts thousands of visitors from Ireland, with a strong line-up of Irish horses challenging for the prizes on offer. The 20 races offer in excess of £2 million in prize money.

16 April – 18 April 2008 – The April Meeting
For 2008, a Friday evening fixture has been added to the traditional two days. There is also another top class National Hunt sale organised by Brightwells in the Centaur on the evening following the first day of the meeting. At the April Meeting in 2007 Paul Nicholls broke Martin Pipe's record for the most prize money ever won in a Jump season.

7 May 2008 – Hunter Chase Evening
Hunter Chase Evening is a fixture where amateur jockeys take centre stage on the racecourse. There is a party after the last race to end the 2007/2008 horse racing season, with live entertainment in the Centaur and an outstanding atmosphere throughout the evening.