Wednesday at the tracks for Cheltenham 2016 sees Ladies Day take over, so we won’t bore you with stuff about racing – there’s over £10k on offer for fashion prizes! Of course, we are joking, you can read on below for a roundup of what to expect on the horse side of things. But a quick plug for the annual occasion – if you’re a female punter in attendance you’ll want an extra couple of feathers in the hat. Gents, put on your tweed and get your missus’s advice before leaving the house.
On to the racing! Wednesday sees The Betway Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase sandwiched by a variety of runs. The RSA Steeple Chase is the other key event, occurring earlier on in the day, and Willie Mullins will be attempting to put the past behind him (not hard to do when you won eight other races in 2015’s festival) by seeing Black Hercules take a first crown after disappointment previously.
But you can’t be too sure if you’re Mullins – Paul Nicholls’ Aux Ptits Soins last year became Cheltenham’s first ever odds-on competitor (in the Coral Cup), so he’ll go into the event with confidence.
Later, the Queen Mother Champion Chase will see Sprinter Sacre attempting a third win in the run. As opposed to last year however, this year there will be a number of legitimate challengers, particularly Un de Sceaux who can be a bit of a wildcard.
Other races on Ladies Day include
The Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle Race (2 Miles and 5f)
The Coral Cup Hurdle (also 2 Miles and 5f)
The Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeple Chase (3 Miles and 6f)
The Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race (2 Miles and ½f)
The festival then reaches it’s midway point with The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (2 Miles and ½f as well)
