Cheltenham Gold Cup
| Grade 1 race | |
 |
|
| Location |
Cheltenham Racecourse Cheltenham, England |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1924 |
| Race type | Steeplechase |
| Sponsor | Timico |
| Website | Cheltenham |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 3 miles 2½ furlongs (5,331 m) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | 5-years-old and up |
| Weight | 11 st 8 lb (5yo); 11 st 10 lb (6yo+) Allowances 7 lb for mares |
| Purse |
£575,000 (2016) 1st: £327,326 |
Coordinates: 51°55′13″N 2°3′28″W / 51.92028°N 2.05778°W
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of 3 miles 2½ furlongs (5,331 m), and during its running there are 22 fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.
The steeplechase, which is open to horses aged five years and over, is the most prestigious of all National Hunt events and it is sometimes referred to as the Blue Riband of jump-racing. Its roll of honour features the names of such chasers as Arkle, Best Mate, Golden Miller, Kauto Star and Mill House. The Gold Cup is the most valuable non-handicap chase in Britain, and in 2014 it offered a total prize fund of £550,000. Since 2014 it has been sponsored by Betfred, after the betting company bought the government-owned Tote in June 2011, but in late 2015 they lost their sponsorship following Jockey Club's and Arena Racing new initiative to not allow bookmaker sponsorships on their tracks that do not offer any contribution to horse racing from their offshore business. Only two weeks later a new sponshorship deal was announced with Timico, an independent internet service provider whose CEO Tim Radford is a horse owner having top chasers like Somersby and Racing Demon associated with his name.Timico also offered an increase of £25,000 to reach a total of £575,000 prize money for the 2016 Gold Cup renewal.
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