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‘A highly readable history’ (Independent on Sunday )
‘It’s the human element that entertains most’ (Sport magazine )
‘A very good read it is, full of memories of the events which have made the Cheltenham Festival uniquely special in sport’ (Scotland on Sunday )
‘It’s the human element that entertains most’ (Sport magazine )
‘A very good read it is, full of memories of the events which have made the Cheltenham Festival uniquely special in sport’ (Scotland on Sunday )
Product Description
The Cheltenham Festival is nowadays the biggest event in the racing year – in visitor numbers eclipsing Royal Ascot, the Grand National or the Derby. In 2011 it is a hundred years since the 1911 running of the National Hunt Chase marked the birth of the Festival, providing the perfect occasion for Robin Oakley’s new history. This is a work of both history and celebration – telling the story of how three days of jump racing beneath Cleeve Hill in Cheltenham became a vast sporting event attracting an average of 50,000 spectators per day. Before the War it saw legendary horses like Golden Miller; after the War the Irish invasion began – both horses and spectators; in the Sixties, Arkle, the greatest jumps horse of all time duelling with Mill House in the Gold Cup. In recent years there have been Cheltenham favourites like Desert Orchid, winning a gruelling Gold Cup in the mud, Dawn Run, Best Mate (2 Gold Cups), hurdlers like Istabraq and Persian War, and the grey hero One Man. But also it is a story of the craic and the characters, like the Irishman who won enough on Istabraq to pay off his mortgage, then lost it again on the Champion Chase, and reflected, “Ach, it was only a small house anyway…” This is a book for both the committed Festival-goer, Guinness in hand, and every armchair racing fan.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a brilliant book, and deserves a place on the shelf of every racing enthusiast. Robin Oakley is an experienced journalist and author and writes very well. The rise of Cheltenham to its current pre-eminence as the home of National Hunt Racing is well documented and the vital role of the present Managing Director, Edward Gillespie, is rightly stressed. There are marvellous pen portraits of people and horses and a galaxy of stories, some sad, some hilarious. Triumph and tragedy, hope and despair, and the sheer excitement of National Hunt racing, all there. I find myself looking forward to the Festival more than ever. Warm thanks to Robin Oakley.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this book - a lot of history about Cheltenham, great characters, momentous races and modern influences - really brings the Festival to life and I would recommend it to anyone who trudges to Prestbury Park full of hope to see some of the finest steeple chasers in the world. Excellent.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
An excellent addition to the recorded history of this great event. The photograhs are finely produced and the writing is good.
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