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The 2024 Cheltenham Festival has now passed and thoughts are turning towards the Flat season which will seamlessly take over from what has been a thrilling jumps campaign. Nevertheless, there's still some exciting jumps action still to come with the Aintree Grand National festival which takes place from 11th-13th April, culminating in the Grand National itself on Day Three of the meeting.
The Randox Grand National has been the subject of a few changes for the 2024 renewal, the most obvious of these being the decision to reduce the number of runners to a maximum of 34 and bring forward the starting time from the usual 5.15 to 4pm in order to increase the chances of good ground for the contest. This most famous of steeplechases will still provide thrills aplenty for the 65,000 plus crowd at the iconic Aintree racecourse and 2023 victor Corach Rambler is currently joint favourite at 12/1 to repeat his success of twelve months ago.
As far as the bookmakers are concerned, the Grand National is the biggest race on the calendar with many members of the public who wouldn't normally bet on the horses taking a punt on the race or taking part in an organised sweepstake. Many online betting sites offer exclusive free bets and other offers for the duration of the three-day Aintree Festival as well as price boosts and enhanced places for the key races and these are very popular with punters.
Gordon Elliott currently has 23 horses aimed at the 2024 Grand National although only a handful of these will make the cut as the total number of entries is trimmed down at each declaration stage. Fellow Irish handler Willie Mullins also has multiple entries for the contest with thirteen runners currently lined up, although this number will also fall dramatically once the final line-up is announced prior to the race.
The Scottish Grand National traditionally takes place the weekend after the Aintree marathon and the 2024 renewal will get underway at Ayr Racecourse on Saturday, 20th April. This is the richest jumps race in Scotland, and it involves 30 runners competing over a course consisting of 27 fences, this contest also being a big focus for the UK and Irish betting sites.
Once the Nationals have passed, attention turns to the Flat season and the undoubted highlight here is Royal Ascot which traditionally takes place in mid to late June each year. The 2024 meeting gets underway on Tuesday, 18th June and draws to a close on Saturday, 22nd June. Throughout the four days, spectators are treated to horse racing of the very highest quality with the key Group 1 races consisting of the Coronation Cup, Derby Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes, Gold Cup and Coronation Stakes.
While Royal Ascot is the highlight in many racegoers’ calendars, the first two Classics of the Flat season are held at Newmarket, namely the 1000 and 2000 Guineas which are run over the Rowley Mile and are amongst the most famous flat races in the world. Held in late April or early May, these contests are open to three-year-old Thoroughbreds (colts for the 2000 Guineas and fillies for the 1000 Guineas) and the prize money for each of the races currently stands at over £500,000. The 2024 renewal of the 2000 Guineas takes place on Saturday, 4th May while the 1000 Guineas takes place on Sunday, 5th May.
The Epsom Derby is another key highlight in the racing calendar and one of the most popular horse races in the country. Held at the picturesque Epsom Racecourse, this contest is certainly the most prestigious of the five Classics and often referred to as the 'Blue Riband' of the turf. Open to three-year-old colts and fillies, the Epsom Derby is run over a distance of one mile, four furlongs and 10 yards, the first running taking place in 1780. Early favourite for the 2024 renewal of the Epsom Classic on Saturday, 1st June is Aiden O'Brien-trained City Of Troy, the Irish handler currently having seventeen runners aimed at the race, a number which will be much reduced closer to the contest. Other leading contenders are stablemates Henry Longfellow and Diego Velazquez as well as Charlie Appleby duo Ancient Wisdom and Arabian Crown.
Traditionally held in late July and early August, Glorious Goodwood remains one of the most quintessentially English meetings in the BHA racing calendar, held in the stunning surroundings of the South Downs close to the cathedral city of Chichester. This five-day meeting will return from Tuesday, 30th July to Saturday, 3rd August and includes two notable Group 1 races, namely the Sussex Stakes and the Nassau Stakes which take place over distances of one mile and one mile one furlong and 192 yards respectively.
The focus then turns to York Racecourse which hosts the four-day Ebor Festival from Wednesday, 21st August to Saturday, 24th August 2024. This is one of the most popular race meetings in the north of England and includes some prestigious Group 1 races in the form of the International Stakes, the Nunthorpe Stakes and the Yorkshire Oaks. Many thousands of spectators cram the stands at the famous racecourse for this racing extravaganza and there is some very high-quality racing on offer over the four days.
The St Leger Stakes is the oldest of the five Classics and takes place at Doncaster Racecourse in September each year. The contest is open to three-year-olds (excluding geldings) and is the longest of the Classics with a length of one mile, six furlongs and 115 yards. One of the highlights of the flat racing season, the St Leger Festival takes place over four days and the 2024 edition gets underway on Thursday, 12th September and draws to a close on Sunday, 15th September.
These are just a few of the highlights of the flat season which traditionally lasts from April to October and includes some thrilling action from around the UK.
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