RSS Feed

Related Articles

Related Categories

Cheltenham Festival curtain raising event is gearing up to paint the track green

6th February 2013 Print

While Cheltenham Festival coinciding with St. Patrick's Day is a time honoured tradition and a drawing point for Irishmen the world round, symbols of the Saint's Day have yet to surpass the shamrock confetti and leprechauns costumes that abound the festival grounds. One man's vision may come true at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival.

Perhaps taking his cue from Irish-tinged events like Chicago's annual St. Patty's Day festival, which includes nothing short of dyeing the city's primary river green, one visionary hopes to make the 2013 Cheltenham Festival, the pinnacle of the national hunt season, as green as ever before.

His name is Clifford Walsh and he has been an avid participant at Cheltenham for the past decade or so. Every year he makes his way from his home in Dublin, wife and friends in tow, to the Gloucestershire countryside to take part in the racing events. He is a seasoned punter, a hurdling aficionado and he is making his first steps as a bookmaker. But above all else, he's a proud Irishman and a sports lover both at once. Back in 2010, pacing the course-side and checking his betting board against the odds of horses galloping by, it occurred to him that a taste of the old saint is oddly missing from his beloved festival. "It's the feel of pockets full of rolled up bills that the clean and orderly credit card terminals now in abundance throughout the festival grounds just can't bring to life. There's nothing like the gritty authenticity of a true cockney accent and there's nothing like painting the racing track bright flamin' St Patty's Day green".

So came the idea to tint the track green. Forget an Irish inspired cuisine; forget dainty paper flags and tasteful leprechaun hats worn slightly to the side for a pinch of nationalism splattered with course-side elegance. For Clifford Walsh these gestures don't amount to the kind of 'real deal' celebration he's got in mind. And it is not just any course Walsh is thinking about; it is no other than the 2-mile long Supreme Novices Hurdle, the legendary site of the opening act of the four-day festival.

Needless to say that jockeys, trainers, bookies and punters alike will not take a shine to Walsh's colour streaking idea. For those in it for the thrill of the race and the love of the game, Cheltenham Festival comes at any and all expense; saints included. To ward off the naysayers, Walsh has already concocted something of a plan. He hopes to recruit the help of some legendary riders, amongst them a daughter of fabled trainer Ginger McCain and London Olympics hopeful Tina Cook. With their help, he believes, he can spread some much needed St. Patrick's Day spirit.

About Cheltenham Festival

Cheltenham Festival is the annual meeting place of the British National Hunt Races. It takes place in town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, over a four-day period during the month of March. In 2013, the festival will be held 12-15 March. William Hill offers you the best odds to bet on Cheltenham Races.