Over 250,000 racegoers will flock to the 2018 Cheltenham Festival to witness four days of spectacular equine action, but what is it that attracts such bumper crowds to the Home of National Hunt racing, and what is the obsession with the jamboree of jumping that can often be referred to as the equine Olympics?
We are an age away from the Supreme Novices' Hurdle getting under way at 1:30pm on Tuesday 13th March, but the masses are already talking about the tapes going up for the festival curtain-raiser, and while there are an abundance of top notch races to take place in the coming months, it will be a subject that concludes with "but will it win at Cheltenham?".
Now, I for one, am like a kid at Christmas on the eve of the Cheltenham Festival, with thoughts of the famous Cheltenham roar echoing through my mind as I grab some shut eye before waking up with a spring in my step and constantly clock watching until the small hand hits one, and the big hand hits the half hour.
Americans have the Super Bowl, Australians have the Melbourne Cup, but the British and Irish have the Cheltenham Festival, and what the 28 races provides is a rollercoaster of emotions, with jockeys, trainers, owners and punters alike all just yearning for that Cheltenham Festival success.
The aforementioned Irish flock in their droves to Prestbury Park, and a party atmosphere reverberates around GL50, as the Guinness village is packed to the rafters with revellers, while the punters and bookmakers lock horns in the betting jungle, but come the off, all eyes veer to the undulations of the track, and what passes in front of your eyes is sheer entertainment.
Heroes, both equine and human will be made, while there will be a raft of hard luck stories discussed in the aftermath of the action, but what goes on between the Supreme Novices' Hurdle and the closing Grand Annual at 5:30pm on Friday is sheer drama, as the horse and jockey use every sinew they have to try and beat their opponents, while the racegoers will roar with deafening encouragement in the packed stands as the races reach their exhilarating conclusion.
Twists and turns will occur in the days, weeks and months leading up to the 2018 Cheltenham Festival, but one thing is guaranteed, it will be the Greatest Show On Turf!
