THE CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL – FUN FACTS & FIGURES
Human vs Equine

With well over 200,000 racegoers attending the four days of The Festival from 16 – 19 March 2010 – 67,000 of those on Cheltenham Gold Cup day – the racecourse’s caterers, Jockey Club Catering, has a colossal task on its hands keeping punters fed and watered. The racecourse stable staff has an equal catering challenge with their equine visitors!

According to Cheltenham’s official caterer, Jockey Club Catering, part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, race fans are expected to drink over 18,000 bottles of champagne, 220,000 pints of Guinness, 30,000 bottles of wine, 120,000 bottles of beer and cider, as well as 8,000 gallons of tea and coffee.

Meanwhile, the hungry spectators will each day sit down to three or four course lunches, looked after by the racecourse’s 3,000 staff, including 250 chefs and 300 managers. Guests are expected to devour three tonnes of smoked salmon, two tonnes of fillet and sirloin of beef, nine tonnes of potatoes, 46,000 bread rolls, 20,000 portions of chips and 25,000 beef burgers and hot dogs – all prepared in 30 temporary kitchens and 53 mobile catering units.

Bob Reeves, Business Director for Racing, Compass Group UK & Ireland said: “The Cheltenham Festival is the biggest catering operation of its kind in the racing world. Our team of chefs and waiting staff will alone look after 36,000 hospitality covers in 240 private boxes and chalets, seven restaurants and 20 marquees – this is a true team effort, and one of which we are incredibly proud.”

Much of the food is locally sourced with all beef, pork, lamb and sausages coming from Forest of Dean; all salmon smoked in Cirencester; the award winning Paddy Pies coming from Bristol; Real Ale brewed in Cheltenham; mustard from Tewkesbury; and 45,000 sandwiches made in Swindon.

The Festival’s 500 equine stars – one quarter of which are travelling from various stables in Ireland – will also consume an equally impressive amount of food and liquid, albeit from a slightly blander menu. With the average racehorse drinking between 10 – 12 gallons of water per day (still, not sparkling), and consuming up to 25lbs of dry food such as hay and chaff, the stable management team, lead by John Morrison, is also responsible for a huge logistical catering task.

Those details in full – Jockey Club Catering will serve the following during The Cheltenham Festival:

Food

• 3 tonnes smoked salmon
• 2 tonnes of fillet and sirloin of beef
• 9 tonnes of potatoes
• 45,000 rounds of sandwiches
• 46,000 bread rolls
• 25,000 beef burgers and hot dogs
• 14,000 packed lunches for staff
• 20,000 portions of chips

Drink

• 220,000 pints of Guinness
• 125,000 pints of lager
• 120,000 bottles of beer and cider
• 30,000 bottles of wine
• 18,000 bottles of champagne
• 8,000 gallons of tea and coffee

Jockey Club Catering staff

• 3,000 Jockey Club Catering staff, including 250 chefs and 300 managers
• 40 staff coaches per day
• 14,000 packed lunches for staff

In total, 800 feet of temporary bar counters are built for The Festival.

The longest bar at Cheltenham is the 110 foot long Pavilion Bar in the Best Mate enclosure.

If all burgers, hot dogs and sandwiches were laid end-to-end, they would stretch almost 3.2 miles – the distance of the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.

BOOKIES FEARING £50MILLION CHELTENHAM BODY BLOW!

Cheltenham Bookmakers News – Outside of the Grand National 2010, the Cheltenham Festival is the single biggest betting event in racing and bookmaking giants William Hill are bracing themselves for what promises to be a £600million week of betting bedlam for the betting industry.  

Britain’s biggest bookies are predicting that a staggering £150 million a day will be wagered industry-wide, on each of the four days of the festival, with another £1million per race staked on-course in cash.

That figure equates to around £24 million per race, for the 26 races, with betting reaching a £40million fever pitch on this year’s epic third ‘War of the Wolds’ rematch between Kauto Star and Denman in Friday’s Gold Cup.

But the bookmakers are treading with some trepidation into this year’s Festival – with a quartet of red hot favourites poised to strike a daily body-blow to profits. Dunguib, Master Minded, Big Buck’s, and Kauto Star are some of the hottest Cheltenham betting propositions for decades, and they line-up on each day of the Festival in unparalleled form. The last three all trained by Champion trainer Paul Nicholls and ridden by the Festival’s leading jockey Ruby Walsh.

Hills estimate that the betting industry would be rocked to the tune of almost £50million should the four festival bankers oblige, with punters lining-up in each of the UK and Ireland’s 10,000 betting shops to invest in the dream quartet.

David Hood, spokesman for William Hill, said: “Bookies really are starting on the back foot this year. These are FOUR outstanding chances for punters to get their teeth into – and each one dominates a day of the Festival. We can only hope to get one or more of them beaten, but realistically they look like bankers for the punter and if all four win it will put the bookies on their knees. Punters won’t be able to carry it all home!”

The Bookies Nemesis’

Dunguib – Running in the opening race of the Festival – The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Unbeaten in his last eight starts and is the sweetheart of Ireland for 2010. – William Hill Odds  4/5

Master Minded – The reigning Queen Mother Champion and is looking to notch-up an historic third successive win. Injured early season but showed a glorious return to his best when winning at Newbury last time out. Represents the ‘tour de force’ combination of Paul Nicholls and Ruby Walsh. William Hill Odds  - 5/6

Big Buck’s – Supremely talented and found his niche over the smaller obstacles when winning the World Hurdle last year. Ranked as the highest-regarded hurdler in the Country and has shown nothing but contempt for every rival that has faced him this season. Another talent emerging from the punters’ favourite duo of Paul Nicholls & Ruby Walsh. William Hill Odds  – 8/13

Kauto Star – The darling of National Hunt Racing and the last fancy from the deadly duo of Messrs Nicholls & Walsh.  Made history in last year’s Gold Cup by becoming the first horse to regain the title after a loss. Romped to an incomparable 36-length win in the William Hill King George on his last start, and runs in the Festival’s biggest race.  William Hill Odds  -  8/11

Hills Banker Bundle: 17-2 Dunguib, Master Minded, Kauto Star and Big Buck’s all to win