FROM the weighing room to the winners' enclosure, Betway ambassador Katie Walsh reveals what really goes on behind the scenes during Festival week.
Kildare native Walsh, who retired in 2018 from professional life on horseback, rode two winners during the Cheltenham Festival in 2010.
Two years later she finished third in the Grand National - the best ever result for a female jockey, while in 2015 she became the third woman to win the Irish Grand National.
All in all, quite the CV.
Her brother, Rupert 'Ruby' Walsh, finished as the top jockey 11 times in 14 years at Cheltenham, so it's fair to say Katies's insight into the magical madness of the Festival is - quite frankly - second to very few.
Cheltenham Festival is the biggest week in jump racing, with over a quarter of a million tickets sold and another three million people expected to watch on TV.
In all, a total of around £500m is expected to be staked across the horse racing betting industry on the 28 races.
But what is it like for the people in the thick of the action, away from the crowds and television cameras?
To find out, we got Betway ambassador and three-time Festival winner, Katie Walsh, to take racing broadcaster Nick Luck on a guided tour of the spots that the public don’t get to see, including:
- The female jockeys’ room
- The male jockeys’ room
- The weighing room
- The parade ring
- A lap of the course
- The winners’ walkway
- The winners’ enclosure
Watch our video to see Cheltenham racecourse as you’ve never seen it before, and discover what it’s really like to compete in the greatest show on turf.
This was written in collaboration with Betway
See More: Betway, Cheltenham Festival, Horse Racing, Katie Walsh
