Inside the Cheltenham Festival as Sportsmail goes behind the scenes

The 2020 Cheltenham Festival is in full swing. The punters have turned out in force, the drinks are flowing and the action on course continues to deliver.

Four days of National Hunt racing in the picturesque Gloucestershire countryside attracts a staggering 250,000 people.

But what is all the fuss about? Sportsmail went behind the scenes to find out what makes the annual event so special.

Twenty-one races down, just seven to go. Cheltenham Racecourse is the home of jump racing and the Festival in March is the pinnacle of the sport.

It’s where the best meets the best. The races that every trainer, owner and jockey want to win.

Twenty-eight races are run from Tuesday to Friday each year with a whopping £4.59million on offer in prize money.

There are feature races throughout the meeting with the prestigious Cheltenham Gold Cup on the final day.

The Gold Cup trophy from 1924 – the first time it was run over jumps – was returned to the track two years ago and has been put on show at the racecourse this week… but only those who have landed the coveted prize can touch it.

As well as trying to get an elusive Festival win under their belts, trainers have the added competition of the Prestbury Cup where Great Britain and Ireland lock horns. Whichever country has the most winners at the end of the four-day meeting claims the gong.

Last year it was a tie with 11 winners each but it’s currently 11-9 to Ireland so it’s all to play for heading into the final day.

The stars of the show need the perfect stage to be able to perform and that responsibility falls on the shoulders of clerk of the course Simon Claisse and his ground staff.

The course is ready to go two weeks prior to the Festival and Cheltenham has the benefit of deploying two chase tracks, two hurdle tracks as well as the Cross-Country course meaning the same ground isn’t used constantly.

‘All of the ground that we’re going to use in March we don’t set foot on it for the whole year,’ Claisse told Sportsmail.

‘We only use the ground that we race on for the four days in March, with a few exceptions where the tracks cross.

‘It’s been sitting behind white rail since last March so that makes it relatively straightforward to keep it in good condition.’

With top-class horses lighting up the turf and around 65,000 spectators a day there is a scramble to find the best vantage point.

With 42,000 square metres of temporary facilities erected just for the Festival each year there is an abundance of options.

Work began on the temporary structure in the autumn of last year and it caters for pretty much everything.

Trackside viewing from the Guinness Village, private boxes, a pub, suites, a pan-Asian restaurant and a restaurant run by renowned chefs – and that’s in addition to the permanent Grandstand facilities.

The three-tiered marquee next to the hugely-popular Guinness Village is the biggest structure of that type in Europe at 185 metres long.

The Horse & Groom pub was created for the 2019 Festival and was a complete sell out this year. Ian Renton, regional director of Cheltenham Racecourse and the south west, said: ‘This was last year’s new animal – the most expensive pub in the world.’

Overlooking the final two fences and from prices between £600 and £750 guests can enjoy coffee and breakfast nibbles on arrival, a three-course a la carte lunch, afternoon tea and a complimentary bar of house wines, spirits, beers and soft drinks.

Around 45,000 afternoon teas and 45,000 bread rolls are consumed and more than 8,000 gallons of tea and coffee are served at the Festival.

For a panoramic view of the course, with the backdrop of the breath-taking Cleeve Hill, and more fine dining, guests can be catered for by chefs Albert Roux and Michel Roux Jr at the Chez Roux Restaurant, which has a capacity of 520 people.

Prices range from £800 to £1,200 – the most expensive hospitality facility on site – for morning coffee and biscuits, a Champagne reception, Canapes, a four-course menu, afternoon tea, Albert Roux recommended wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks plus a racing tipster.

No stone is left unturned as behind some of the best seats in the house there are more marquees serving food and drink, a shopping village plus a helicopter on show.

The 2020 ‘animal’ is The Park, featuring a Ferris wheel, carousel, bars, street food and live music. The Festival has attracted the likes of DJs Roman Kemp and Marvin Humes this time around.

‘If we’re going to do something different, we make sure it doesn’t interfere with the racing,’ Renton told Sportsmail.

‘Ninety-five per cent of racegoers are here for the racing.’ There are a host of parade ring viewing boxes for those searching for the next winner.

No corners are cut and the attention to detail is second to none. Each year improvements are made and even the slightest of changes, whether it’s the style of furniture or the colour of the carpet, are installed to enhance the Festival experience.

The four-day meeting attracts royalty, sports stars and celebrities as a quarter of a million people flock to Gloucestershire each spring. Racegoers were not deterred this week following the outbreak of coronavirus.

The curtain will fall on the 2020 Cheltenham Festival on Friday evening. The punters will leave in their droves, empty bottles and glasses will remain but the course will have delivered once again.