76 Reasons Not to Watch Cheltenham Festival

When horses are forced to race over this deliberately hazardous course at a breakneck pace, they often sustain horrific injuries. They may suffer heart attacks, bleeds from their lungs, or develop painful ulcers and other health problems.

Those who survive will likely be forced to keep racing, and if they don’t eventually die on the track, many are abandoned, neglected, or sold for slaughter when no longer deemed “profitable”.

Since 2000, 76 horses have died during the festival – there were two deaths in 2024 alone. Here are the names of all the victims – 76 compelling reasons why you should never attend, watch, or bet on the Cheltenham Festival:

1. Highland Hunter
2. Ose Partir
3. Malinello
4. Ginto
5. Born Patriot
6. Mindsmadeup
7. Shallwehaveonemore
8. Kings Temptation
9. Copper Gone West
10. Sir Erec
11. Invitation Only
12. Ballyward
13. North Hill Harvey
14. Dresden
15. Some Plan
16. Melrose Boy
17. Sandsend
18. Report To Base
19. Mossback
20. Current Event
21. Hadrian’s Approach
22. Toe The Line
23. Consul De Thaix
24. Long Dog
25. Montdragon
26. Niceonefrankie
27. No More Heroes
28. The Govaness
29. Pont Alexandre
30. Rezorbi
31. Rolling Star
32. Theatre Queen
33. Captain Cutter
34. Raya Star
35. Akdam
36. Stack The Deck
37. Our Conor
38. Matuhi
39. Abergavenny
40. Featherbed Lane
41. Scotsirish
42. Garde Champetre
43. Educated Evans
44. Lush Life
45. Izita Star
46. Fairyland
47. Citizen Vic
48. Casey Jones
49. Clarified
50. Whispered Promises
51. Swift Thyne
52. Little Brick
53. Bayard
54. No Where To Hyde
55. Holy Orders
56. Sh Boom
57. Basilea Star
58. Mr Babbage
59. Millenaire
60. Olaso
61. Buck Whaley
62. Alfred The Great
63. Kalmini
64. Persian Waters
65. Laska De Thaix
66. Great Travel
67. Tardar
68. Atlastaboy
69. Magic Bailiwick
70. Old California
71. Dorans Pride
72. Comex Flyer
73. Valiramix
74. Rouble
75. Tapping Tam
76. Gloria Victis

What You Can Do

Never attend the Cheltenham Festival. Don’t buy into claims that owners love their horses – since they’re putting the health and lives of the animals at risk; it’s clear that what they truly love is money and glory. Don’t line their pockets with it by attending the event or betting on a horse.

Sadly, Cheltenham Festival is one of numerous racing events that take the lives of approximately 200 horses across the UK every year.

Despite growing public awareness of the suffering of horses in the racing industry, some companies continue to endorse this cruel event. Please encourage them to immediately drop their sponsorship.

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