Today is the day that we will get to hear that famous first day Cheltenham Festival roar (10-13 March).
But what is it like for the people in the thick of the action, away from the crowds and television cameras? To find out, Betway ambassador and three-time Festival winner, Katie Walsh, takes racing broadcaster Nick Luck on a guided tour of the spots the public don’t get to see. From the weighing room to the winners’ enclosure, this is what really goes on behind the scenes for the jockeys competing in the ‘greatest show on turf’.
Katie rode a number of winners during her career as a jockey. She was third in the 2012 Grand National aboard Seabass and won the 2015 Irish National riding Thunder And Roses. She rode three winners at the Cheltenham Festival, the last coming shortly before her retirement in 2018.
“As soon as you see the Cheltenham sign, you start to get a feeling like no other. To be able to walk in those front front doors as a jockey, with your bag over your back and your saddle under your arm, it’s just a great place to be — you feel very lucky,” says Katie, sister of Ruby Walsh.
Talking about walking back into the winners’ enclosure, Katie says: “Those gates open up and you come in, and you feel like you’re on stage. This is it, this is when the roar happens and that is your moment.”
Don’t miss our Cheltenham Festival preview in 5 March issue, and read our full report from the big meeting in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday, 19 March.
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Former web features editor, point-to-point editor and digital racing editor
Gemma is an experienced journalist, who was a member of H&H staff from 2014 to September 2025. She is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at Epsom in August 2018. Gemma’s has reported from numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.
