Cheltenham Festival

Going to the Cheltenham Festival? - Hire a stretched limousine, chauffeur driven cars or people carrier for the day

The Cheltenham Racecourse has a proud history, dating back to 1815, when the meeting was held at Nottingham Hill and the first race in 1818 on Cleeve Hill. In 1830, the Grandstand was burnt to the ground, when the new Grandstand was built in 1831, it was at Prestbury Park, the current location. Steeplechasing which was established nearby, was moved to Cheltenham Racecourse in 1898. Today Cheltenham is to National Hunt, what Wimbledon is to tennis. Now with the number of visitors to the festival exceeding 180,000 over 4 days, there is an increasing demand for the hire of stretched limousines and chauffeur cars for the Cheltenham Festival. ( More information is provided at the end of this article)

The original Tattersalls Grandstand was opened in 1960 to cater for the larger crowds. It was also the home of The Weighing Room, which was situated beneath the Festival Restaurant and had the Winners Enclosure above the Parade Ring. The main Grandstand was finished in 1979 and subsequently extended twice during the 1980’s. In 1982, The Weighing Room and Parade Ring were built behind the stands with a terrace providing viewing for a further 4000 visitors. During the early 1990’s the Pre-Parade Ring was used for the first time and the Hall of Fame entrance was opened. Those interested in the Cheltenham Festivalmake like to know that the Cross Country Course was introduced in 1995. 1997 witnessed the demolition of the original Tattersalls Grandstand, which was replaced with tiered viewing and a restaurant which boast fantastic views around the racecourse.

During the period 2003 and 2004, a further £20m was invested at the Cheltenham Racecourse which included, improvements to the Best Mate Enclosure situated in the centre of the racecourse as well as additional facilities for race days such as a new conference and events centre which can accommodate up to 4000 guests. Then in 2005, the Cheltenham Festival, originally introduced in 1902, was extended to 4 days during which there are 24 races. The racecourse employs 60 full-time staff, which rises to to over 1000 for race meetings and in excess of 5000 for the Cheltenham Festival.

The Cheltenham Festival is the most prestigious meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom and has race prize money during the festival of £3m, making it second only to the Grand National. During the festival, over 180,000 visitors descend on Cheltenham, more than doubling the local population. It is estimated that an average of £1m is bet with course bookies on each of the 24 races. The first Cheltenham Festival meeting took place in 1902 and since then has continued to gain prominence within the racing calendar. The Feature Races include The Champion Hurdle which is run on the Tuesday and is the first showpiece event. This is followed on the Wednesday with the Queen Mother Champion Chase and on Friday with the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Visitors frequently choose to be chauffeured to the Cheltenham Festival in top of the range chauffeur driven cars, such as a Rolls Royce, Bentley Arnage, or Maybach. Plus the tradition of selecting the best stretched limousines available remains strong. Visitors frequently retain their chauffeur cars or limousines for the duration of their visit, with the chauffeur services companies providing open sided marquees, tables and chairs for their guests.

Cars for Stars is an award winning company offering a wide range of chauffeur driven cars and the very latest stretched limousines. The chauffeur cars available for the Cheltenham Festival include the Rolls Royce Phantom, Maybach 62, Bentley Arnage, the all new Jaguar XJ (LWB), latest Mercedes S Class (LWB), Range Rover Vogue as well as Mercedes people carriers. Stretched limousines for hire are available in different shapes and sizes, in white, black, silver, metallic blue, vanilla white and candy apple red.

Cars for Stars is a franchised business, with offices in major locations throughout the UK and, all Cars for Stars businesses are licensed for private hire by the relevant local authority, in London this is the Public Carriage Office (PCO). This means that all Cars for Stars franchisees are registered for private hire, the limousines are licensed as private hire vehicles and the chauffeurs are licensed to drive the cars, people carriers and limousines. The chauffeur cars and limousines do not have a private hire plate attached because of a successful application for exemption.

From the 1st January 2008, all limousine companies, that were not previously licensed to offer limousines for hire or reward, will have to be licensed. As with all licensed limousine hire operators, Cars for Stars is open to regular checks and scrutiny by the local authorities, the chauffeur driven cars and limousines offered for hire are also subjected to stringent and regular checks. All chauffeur’s have to pass a medical and criminal records bureau check before they can be Licensed. Cars for Stars offers a package for the Cheltenham Festival which includes an open sided marquee, tables and chairs.