Although I’m a big fan of many sports, horse racing isn’t my thing. It never has been. I just can’t get excited about a bunch of brown animals charging down a track. I can’t understand why anyone who doesn’t have money riding on the outcome (no pun intended by the way) would care.

However, the Cheltenham festival is something different. It’s kind of like the Champions League of horse racing, where those horses that have been routinely winning against average opponents finally meet up in one place to determine which one is the best of the best.

Many people who don’t watch much football will still watch the Champions League final. Those who don’t follow athletics will usually be glued to the Olympics. And it’s the same for me and Cheltenham. There’s just something compelling about watching the best competitors in any discipline battle it out to see who is the best overall. Quality just makes for good viewing.

So this year’s festival, which takes place between March 13th and March 15th, is definitely on my sporting calendar, and that of many others as well. I know very little about the sport, as I mentioned, yet I still normally have a bet on the two biggest races, the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup. It does tend to add to the excitement of the event.

You can also get some pretty good offers if you do fancy having a flutter on the festival. Each year the bookmakers sense the opportunity to woo some new customers, and offer a range of Cheltenham free bets and special offers. It’s always worth taking a look at these, as you can either bet with free money, or get bigger winnings or better odds than you might normally expect.

If you’re looking for any specific tips then I’m afraid I’m the wrong person! Although I have won a few times in the past, I can assure you it’s been more by luck than judgement. I normally avoid the favorites in the big races and back something that has slightly better odds, which means that whey my horse does come in, at least I get a nice return on my investment.

So even if you’re not a racing fan, why not take a look at the Cheltenham festival this year and see if this works for you? You might even back a winner!