• Cheltenham Festival

Money, drama, risk: How Cheltenham rivals Ronaldo

The Cheltenham Festival will say goodbye to AP McCoy this year - one of the sport's greatest jockeys © PA Photos

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The Cheltenham festival has long been a favourite of footballers and this week's renewal will be vying for attention in the dressing rooms of Premier League teams around the country.

Stars like Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, Liverpool great Michael Owen and manager Sir Alex Ferguson have been among those attracted by the combination of thrilling racing, a great day out, and chance to win money off the bookmakers.

No sightings yet of the likes of Real Madrid's Ronaldo or Lionel Messi of Barcelona in Gloucestershire but, in horse racing terms, this week's action is up there with the level of La Liga's big two. And, in the retiring jump jockey legend AP McCoy, the Cheltenham Festival week has a star whose achievements top even their feats of scoring.

With over 100,000 people expected from Ireland, last year's record 236,472 pints of Guinness drunk is under threat © Getty Images

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The mixture of money, drama, risk, dressing up in shiny suits with very large tie-knots and booze make it the ideal day out for footballers. There was a great picture a few years ago of Peter Crouch, then of Tottenham, with David Bentley and Michael Dawson, cheering on Katie Walsh as she rode a winner on Poker de Sivola. Crouch was clearly on board with her - in the betting sense, not actually on the horse, because the giant striker would surely have injured the poor animal badly.

A picture on the same day showed Lee Cattermole and Titus Bramble, who seemed to have come dressed as a Charles Dickens chimney sweep, counting out their winnings - huge wads of fifty pound notes. Life really has been good to those two. If Titus had been a racehorse, there might well have been a green tent moment after some of those defensive blunders.

The first day of the festival is one to fear for the bookmakers, with a record £250 million set to be gambled - and Tuesday could get punters off to a flying start against the old enemy. There are four favourites with a really strong chance of giving the bookies an early kicking, and all of them come from the mighty team of trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Ruby Walsh.

The first of the team's fancied horses is Douvan at 13/8 in the Supreme Novices' (1.30pm) and the next race is widely expected to go to the wildly exciting Un De Sceaux, who is 4/7 for the Arkle (2.05pm). Give the next race, a tricky handicap a miss, and then cheer on Irish wonder horse Faugheen, who is 11/10 for the Champion Hurdle (3.20pm). The banker bet is Annie Power at 8/13 in the Mares' Hurdle (4pm). Many punters will be looking for Mullins to do the business in all four in an accumulator at 12-1 or thereabouts.

On Wednesday, there's a chance to see top two-mile chasers Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy deliver the duel that we were denied this time last year when Sprinter Sacre picked up an injury. McCoy called this two-mile race "the ultimate buzz and the biggest thrill in racing".

On Friday, many a fan will be hoping that AP can sign off with a big win in the Gold Cup, riding Carlingford Lough. Whatever happens, he will go down as the greatest of all time, and the last race of the meeting has already been renamed the AP McCoy Grand Annual in his honour. With that blend of steely-eyed greed and big-hearted sentimentality that is so typical of horse-racing, there has been a huge gamble on Ned Buntline, the JP McManus-owned horse he will ride in the last.

Whatever happens over the fences and hurdles, there's one record that looks sure to fall. With over 100,000 people expected from Ireland, last year's record 236,472 pints of Guinness drunk is definitely under threat.

The combination of glamour, booze, big money and real physical danger make this one of the sporting events of the year. Harry Redknapp wrote in The Sun the other day: "When the roar goes up as the first race of the Festival gets underway, it is similar to when the teams walk out for an FA Cup final. It makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up."

Very true, although it was something of a change of heart from Harry, who said a couple of years ago: "I don't go to Cheltenham. Too busy. It does my head in. People drunk and disorderly and jumping all over you."

For some, that's part of the fun but, one of the great things about Cheltenham is that all human life is there. Have ten pints of Guinness, back favourites and jump around - or enjoy some of the best, toughest and most intriguing sport on the calendar in the privacy of your own home. Bring it on.

Fashion will dominate the Cheltenham Festival on Ladies Day © Getty Images

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