Record £4m prize money at Cheltenham Festival 2016

Prize money at the Cheltenham Festival in March will exceed £4m for the first time.

An increase in value to the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup to £575,000 had already been announced and there are also bigger purses on offer in the National Hunt Chase (£100,000), the JLT Novices’ Chase (£130,000) and the Weatherbys Champion Bumper (£70,000).

Nine of the 10 handicaps at the Festival will also be more valuable.