Using search volume data, a new study has revealed which English cities are most eagerly anticipating the return of the biggest event in horse racing, the Cheltenham Festival.

York placed fourth in the ranking table, after 1,350 ‘Cheltenham Festival’ related searches were identified from the city within the last month. Given York’s population of 141,671, this means that 1 in 105 York locals have Googled the Gold Cup and more recently.

The findings established that in the last month there have been an average of 110,850 searches related to the Cheltenham Festival across 35 of England’s most populated towns and cities - and that number will certainly grow when the event comes galloping around on Tuesday 12th March.

The research carried out by The Winners Enclosure also honed in on the English towns and cities where searches related to the Cheltenham Festival were the most concentrated.

The city with the highest number of searches was of course London with 41,800. However, with a population of over 10.5 million in the English capital, this meant that only 1 in 253 London residents were searching terms related to the Cheltenham Festival online.

1 | Cheltenham | 120,513 | 8,300 | 1 in 15 | 10

2 | Worcester | 108,237 | 1,670 | 1 in 65 | 9.7

3 | Wigan | 81,557 | 1,050 | 1 in 78 | 9.4

4 | Epsom | 35,852 | 400 | 1 in 90 | 9.1

5 | York | 141,671 | 1,350 | 1 in 105 | 8.8

6 | Bristol | 680,377 | 5,610 | 1 in 121 | 8.5

7 | Doncaster | 160,220 | 1,040 | 1 in 154 | 8.2

8 | Coventry | 388,758 | 2,510 | 1 in 155 | 7.9

9 | Liverpool | 891,211 | 5,540 | 1 in 161 | 7.6

10 | Portsmouth | 223,312 | 910 | 1 in 245 | 7.4

An astonishing 1 in 15 Cheltenham locals cannot wait for the return of the town’s biggest event. In the last month alone, there have been an average of 8,300 very much local searches related to the Cheltenham Festival, from a population of just 120,513.

Worcester ranked second in the findings, with 1 in 65 residents searching terms related to the Cheltenham Festival. Worcester is a popular place to stay with Cheltenham attendees. So much so, that a one night stay in a Worcester hotel can be as much as £100 more expensive during the week of the Cheltenham Festival than on an alternative time of the year.

Despite a solid 116 miles separating Wigan from Cheltenham, the North West town still ranked third when it came to Cheltenham Festival related searches, with 1 in 78 Wigan locals found to be Googling the Gold Cup and more in the last month.

Cities home to other major racecourses were also found to be searching ‘Cheltenham Festival’ more frequently than other destinations. Both Epsom and York ranked in the top five, with 1 in 90 Epsom residents searching up the racing event, compared to 1 in 105 York locals doing the same.

Other Northern locations - and racing hotspots in their own right - Doncaster and Liverpool also featured within the top 10 cities eagerly anticipating the return of the Cheltenham Festival this March.

Alex Beecham, Managing Director at The Winners Enclosure, said “While we know being in the grandstand on Gold Cup day is the place to be, millions across the UK will be looking to replicate the famous Cheltenham roar in their towns and cities across the country.

He continued, “In what always promises to be a major celebratory week in the calendar with the races and St Patrick’s Day, the results show that there are plenty of places around the UK where you can get in on the action. So it’s no surprise that anticipation for Cheltenham starts well in advance.”

For more information about the Cheltenham Festival, please go to: https://www.thewinnersenclosure.com/cheltenham-festival/tips

Nearly one in every hundred York residents cannot wait for the return of the Cheltenham Festival roar