Hide's Corner: March should be marvellous at Fontwell - and Cheltenham

March is a huge month in the racing calendar, with much of the racing world heading to the Cheltenham Festival, writes Philip Hide.

Any jockey will tell you that winning at the big festivals is a thrill like no other. I arguably had my career highlight at Cheltenham when winning the Sun Alliance Chase in 1995. It’s a distant but cherished memory!

I was riding Brief Gale for Josh Gifford (‘the Guvnor’) and my parents were on hand as guests in the sponsor’s box. To have them cheering me on is a moment I will never forget.

I definitely don’t have the best track record for tipping winners, but if I had to pick any for Cheltenham this year it would be Envoi Allen, Black Op (each way), Paisley Park and Clan des Obeaux. Those would be my four to watch.

At Fontwell we are now looking ahead to spring and hopefully drier conditions after 162mm of rainfall in February led to the abandonment of two fixtures – then we lost another one on Wednesday of this week - but we were thankfully able to stage our biggest prize, the National Spirit Hurdle 11 days ago.

Our main race had a thrilling and tight finish, with 10-year-old William Henry taking the prize. The day also saw top jockey Leighton Aspell’s retirement.

Leighton is a familiar face to Fontwell racegoers and is someone I’ve known for 25 years. He’s ridden more than 900 career winners, 123 at Fontwell – but only the two back-to-back Grand National winners!

That brings me nicely to our big meeting this month. Our St Patrick’s Day fixture is on Saturday, March 14.

The mid-range weather forecast looks drier and I have no doubt it will be a great day.

Nowadays most people want more from their racedays than pure racing. It’s about the entertainment too, and we’ve got a great line-up. We will be setting the tone with an Irish band. There’s a free Guinness on offer with each ticket purchased in advance and a tented Rugby Village for those not wanting to miss the Six Nations action.

It’s also a perfect day for families with free entry for under-18s, and some good competitive racing gets underway at 1.40pm.

Our St Patrick’s Day meeting is always good fun. Advance tickets start at £20 and for those looking to enjoy the day in style, restaurant packages are still available at £79pp including a three-course meal, host and a tipster.

Our last fixture of the month takes place on Friday, March 27 and will be a great afternoon with three chases, three hurdles and a bumper race. The first race at 2.10pm – a great excuse to finish work early!