Performers with painted bodies arrive for the start of the second day of the Cheltenham Horse Racing Festival in Gloucestershire, western England, on March 14. The genteel Georgian town of Cheltenham will become the centre of the universe for jump racing enthusiasts as it plays host to the 2012 National Hunt Festival.

Horses jump during the JLT Specialty Handicap Steeple Chase race on the first day of the Cheltenham Racing Festival in Gloucestershire, western England, on March 13.

Ladies arrive for 'Ladies Day' at the Cheltenham horse racing Festival in Gloucestershire, western England, on March 14, 2012. The genteel Georgian town of Cheltenham will become the centre of the universe for jump racing enthusiasts as it plays host to the 2012 National Hunt Festival.

Horse racing enthusiasts watch a race on Champion Day at the Cheltenham Festival 2012 on March 13, in Cheltenham, England. Tens of thousands of racing enthusiasts are expected at the four-day festival which ends on Friday and is seen by many as the highlight of the jump racing calender.