Punters can't get within a sniff of Cheltenham this year - but they can still gets its smells courtesy of a limited-edition candle.
Bookmakers Betfair have moved to fill the Festival-sized gap in people's lives this year with the famous national hunt meeting going behind closed doors.
Their candles start with the breakfast of champions - the bacon sarnie. The notes from the candle then run through to a signature pint of creamy stout, before taking you to the main event: a layer with an aroma of saddle leather to signify the horses in the paddock, before revealing the scent of freshly cut grass as the runners head out on to the tracks.
It all climaxes with the final layer being an unforgettable aroma of the races: horse manure!
The layers in full within the candle consist of, a bacon sandwich (pink), stout (white), saddle leather (black), grass (green) and horse manure (brown).
Made from vegan soy wax and with a burn time of 40-50 hours, the candles will keep the smells of Cheltenham coming into their living room for the four days.
People looking to get their hands on one of the 200 Betfair limited edition Smell-tenham Scented Candles available should go to the Betfair website.
11-time Champion National Hunt Trainer, Paul Nicholls, said: “This is brilliant. Obviously, I will be able to attend the Festival this year but for so many racing enthusiasts the annual pilgrimage to the Cotswolds will be sorely missed.
"This candle is a really fun way of reminding fans of the greatest show on turf and what we can all look forward to next year when punters can return.”
Betfair Spokesman, Barry Orr, commented: “Of the five senses, the sense of smell is considered the most important for evoking memories. So, to celebrate this unusual year, we thought we’d have some fun and bring racing fans the chance to experience the smells of the festival in their very own living room.
"Racing broadcasters, ITV, have the four other senses covered, so this candle will complete the quintet beautifully.
