Three major sporting events to watch this March

March is filled with a myriad of sporting events this year. From football to F1, there are a host of exciting tournaments and games to keep you glued to the screen. Below, we discuss three sports meetings you must watch this month.

Cheltenham Festival

The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most important horse racing meetings in the British calendar. Taking place each March over four days, it provides a plethora of top-grade horse races, attracting the best rides, jockeys, and trainers. Of these, the Champion Hurdle, Stayers Hurdle and the Queen Mother Champion Chase are the ones to watch. Yet the Gold Cup is arguably the biggest of them all. Those looking to bet on Cheltenham Festival 2023 will see that the favourite to win the Gold Cup is Galopin Des Champs, priced at 6/4. This is one of the biggest races of the year, so it's sure to be entertaining. With a Â£625,000 first prize, it attracts some serious contenders. Run over three miles and two and a half furlongs, it is a test of endurance, skill, and stamina. It is also steeped in history, first taking place in 1819. It was a flat race up until 1924. Last year was a scoop for trainer Henry De Bromhead, who managed to win it with his horse Minella Times. He also won the Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase - it was a great festival for him indeed.

March Madness

For fans of basketball, March Madness is a must-see event. Organised by the National Collegiate Athletics Association, it is a knockout tournament in which university teams compete to be the victors. It often has several players who will later go on to play in the NBA and get picked up by the draft. The field of 64 teams has recently increased to 68, allowing four wildcard teams into the competition. The lower-seeded teams usually play higher-ranking squads in the early rounds, though it is not unheard of for some of these teams to pull out giant-killing games. The teams are then whittled down to sixteen, eight, a final four and then only two remain. At the time of writing teams are just joining the competition and being announced, so tune in and get the action right from the start.

BNP Paribas Open

Every March, the BNP Paribas Open takes place at Indian Wells in the US. This year, the open is played between the 6th and 19th of the month. Also known as the Indian Wells Open, it is considered one of the most highly regarded and best-attended tournaments outside the Grand Slams. Played on a hard court surface, it is also one of the few tournaments that last beyond eight days. Both Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu will be representing Great Britain in his year's tournament across its courts. There are many other sports to keep you entertained from darts to the culmination of the football season. As winter fades, get your head down and watch some great sports before the summer months arrive.