Ian Renton takes the reins at Cheltenham racecourse

Tweed jacket? Check. Racing post? Check. Then you're ready for some fast and furious jump racing.

We are just hours away from one of the premier events in the sporting calendar as horses are once again placed under the national spotlight.

With preparations in full swing at Cheltenham racecourse, WEEKEND caught up with Ian Renton who's taking the reins at the event for the very first time.

With 25 years in the racing industry the father-of-two brings a wealth of experience to his role as regional director and is very excited to be taking up the challenge.

"I feel very honoured to be in this position," he said. "It's the best four-day jump racing event in the world.

"People are really drawn in by the atmosphere and it's one of the very few sporting events where you can get so close to the action.

"You do have some people who are in hospitality and they are there because of the nature of the event but the vast majority of people are there for the quality of the racing."

Ian has fond memories of the festival having first attended 40 years ago.

"I remember first coming to the festival in 1973 and I've been several times since.

"It's a great experience and I have been coming for so long as a racegoer.

"It's good to have been able to look at the event from the outside to aid me when looking at it from the inside."

For Ian, racing has always been a passion with family ties to one of the most famous races in the world.

"My grandfather, who is long since dead, used to train jump horses in Yorkshire and he actually trained the winner of the 1950 Grand National," he says.

"So it's very much in my blood and my wife and two children have been dragged to countless racing events. My son is actually come down from Manchester University for the racing this year." 

Ian, previously managing director of Arena Leisure Plc, operating a successful catering division, is not the only new face at the venue, with Lee Moulson joining as racing sales manager and Matthew Foxton-Duffy appointed regional head of marketing for Cheltenham and the south west.

Preparations are very much in the final stages for the event which is set to draw more than 200,000 people once again.

"At the moment there are several hundred people on site preparing," he says.

"The course is in a state of readiness after the harsh winter and it's looking in fantastic shape.

"The organisation of the event is absolutely massive.

"This year it is very much a case of looking and learning.

"There will be a number of small improvements and we want to reduce the influence of ticket touts and the ease of ticket collection which have given the event problems in the past."

So what are Ian's top tips to make the most of the festival?

Arriving early is top of the list.

"The first race is at 1.30pm but the gates are open from 10.30am," he said. "The best advice is to arrive early.

"No matter how hard we try there is always going to be substantial traffic.

"There are plenty of things to keep people entertained so I think it is better to get there early and enjoy those rather than be stuck in traffic jams.

"For me it signals the time of year, that it's the end of winter and it's the first big sporting event and the harbinger of spring."

We couldn't agree more. Get ready to sip Champagne and quaff Guinness. It's not long before they're off!