Bookmakers William Hill say Cheltenham week is expected to have a turnover of up to £650 million.

"This is the most anticipated Cheltenham in modern history with the Gold Cup expected to be the race that stops the nation," said Hill's racing expert Kate Miller.

Four fantastic days of compelling competition in a magnificent setting will set pulses racing in 25 contests.

Hills anticipates that a colossal £165m will be gambled each day during Cheltenham - this equates to a staggering £26m per race.

Hills, will bear the brunt of this betting mania either in one of their 2250 shops nationwide, via their 700,000 telephone customers, or via their website which takes wagers from over 100 countries around the world.

"Kauto Star, Inglis Drever, Noland, and Sizing Europe are our worst results, and it will be tears before bedtime if all four of the hotpots prevail. Cheltenham week can make or break our racing year, this is our Waterloo.'' added Miller.

The Gold Cup is the highlight of the week, featuring two of the best horses for decades in Kauto Star and Denman. Both are trained by Champion Trainer Paul Nicholls and they meet for the first time in the Gold Cup.

Hills call centre in Sheffield is already expecting to beat the record set in last year's Grand National and take over 125,000 calls on Gold Cup day.