The Princess Royal has been recognised for her equestrian career

Princess Anne has received a unique honour ahead of Cheltenham Festival next week.

One of the races at the event, formally known as the Amateurs’ Gold Cup, will be renamed after the Princess Royal.

The race will cover the same three-and-a-quarter-mile track as the Cheltenham Gold Cup, featuring 22 fences and a tough uphill climb.

Cheltenham Racecourse CEO Guy Lavender confirmed the new name will be the “Princess Royal Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase”, set to take place on Friday, March 13.

The second-to-last race at the festival will be renamed after Anne

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Mr Lavender said: “The Hunters’ Chase at the festival is a contest which recognises and celebrates the very origins of our great sport.

“We therefore feel it is very appropriate to stage it under the name of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal – an outstanding all-round equestrian who has excelled in a wide range of disciplines.”

The Princess Royal has a very impressive horse-riding career, winning an individual gold at the European Eventing Championships in 1971.

She represented Great Britain at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, becoming the first royal to do so.

Princess Anne is a skilled equestrian having taken part in the 1976 Olympics | PA

Anne placed 24th across the equestrian three-day event with her mother Queen Elizabeth’s horse, Goodwill.

The Princess Royal’s daughter, Zara Tindall, followed in her mother’s footsteps, representing Team GB at the 2012 Olympics and winning a silver medal in equestrian.

Mrs Tindall’s father, Mark Phillips, won a team gold medal in eventing at the 1972 Olympics, followed up by a silver medal in 1988.

Cheltenham Festival is scheduled to take place between March 10 and March 13, with The Princess Royal Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase being the second-to-last race of the four-day event.

Cheltenham Festival is scheduled to take place between March 10 and March 13

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The festival has honoured royals in the past, with the two-mile Champion Chase being renamed the “Queen Mother Champion Chase” in 1980 to celebrate the Queen Mother’s 80th birthday.

The news follows Anne’s daughter, Zara, presenting the winning trophy for “the richest horse race ever held”.

Zara, 44, handed out the award as part of her role as patron of Retraining of Racehorses, a British charity that promotes the welfare of retired horses.

The 44-year-old was spotted posing with the charity’s managing director, David Catlow.

Zara recently presented the winning trophy for ‘the richest horse race ever held’

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Anne’s daughter wore a floral eyelet dress from Australian label Zimmermann.

She accessorised her look with a bag from Aspinall of London, with a representative from the brand telling GB News: “We’re so pleased to see Zara wearing Aspinal, she looked stunning!”

The Mayfair clutch in champagne metallic woven leather is worth £395, enhancing the royal’s appearance.

Completing the outfit, Zara wore a fabulous pomegranate-hued hat and new Hector Lion’s “Large Rose Quartz Earrings”.