The Cheltenham Festival is not all about racing - it is also about shopping.

The Tented Village, which is tucked away with all the corporate marquees beyond the paddock, is the sanctuary of many for whom the sport of kings is not nearly as exciting as picking up a new hat.

Jackie Jenson from Solihull is one such person.

Winner

"Me and my husband have been coming to Cheltenham for the last eight years and I have to admit, I don't think I've ever watched more than a handful of races in all that time," she says.

"We have a deal - I can spend the same amount that he bets at the shops here.

"And if he has a winner, I can spend a bit more."

The 50-odd stalls sell a whole array of items - many with a suitably equine theme.

Paintings of past and present champions in action, horseshoe-shaped ear-rings and ties and scarves with jockeys' silks on them are all on sale.

You can even buy a rocking horse.

Stevenson Brothers have been in business for 20 years although this is only their second time at Cheltenham.

They sell hand-made rocking horses, ranging in price from �700 to �4,000.

They do horses to order and limited editions - a series of 10 horses modelled on Istabraq have been snapped up, said Mark Stevenson, who runs the business with his twin brother.

The firm expects to take around 20-30 orders at this Festival.

Market

Like many of the stall holders, Stevenson Brothers were hit by the cancellation of last year's Festival but say that business is back and booming.

"So far business has been good," said Sir Thomas Lethbridge, who runs the Swaine Adeney Brigg outlet in the racecourse's temporary shopping mall.

"It was a bit quiet on the first day but that was a lot to do with the good weather, which keeps people outside," he adds.

Swaine Adeney Brigg is another merchant operating at the luxury end of the market.

There, you can pick up a hand-made leather champagne carrier for �600 - several have already been snapped up this year.

There are also specially restored antique umbrellas at �400 a throw.

Throng

"It sounds awful but what is ideal for us is if it is a fine morning and then starts raining at lunchtime - people are caught unaware and pop along to buy an umbrella," says Lethbridge.

Like most of the stalls, the company does similar things at Burleigh and Badminton and will also be venturing to Cowes week for the first time this year.

But while the Tented Village throngs with happy shoppers, there are many racegoers who never set foot in the place.

"I've come to watch the best chasers and hurdlers in the world in action here," says Tom O'Malley from Dublin.

"Why on earth would I want to go shopping instead of doing that?"