The 2026 Cheltenham Festival will take place between Tuesday 10th March and Friday 13th March and it will see 28 races take place over four sensational days of National Hunt racing at the iconic Prestbury Park raecourse.
Regarded the Olympics of horse racing, the Cheltenham Festival will see the best horses from the UK & Ireland do battle with the likes of the Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup attracting premier equine stars to try and etch their name on illustrious rolls of honour.
This page will provide you with everything you need to know about the Cheltenham Festival, as it will have the latest news, tips, statistics, previews and much more for what is a sparkling week of sport in Gloucestershire.
Latest Cheltenham Festival News
GG Jumps Journal – The Cheltenham Festival Takeaway
For those out of pocket after Cheltenham, this particular takeaway may be a bit rich for your stomach. Joe BloGGs Okay, so not all of my predictions came true last week. However, hindsight is a wonderful thing; so wonderful, in fact, that I’m going to entirely use it for my own purposes and create the…
Wed 19 Mar 2025
2025 Weekend Watch – Cheltenham Festival Special
Whatever the weather, spring arrives in Gloucestershire on the first Tuesday of the Festival. Helicopters clatter in over Cleeve Hill, the first of 200,000 pints of Guinness are sunk and spectators roar off the start of the first race at the Cheltenham Festival 2025. That now traditional roar is an outpouring of a range of emotions from the relief of the racing community that Cheltenham has finally come round again, to the exhilaration of the crowd at the thought of what lies ahead – four days of high drama, effort, and excess that will test both wallets and livers.
The week of Cheltenham races climaxes with the Gold Cup on Friday, while other highlights include Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle, Wednesday’s Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Stayers’ Hurdle on Thursday.
Cheltenham Festival Races 2026
There are 28 races scheduled to be contested during the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. Here is how each day looks at the meeting between Tuesday 10th March and Friday 13th March, 2026.
Day 1: Tuesday 10th March
2026 Cheltenham Festival Day 1 Racecard
| Time | Race | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 1:20 | Supreme Novices’ Hurdle | 2m 87y |
| 2:00 | Arkle Challenge Trophy | 1m 7f 199y |
| 2:40 | Ultima Handicap Chase | 3m 1f |
| 3:20 | Mares’ Hurdle | 2m 3f 200y |
| 4:00 | Champion Hurdle | 2m 87y |
| 4:40 | Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | 2m 87y |
| 5:20 | National Hunt Chase | 3m 5f 201y |
Day 2: Wednesday 11th March – Ladies Day
2026 Cheltenham Festival Day 2 Racecard
| Time | Race | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 1:20 | Turners Novices’ Hurdle | 2m 5f |
| 2:00 | Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase | 3m 110y |
| 2:40 | Coral Cup | 2m 5f |
| 3:20 | Cross Country Chase | 3m 5f 56y |
| 4:00 | Queen Mother Champion Chase | 1m 7f 199y |
| 4:40 | Grand Annual Handicap Chase | 1m 7f 199y |
| 5:20 | Champion Bumper | 2m 87y |
Day 3: Thursday 12th March – St Patrick’s Day
2026 Cheltenham Festival Day 3 Racecard
| Time | Race | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 1:20 | Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle | 2m 3f 168y |
| 2:00 | Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap Chase | 2m 4f |
| 2:40 | Pertemps Final | 2m 7f 213y |
| 3:20 | Ryanair Chase | 2m 4f 127y |
| 4:00 | Stayers’ Hurdle | 2m 7f 213y |
| 4:40 | TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase | 2m 4f 127y |
| 5:20 | Kim Muir Handicap Chase | 3m 2f |
Day 4: Friday 13th March – Cheltenham Gold Cup Day
2026 Cheltenham Festival Day 4 Racecard
| Time | Race | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 1:20 | Triumph Hurdle | 2m 179y |
| 2:00 | County Hurdle | 2m 179y |
| 2:40 | Mares’ Chase | 2m 4f 127y |
| 3:20 | Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle | 2m 7f 213y |
| 4:00 | Cheltenham Gold Cup | 3m 2f 70y |
| 4:40 | Open Hunters’ Chase | 3m 2f 70y |
| 5:20 | Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle | 2m 4f 56y |
Cheltenham Festival 2026 Previews
Read our Cheltenham Festival betting previews, with an in-depth analysis of each contest – providing invaluable guidance on finding the Cheltenham Festival winners. Best of all, our Cheltenham Festival tips are completely free. We have exclusive Cheltenham Festival ante post bets produced by industry experts Dave Young (@Cheltmental on Twitter) and Matty Sutcliffe as well as daily bets and previews to help you maximise your Festival experience.
Cheltenham Ante-Post Book – Brassil Can Land Belated Coral Cup with Dave Young’s Latest Ante-Post Play
We’ve finally had some racing and just as it feels like we’ve turned a corner on that front we have some very big weekends coming up. Cheltenham Trials Day is the feature fixture of the weekend although they do have a weather warning on Friday for strong winds and any amount of rain, but I’m…
Tue 21 Jan 2025
Cheltenham Festival 2026 Videos
We will be providing some must-watch Cheltenham Festival 2026 ante-post tipping videos in the lead-up to the March spectacular, so check out the latest videos below when they go live…
Cheltenham Festival 2026 Statistics
In our statistics sections, you’ll find previous Cheltenham Festival results – we currently detail the winners of every Festival race since 1989, including the horse and jockey plus the starting price. We plan to expand this section in the near future and list all Festival winners dating back to the days of Mill House and Arkle. We also provide statistics for both Cheltenham Festival Jockeys and Trainers, with Rachael Blackmore and Willie Mullins currently heading their respective fields.
Below are some of the key stats and facts regarding the history of the Cheltenham Festival up to 2025:
- Willie Mullins is the most successful trainer in Cheltenham Festival history, sending out 103 winners and counting.
- Mullins also holds the record for most winners for a trainer in a single race – 13 in the Champion Bumper.
- The most wins for a trainer in a Championship contest belong to Nicky Henderson – the master of Seven Barrows has won the Champion Hurdle nine times.
- Ruby Walsh is the most successful Cheltenham Festival jockey with 59 winning rides
- Walsh also holds the record for most winners for a jockey in a single race – eight in the Mares’ Hurdle, including six on the same horse, Quevega.
- The most wins for a jockey in a Championship contest is five – Ruby Walsh in the Stayers’ Hurdle, and Pat Taaffe and Barry Geraghty in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
- The most successful horse in Cheltenham Festival history is Queevga, who won the Mares’ Hurdle six years in a row between 2009-2014.
- In a championship race, no horse has been more successful than Golden Miller, who won five successive Cheltenham Gold Cups between 1932-1936.
- Since 1946, excluding novice races, every contest at the Festival has had a multiple winner except the County Hurdle (the Mares’ Chase is also awaiting a repeat winner, though the race was only founded in 2021).
- Arkle is known to be the shortest-priced winner in Cheltenham Festival history, claiming the 1966 Gold Cup at odds of 1/10.
- In the same race, Norton’s Coin won at 100/1 in 1990 to be the longest-priced winner.
- The first woman to train a winner at the Cheltenham Festival came in 1966 when Snowdra Queen won the United Hunts Challenge Cup for Jackie Brutton.
- The first woman to ride a winner at the Cheltenham Festival came 17 years later in 1983 when Caroline Beesley won the Foxhunters’ Chase on Eliogarty.
- The first Grade 1 wins for female jockeys came in 2019 when Bryony Frost won the Ryanair Chase on Frodon and Rachael Blackmore won the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle on Minella Indo.
Andrew Mount’s Myth Busters: Cheltenham Festival Experience is vital to future Cheltenham Festival success
Last week, Andrew Mount’s Myth Busting column took aim at the theory that Gary Moore’s horses don’t travel well. In the most recent instalment, he starts to look ahead to the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, as some popular misconceptions about previous Festival experience are held to account. With the Dublin Racing Festival coming later this week…
Tue 30 Jan 2024
Cheltenham Festival Trainers in 2026
Irish trainers dominated the Cheltenham Festival yet again 12 months ago and whilst sterner opposition is expected from the home challenge in 2025, the Irish horses will be more fancied than ever before.
That weight of expectation falls on the shoulders of Willie Mullins, the most successful trainer in Cheltenham Festival history with no fewer than 103 winners. After another nine winners saw him finish leading trainer at the 2024 Festival, it is highly likely that the Closutton maestro will be top trainer for the seventh year in a row in 2025.
Opposition from British yards to the Mullins domination has been thin on the ground in recent seasons, but both Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls will be hoping that some of their top chances can oblige in 2025, whilst the likes of Dan Skelton and Ben Pauling could also be seen to success at the Festival.
The main challenge to Mullins should come from his countryman Gordon Elliott, however, who has a number of strong chances in both the Graded races and the Handicaps. Henry De Bromhead has enjoyed incredible Festival form in the past few seasons and will be hoping to continue that success. Read more about the Cheltenham Festival Trainers in our Cheltenham Festival News section.
Top 10 Trainers For 2026 Cheltenham Festival
- Willie Mullins
- Nicky Henderson
- Gordon Elliott
- Henry De Bromhead
- Paul Nicholls
- Dan Skelton
- Gavin Cromwell
- Ben Pauling
- Joseph O’Brien
- Emmet Mullins
Cheltenham Festival Jockeys in 2026
For many years Ruby Walsh, Barry Geraghty and AP McCoy were the go-to names on the Cheltenham Festival racecards, but with that trio now retired there are new names aiming to cement their status as the Festival’s leading rider.
Paul Townend will have the pick of the Willie Mullins chances in 2025 and that makes him a tough man to oppose in terms of the Festival top jockey. However, there are some leading riders looking to down the Irishman and Nico De Boinville will have some star rides for Nicky Henderson including Constitution Hill and Sir Gino, while the likes of Mark Walsh and Harry Skelton will also have a strong book of rides throughout the week.
Top 10 Jockeys For 2026 Cheltenham Festival
- Paul Townend
- Nico De Boinville
- Mark Walsh
- Harry Skelton
- Harry Cobden
- Rachael Blackmore
- Jack Kennedy
- Patrick Mullins
- Sam Ewing
- Sean Bowen
Cheltenham Festival Runners in 2026
The Cheltenham Festival is considered the pinnacle of Jumps racing and therefore the best of the best racehorses around Britain, Ireland and on occasion further afield, descend on Prestbury Park in an attempt to claim a small piece of the action.
Invariably, there is a horse considered to be the ‘Irish banker’ and the success or failure of this can depend upon how Irish punters gauge success at the meeting.
Constitution Hill is arguably the most exciting horse in jumps racing, having bolted up in virtually every race he’s had to date, including the 2023 Champion Hurdle. He’s returned to form this season and is a red-hot favourite for the 2025 Champion Hurdle, while Galopin Des Champs is attempting to emulate the legendary Best Mate by winning three Cheltenham Gold Cups on the bounce and fresh from an Irish Gold Cup win he’s a hot favourite for the blue riband event on the final day.
Cheltenham Festival 2025 Reviews
We review all the Cheltenham races at the Cheltenham Festival for the last few years. Each race page on the site records how the races unfolded and our take on the performances of note. You can read more about each of the four days of Cheltenham on our dedicated Cheltenham Festival daily pages:
Cheltenham Festival Day 1
Cheltenham Festival Day 2
Cheltenham Festival Day 3
Cheltenham Festival Day 4
In making our Cheltenham 2025 selections, we pay special attention to the patterns that have developed over the years, as Cheltenham is such a unique course and the races at the Festival have their own special characteristics. Certainly, history repeats itself here more than at any other meeting and our careful analysis of these trends enables us to whittle down large fields to a few prime contenders.
Cheltenham Festival History
Horse racing has been staged at Cheltenham for over 200 years with the Festival created in 1860 when the National Hunt Chase was first run at Market Harborough and it has since evolved into the behemoth it is today.
Initially a two-day event, the Festival added a third day’s racing in 1923, and in 2005, the Festival expanded to four days – albeit this was limited to six-race cards as opposed to the seven-race cards we are now familiar with. You can read more about the Cheltenham Festival History here.
The Cheltenham Festival was first cancelled in 1916 due to World War I, while in 1924 the first Cheltenham Gold Cup was run with Red Splash winning the race for trainer Fred Withington and jockey Dick Rees. The most successful horse in the history of the Cheltenham Gold Cup is Golden Miller, who won five consecutive Gold Cups between 1932 and 1936. Three years later the first Champion Hurdle was run in 1927 and it was won by Blaris for Bill Payne. Over three decades later in 1959 the Champion Chase was first run and named in honour of the Queen Mother and it’s still today the premier two-mile Championship chase.
Cheltenham Festival Legends
All spectators will be able to recall their favourite Festival race. Perhaps the older ones were there for the epic Gold Cup contests in the 1960s between the incomparable Arkle and Mill House; others will have marvelled at Dawn Run – the only racehorse to have completed the Champion Hurdle – Gold Cup double (in 1984 and 1986 respectively). Many will look back with fondness to the popular grey Desert Orchid’s Gold Cup triumph in 1989 or, more recently, Best Mate’s third Gold Cup in 2004 and Moscow Flyer’s second Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2005, whilst Kauto Star’s triumphant second Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2009 will also rank highly for many.
The Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham is the home of jumps racing and is considered one of the most famous racecourses worldwide. The 350-acre venue, also referred to as Prestbury Park, plays host to a number of meetings throughout the season but the most famous of these by far is the four-day Cheltenham Festival.
The Festival is run on all three of Cheltenham’s courses. The ‘new’ course is, as the name would suggest, the most recent addition. This is used on the first two days of the Festival and is generally considered more of a speed test than the following ‘old’ course. The old course is a demanding test up the Cheltenham Hill and therefore stamina is often at a premium. The final course used is the Cross Country circuit, this unique venue is used for the single race at the Festival – Wednesday’s Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase, although this was postponed in 2024 due to waterlogged areas of the track. For more information visit our Cheltenham Festival Racecourse page.
Cheltenham 2026 Tickets and Enclosures
Finally, for those wanting to join the pilgrimage to the home of National Hunt racing, we have all the information you’ll need to make the most of your visit, including details of Cheltenham Festival tickets, Cheltenham dates 2025, and information on all of the enclosures and Cheltenham Festival hospitality at the racecourse. Tickets are available to buy across all four days of the Festival and for all three Best Mate, Club and Tattersalls enclosures.
2026 Ticket Prices
Tuesday 11th March – Club Enclosure (£112), Tattersalls Enclosure (£85), Best Mate Enclosure (£57)
Wednesday 12th March – Club Enclosure (£112), Tattersalls Enclosure (£85), Best Mate Enclosure (£57)
Thursday 13th March – Club Enclosure (£112), Tattersalls Enclosure (£85), Best Mate Enclosure (£57)
Friday 14th March – Club Enclosure (£131), Tattersalls Enclosure (£94), Best Mate Enclosure (£75)
Cheltenham Festival Hospitality
At the Cheltenham Festival, racegoers can choose from three distinct viewing enclosures: the Best Mate Enclosure, conveniently located next to the grandstand; the Tattersalls Enclosure; and the Club Enclosure, which offers unrestricted access to all public areas. In addition to these options, the festival enhances its hospitality offerings with the Guinness Grandstand, a specially erected area featuring additional viewing steps, bars, and alternative entertainment options.
The festival is a major event, drawing an average daily attendance of over 65,000 and totaling more than a quarter of a million visitors throughout its duration. It’s a gastronomic marathon as well, with attendees consuming approximately 45,000 bread rolls and over 8,000 gallons of tea and coffee each year. The logistical operation extends to local transportation, with Cheltenham Spa train station handling around 134,600 passengers over the four-day event, and 80,000 people taking advantage of the shuttle bus service connecting the racecourse with the town center.
Cheltenham Betting Offers & Deals
Whether you’re wagering on race day 1 or 4, you’ll want to keep an eye on the Cheltenham Festival betting offers that’ll be circulating as the action hots up.
You’ll get the chance to snap up deals and specials on every single one of the 28 races on display, as well as promotions on particular horses for the bigger races of the meeting