The Cheltenham Festival 2026 Betting Odds, Races & Free Bets
Festival complete. Catch up on the headline races and bookmark for next year.
Four days of championship-grade National Hunt racing at Prestbury Park, the spiritual home of British jumps racing. Twenty-eight races, £8m+ in prize money and the Gold Cup as the centrepiece of jumps racing's year. Cheltenham Festival is the biggest betting week of the British racing calendar — every UK bookmaker runs enhanced odds, money-back specials and extra-place offers across the four days.
Festival Schedule at a Glance
Day-by-day breakdown of the meeting's headline races. Each column is one day of Cheltenham Festival.
How to Bet Cheltenham Festival — Punter Tips
Evergreen strategy notes for the meeting. Hand-curated from years of festival form study.
- Irish-trained horses dominate — Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead between them account for 35-40% of all winners in recent years. Back Irish raiders short-priced in the championship races.
- Watch ground changes through the day — the Festival often gets progressively softer as crowds churn it. A horse who won at heavy at Naas might suit Day 4 more than Day 1.
- Big-field handicaps (Pertemps, Coral Cup, County Hurdle) are where Extra Places offers pay off most — 5 or 6 places at most UK bookies vs the standard 3.
- Stayers (3m+) need genuine staying form on a stiff galloping track — ignore horses with only 2m form trying the trip for the first time.
- The Champion Bumper (Wed) is statistically the hardest race of the week to call — keep stakes small and look for any Mullins-trained newcomer near the top of the market.
- For the Gold Cup specifically: course form is gold. Anyone with a previous Festival win — even at Novice level — has a strong record stepping up to the Blue Riband.
Bookmaker Strategy — What to Use, and When
How to get the best value at Cheltenham Festival — which UK bookies run the strongest BOG, Extra Places, NRNB and money-back offers.
- Best Odds Guaranteed runs from 8am race-day at all UK partner bookmakers — never take SP, always take an early price.
- Non-Runner-No-Bet (NRNB) for ante-post markets opens at most bookies from the weekend before — essential protection against late defections.
- Money-back-if-falls/refuses promotions: Betfred, BetVictor and Paddy Power lead here — refund up to £20 if your horse fails to complete.
- Free bet welcome offers can be timed for the meeting — sign up Mon 9 Mar, use the free bet on a Festival race the same week.
Festival Info — TV, Attendance, Weather & Travel
- TV coverage
- ITV / ITV Racing (every championship race live, free-to-air)
- Peak attendance
- 70,000 on Gold Cup day
- Typical weather & going
- March in the Cotswolds — typically chilly with rain risk. Going can shift from good to soft to heavy across the four days as the ground churns.
- Getting there
- Park-and-ride from Cheltenham Racecourse direct to Prestbury Park. Train to Cheltenham Spa then dedicated shuttle bus.
Headline Races at Cheltenham Festival
The Group 1 / Grade 1 races that define the meeting. Day labels match the official festival schedule.
Why Bet Cheltenham Festival?
- Best Odds Guaranteed across every Festival race at all top UK bookies
- Extra Places on every championship race — typically 5 places instead of 4
- Non-runner free bet protection — guard against ante-post defections
- Money-back specials if your horse falls or refuses (Betfred, BetVictor lead here)
- Festival enhanced odds on every championship runner from Mon 9 Mar onwards
Best Free Bets for Cheltenham Festival
The bookmakers below run dedicated Cheltenham Festival promotions every March — verified live with full T&Cs. Take Best Odds Guaranteed across all UK and Irish racing, claim extra places on the championship races, and bank a welcome free bet to fund the week.
365GMBLR
Compare all 11 UK horse racing bookmakers →
18+ only. Please gamble responsibly. T&Cs apply at each operator. All horse racing bookmakers verified UKGC-licensed. Welcome offers re-checked monthly. Free help and support at GambleAware.org or call 0808 8020 133. Self-exclusion tools at GamStop.
When the fun stops, stop.
The Venue: Cheltenham
The home of British National Hunt racing. Four days, 250,000 spectators, worth £274 million to the local economy. The Gold Cup is the Grade 1 championship of jumps racing — 2026 winner: Gaelic Warrior (Paul Townend / Willie Mullins). Also stages the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and Stayers' Hurdle in the same week.
Full Cheltenham racecourse guide →18+ only. Please gamble responsibly. T&Cs apply at each operator. All horse racing bookmakers verified UKGC-licensed. Welcome offers re-checked monthly. Free help and support at GambleAware.org or call 0808 8020 133. Self-exclusion tools at GamStop.
When the fun stops, stop.