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Cheltenham 2025 Tips, Odds and News

The Cheltenham Festival is the most famous meeting in all of National Hunt racing. For four days in the middle week of March, the best hurdlers and chasers from all corners of the globe travel to Cheltenham racecourse in Gloucestershire, England, with the dream of becoming a Cheltenham Festival winner.

We'll have every race covered with in-depth Cheltenham Festival tips, through the card selections for each of the four days, and information about the best free bets and offers you can use during "the greatest show on turf".

Cheltenham Festival Dates

The 2026 Cheltenham Festival will kick off with Champions' Day on Tuesday 10th March. Ladies Day follows, before St Patrick's Day Thursday. The fourth and final afternoon at the Cheltenham Festival is Gold Cup day, which will take place on Friday 13th March, 2026.

Cheltenham Festival Day OneTuesday 10th March
Cheltenham Festival Day TwoWednesday 11th March
Cheltenham Festival Day ThreeThursday 12th March
Cheltenham Festival Day FourFriday 13th March

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2025 Cheltenham Festival Day One

Cheltenham Day 1 Card

TimeTuesday RacesStatusDistance
13:20Supreme Novices' HurdleGrade One2m
14:00Arkle Challenge TrophyGrade One2m
14:40Ultima Handicap ChaseGrade Three Handicap3m
15:20Mares' HurdleGrade One2m 4f
16:00Champion HurdleGrade One2m
16:40Boodles Juvenile Handicap HurdleGrade Three Handicap2m
17:20National Hunt ChaseGrade Two Handicap3m 6f

2025 Cheltenham Festival Day Two

Cheltenham Day 2 Card

TimeWednesday RacesStatusDistance
13:20Turners Novices' HurdleGrade One2m 5f
14:00Brown Advisory Novices' ChaseGrade One3m
14:40Coral Cup
Grade Three Handicap
2m 5f
15:20Cross Country ChaseClass Two Handicap3m 6f
16:00Champion ChaseGrade One2m
16:40Grand Annual ChaseGrade Three Handicap2m
17:20Champion BumperGrade One2m

2025 Cheltenham Festival Day Three

Cheltenham Day 3 Card

TimeThursday RacesStatusDistance
13:20Mares Novices' HurdleGrade Two2m 1f
14:00Jack Richards Novices' Handicap ChaseGrade Two Handicap2m 4f
14:40Pertemps FinalListed Handicap3m
15:20Ryanair ChaseGrade One2m 4f
16:00Stayers' HurdleGrade One3m
16:40Paddy Power PlateGrade Three Handicap2m 4f
17:20Kim Muir Challenge CupClass Two Handicap3m 2f

2025 Cheltenham Festival Day Four

Cheltenham Day 4 Card

TimeFriday Races (Day 4)StatusDistance
13:20Triumph HurdleGrade One2m
14:00County HurdleGrade Three Handicap2m
14:40Mares' ChaseGrade Two2m 4f
15:20Albert Bartlett Novices' HurdleGrade One3m
16:00Cheltenham Gold CupGrade One3m 2f
16:40St James's Place Hunter Chase
Class Two
3m 2f
17:20Martin Pipe Handicap HurdleClass Two Handicap2m 4f

Cheltenham 2025 Preview


The eyes of the sporting world will be fixed firmly on Gloucestershire during the middle week of March, as the sport's finest National Hunt horses take part in the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.

28 fantastic races will take place during this four-day event, which begins on Tuesday 11th March. Each card is headlined by a Grade One Championship race, which is surrounded by Grade Ones and top handicaps. Races like the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and the Stayers' Hurdle take place earlier in the week, with the Cheltenham Gold Cup headlining the fourth and final day at Jumps Racing HQ.

Constitution Hill makes his triumphant return to the Cheltenham Festival to try and win back his Champion Hurdle crown, but will face stiff competition from top mares Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth. Kopek Des Bordes and Majborough will carry short prices into the Supreme and the Arkle. Day one attendees will also enjoy the Mares' Hurdle, along with the Ultima, the Fred Winter and the National Hunt Chase.

Jonbon will look to put his Cheltenham Festival hoodoo behind him as he takes on the best that Willie Mullins has to offer in the feature on day two. Ballyburn will bid for his second Cheltenham win in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase. Wednesday's viewers will also enjoy the Grade One Turners Novices' Hurdle, the Champion Bumper and a couple of interesting handicaps.

Gordon Elliott's Teahupoo ran out an excellent winner of the Stayers' Hurdle in 2024 and he's a short price to make it two Cheltenham Festival wins in a row this year. The Mares' Novices' Hurdle will now open the action on day three. Racing fans will then enjoy a trio of handicaps over fences, the Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle and a wide-open renewal of the Ryanair Chase.

Galopin Des Champs has run out an impressive winner of the Gold Cup the last two years and Willie Mullins' star could establish himself as an all-time great if he can complete a famous hat-trick in 2025. Nicky Henderson's Lulamba is fancied to win the card-opening Triumph Hurdle. Friday's attendees will also take in the Albert Bartlett, the Mares' Chase, the Hunter Chase and two lucrative handicap hurdles.

Cheltenham Festival History

In 1860, a new jumps meeting called the Grand National Hunt Meeting took place at Market Harborough. Over the next 40 years, this Festival was moved between different locations around the country. 

In 1910, improvements were made to Prestbury Park racecourse in Gloucestershire. The meeting was staged in Cheltenham for the fifth time, and organisers decided it would remain at Prestbury Park for the foreseeable future.

Thus, the Cheltenham Festival was born and it quickly become one of the most popular sporting events in Britain. 

The oldest Championship race at the Cheltenham Festival is the Stayers’ Hurdle, which was created in 1912. The Cheltenham Gold Cup was initially a lead-up race to the County Hurdle, which was the feature race on day four. In 1924, the Gold Cup was promoted to Grade One status and soon transformed into the most important race of the week.

Three years later, the Champion Hurdle was introduced to the Cheltenham Festival. It wasn’t until 1957 that the Champion Chase was added to the schedule.

For much of its existence, the Cheltenham Festival was a three-day event, kicking off on Wednesday before culminating on the Friday. In 2005, organisers added a fourth day to the schedule. Although there has been talk of adding a fifth day in recent years, the Cheltenham Festival remains a four-day meeting, each featuring a seven-strong racecard.

In 1943 and 1944, the Cheltenham Festival was cancelled due to World War II. In 2001, the national foot-and-mouth disease crisis saw the meeting cancelled for the first time since 1944.

All of National Hunt racing’s most famous names have won during the Cheltenham Festival. The leading trainer is Willie Mullins, who leapt to the head of a list which includes Nicky Henderson, Paul Nicholls and Martin Pipe when he claimed the Top Trainer prize for the sixth time in 2019.

Ruby Walsh is the most successful jockey in the history of the Cheltenham Festival, having won at the meeting on 32 occasions during his illustrious career. AP McCoy sits second on the list, ahead of Barry Geraghty, and Richard Johnson.

Willie Mullins’ Quevega holds the record for most wins by a horse at the Cheltenham Festival, having won the Mares’ Hurdle for six years in succession between 2009 and 2014.

The previous record was held by Golden Miller, who had won the Gold Cup five years in a row in the 1930s. Two-time Grand National winner, Tiger Roll has won four Cheltenham Festival races during his career so far, securing wins in the Triumph Hurdle, the National Hunt Chase and two victories in the Cross Country Chase.

At the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, a Grade Two Mares’ Chase will be introduced to the day two schedule. There’s currently been no confirmation as to which race will be taken out, but it’s thought that the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle will be the one to make way for this feature chase for mares.

2025 Cheltenham Festival FAQs

When is the 2026 Cheltenham Festival?

The 2026 Cheltenham Festival will start on Tuesday 10th March, and end on Friday 13th March.

What races are run during the Cheltenham Festival?

There will be 28 races run during the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, the most prestigious of which being the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Other notable races include the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Stayers' Hurdle.

Who won the Gold Cup?

In 2025, Galopin Des Champs was beaten in the Gold Cup, as Gavin Cromwell and Mark Walsh celebrated a first victory in the race with Inothewayurthinkin.

Where can I watch the Cheltenham Festival?

The first five races on all four days will be shown live on ITV Racing. You can watch every race live on RacingTV. Visit our Live Streaming page if you want to watch the action via you mobile or laptop.