Cheltenham Festival

The Cheltenham Festival is National Hunt racing’s biggest festival, featuring elite chasers and hurdlers from Great Britain and Ireland competing in championship races.

The festival’s top steeplechases include the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Ryanair Chase, and Arkle Chase. Over hurdles, the Champion Hurdle is the season’s premier race, with other primary contests including the Stayers’ Hurdle and Triumph Hurdle.

Find out more about the Cheltenham Festival:

Cheltenham Festival History and Famous Winners

The Cheltenham Festival began as the Grand National Hunt Festival in 1860, originally staged at Market Harborough before moving to Warwick. Prestbury Park became its permanent home in 1911.

The Stayers’ Hurdle, first run in 1912, is the longest-running championship race at the festival.

The festival’s winners include some of jump racing’s greatest champions. Five horses have won the Champion Hurdle three times: Hatton’s Grace, Sir Ken, Persian War, See You Then, and Istabraq.

Golden Miller dominated the Cheltenham Gold Cup, winning five consecutive titles from 1932 to 1936. Other multiple Gold Cup winners include Arkle (1964-1966) and Best Mate (2002-2004).

Festival legends also include Big Buck’s, a four-time Stayers’ Hurdle champion (2009-2012), Badsworth Boy, a three-time Queen Mother Champion Chase winner (1983-1985), and Quevega, who won the Mares’ Hurdle six times (2009-2014).

Cheltenham Festival Day 1

Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival 2027 takes place on Tuesday, March 10. The festival opens with the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, marked by the famous “Cheltenham Roar” as Britain and Ireland begin their battle for the Prestbury Cup. Notable past winners of this race include Golden Cygnet (1978), Vautour (2014), and Altior (2016).

The Grade 1 Arkle Trophy is a key race for future Champion Chasers. Horses to have won both races at Cheltenham include Flyingbolt (1965), Moscow Flyer (2002), Sprinter Sacre (2012), and Altior (2017).

The Champion Hurdle is the highlight of Day 1, contested over two miles. Owner JP McManus and trainer Nicky Henderson have dominated this race in recent years, with Epatante’s 2020 victory bringing their totals to nine and eight wins, respectively. Henderson trained See You Then to a hat-trick of wins (1985-1987), while McManus is forever linked with Istabraq, who won three times (1998-2000).

Explore our comprehensive guide to Cheltenham Festival Day 1 racing for more insights and expert analysis.

Cheltenham Festival Day 2

Day 2 of the Cheltenham Festival 2027 takes place on Wednesday, March 11. The day opens with the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, a two-mile-five-furlong race for rising stars. Past winners include Istabraq (1997), Hardy Eustace (2003), Simonsig (2012), Faugheen (2014), and Envoi Allen (2020).

The RSA Chase is the top championship race for three-mile novice chasers and a key Gold Cup trial. Notable winners include Arkle (1963), Garrison Savannah (1990), Denman (2007), and Bob’s Worth (2012). The 2020 race saw Champ produce a stunning late surge to defeat Minella Indo and Allaho.

The feature race of Day 2 is the Queen Mother Champion Chase, contested over two miles. Badsworth Boy remains the only three-time winner (1983-1985), while other champions include Master Minded (2008, 2009), Sprinter Sacre (2013, 2016), and Altior (2018, 2019).

Explore our Cheltenham Festival Day 2 guide for expert race previews and betting insights.

Cheltenham Festival Day 3

Day 3 of the Cheltenham Festival 2027 takes place on Thursday, March 12. The Golden Miller Novices’ Chase opens the action over two and a half miles. This race, first run in 2011, has produced top-class chasers such as Sir Des Champs (2012), Vautour (2015), and Defi Du Seuil (2019).

The Ryanair Chase has been a premier championship race for two-and-a-half-mile specialists since 2005. Albertas Run (2010, 2011) was the first dual winner, while Willie Mullins has dominated recent renewals with Vautour (2016), Un de Sceaux (2017), and Min (2020).

The Stayers’ Hurdle, the leading long-distance hurdle race, was dominated by Big Buck’s, who won four consecutive titles (2009-2012). Other multiple winners include Inglis Drever (2005, 2007, 2008) and Baracouda (2002, 2003). The 2020 race produced a shock result, with 50-1 outsider Lisnagar Oscar defeating hot favourite Paisley Park.

Read our Cheltenham Festival Day 3 guide for race analysis and predictions.

Cheltenham Festival Day 4

Day 4 of the Cheltenham Festival 2027 takes place on Friday, March 13. The final day begins with the Triumph Hurdle, the championship race for juvenile hurdlers. Katchit (2007) was the last horse to win both this race and the Champion Hurdle. Tiger Roll (2014) won here before going on to claim Grand National victories in 2018 and 2019.

The festival concludes with the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the blue riband of steeplechasing, run over an extended three-and-a-quarter miles. Legendary winners include Golden Miller, who secured an unmatched five consecutive victories (1932-1936), and Arkle, widely regarded as the greatest steeplechaser of all time, who won three times (1964-1966).

Some of the most dramatic Gold Cup moments include the emotional victories of Dawn Run (1986) and Desert Orchid (1989). More recently, Al Boum Photo won back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020, attempting to match Best Mate’s three wins (2002-2004).

Discover our Cheltenham Festival Day 4 guide for a full breakdown of the final day’s racing.

Cheltenham Festival Tickets – How to Buy Official Tickets

Cheltenham Festival tickets are available through official sources, including The Jockey Club. To guarantee authenticity and secure the best prices, only purchase tickets from approved sellers.

Follow our link for official Cheltenham Festival tickets and secure your place at Prestbury Park for one of the most significant events in National Hunt racing.

Betting on Cheltenham Festival 2027

The Cheltenham Festival is the biggest betting event in UK horse racing, with punters wagering an estimated £600 million over the four-day meeting.

Held every March at Cheltenham Racecourse, the festival features eight of the top ten betting races annually, rivalled only by the Grand National and Epsom Derby.

Cheltenham Festival Betting Markets & Offers

Ante-post odds are available year-round on major races, including the Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Stayers’ Hurdle, and Champion Chase. In the weeks leading up to the festival, bookmakers introduce Non-Runner No Bet (NRNB) terms, enhanced place terms, and best odds guaranteed (BOG) promotions.

The Cheltenham Festival is also an ideal time to open new betting accounts, with top bookmakers offering exclusive sign-up bonuses and boosted odds. Check out our recommended betting offers and promotions for Cheltenham Festival 2025, covering races from the Cross Country Chase to the Gold Cup.

Best Trainers and Jockeys at the Cheltenham Festival

Willie Mullins is the most successful trainer in Cheltenham Festival history, securing multiple Champion Trainer titles, including a dominant display in 2020 when he won the first four races on Gold Cup day. Other leading trainers include Gordon Elliott (Champion Trainer in 2017 and 2018) and Nicky Henderson (2012), both of whom have regularly challenged Mullins’ dominance.

Paul Townend has emerged as a top jockey at the festival, winning the Ruby Walsh Trophy in 2020 after securing five victories, equalling Barry Geraghty’s total for the week.

The trophy is named after Ruby Walsh, the most successful Cheltenham Festival jockey in history, who won 59 races and claimed the top jockey title 11 times. His record of seven winners in a single festival (2009 and 2016) remains unmatched.

Summary of the Cheltenham Festival 2027

The Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of National Hunt racing, delivering four days of world-class jump racing at Cheltenham Racecourse. From the moment one festival ends, the countdown to the next begins, with top horses earning ante-post quotes throughout the season.

The Prestbury Cup rivalry between Britain and Ireland adds extra intensity to the festival, where champions compete for record prize money. Legendary winners include Arkle, Istabraq, Desert Orchid, and Best Mate, with new stars aiming to join the ranks of racing history.

Set against the stunning backdrop of Cheltenham Racecourse, the festival remains the most prestigious event in the National Hunt calendar. Cheltenham Festival 2025 is unmissable for all jump racing fans.

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