Cheltenham Festival 2026

2026 Cheltenham Festival

The Cheltenham Festival is the highlight of the jumps season and the pinnacle of National Hunt racing. Spread over four days, and a total of twenty-eight races, the Cheltenham Festival is the centre stage for the highest quality of horse either side of the Irish sea, and a healthy rivalry between the Irish and British gave birth to the Prestbury Cup, a trophy to the team with the most winners during the week.

Here you will find everything you need for the Cheltenham Festival. Read all racecards for every race across all four days, read out runner by runner previews for all the big races, and place your bets directly by clicking the odds buttons. You’ll also find the latest news and expert tips for the week, all in one place.

Photograph by Grossick Racing Photography

Tuesday 10th March

Tuesday is Champion Hurdle day and arguably the best day of the week. 25-1 outsider Golden Ace won the contest last year. Trained by Jeremy Scott and ridden by Lorcan Williams, the seven-year-old mare finished nine lengths ahead of Burdett Road after Constitution Hill unseated and State Man fell at the last in what was a hugely dramatic race.

The meeting opens with the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, a contest that tends to be a strong guide to future stars. Willie Mullins holds the record for training the most winners of the race, mopping up six of the last 13, taking his total to eight. He again looks likely to hold a strong hand in the race with several horses to choose from.

Races on Champions Day

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
Arkle Novices’ Chase
Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
Ultima Handicap Chase
Champion Hurdle
TrustATrader Festival Plate Handicap
National Hunt Novices’ Chase

For detailed insight and analysis, you can catch our Cheltenham day 1 tips.

Wednesday 11th March

The second day features the Queen Mother Champion Chase, a race that had been dominated by Great Britain up until 2022 with eight of the last nine winners. Marine Nationale was back to his very best with a bloodless 18-length victory from Jonbon in the 2025 edition.

The 2024 renewal of the Cross Country Chase sadly had to be postponed due to inclement weather leaving the course waterlogged. However, Keith Donoghue gained a fifth success in the race aboard Gavin Cromwell’s Stumptown in 2025.

Wednesday kicks off with two novice events  – The Turners Novices’ Hurdle and the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase. Many horses are usually late to declare for the former, with some favouring other Novice Hurdle races throughout the week and this can make it a difficult enough betting heat.

Elsewhere we have one of the trickiest handicaps of the week in the Coral Cup, the oldest race at the festival in the Grand Annual Chase and the Irish-dominated Champion Bumper, a race won 14 times by Willie Mullins who scooped the race in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025.

Races on Festival Wednesday

Turners Novices’ Hurdle
Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
Coral Cup Hurdle
Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase
Champion Chase
Grand Annual Chase
Champion Bumper

For detailed insight and analysis, you can catch our Cheltenham day 2 tips.

Thursday 12th March

Thursday at Cheltenham hosts the exciting, and relatively new race, the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.  The first of the three feature races on the day is the Mares’ Hurdle, followed by the Stayers’ Hurdle and the Ryanair Chase.

The Pertemps Final is one of the most anticipated handicaps of the year. Qualifiers through the season set a number of fascinating plot lines to make it one of the best puzzles of the week for punters.

Races on St Patrick’s Thursday

Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
Jack Richards Novices’ Chase
Mares’ Hurdle
Stayers’ Hurdle
Ryanair Chase
Pertemps Handicap Hurdle
Kim Muir Handicap Chase

For detailed insight and analysis, you can catch our Cheltenham day 3 tips.

Friday 13th March

Friday is the final day of the festival and it’s highlight is the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Gavin Cromwell’s Inothewayurthinkin won the 2025 renewal in style to the surprise of many and he has had a light campaign this season. He should be spot on for the big day.

The Albert Bartlett and Triumph Hurdle are the two novice contests on the card. Both have a reputation as hard races to win and 2026 looks to be no exception with smart youngsters flooding the fields. They are notoriously fiendishly difficult races to predict so be sure to check out our Cheltenham day 4 tips for these two.

Following the Gold Cup is the Hunters’ Chase, one of the biggest betting heats of the entire year and a race that tends to throw up big-priced winners with SPs of 16/1, 25/1, 66/1, 16/1, 66/1 and 28/1 in the last nine renewals.

The festival finishes with a conditional jockeys handicap named in honour of Britain’s most successful jumps trainer, Martin Pipe. The Irish have seen major success here in recent times.

Races on Gold Cup Day

Triumph Hurdle
County Hurdle
Mares’ Chase
Albert Bartlett  Novices’ Hurdle
Gold Cup
St. James’s Place Hunters Chase
Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle

For detailed insight and analysis, you can catch our Cheltenham Day 4 tips.

Photograph by Grossick Racing Photography