Cheltenham Festival Betting Tips 2026
The action returns to Prestbury Park, and the best 2026 Cheltenham Festival betting tips are in line. Four days of high-quality thoroughbred horse racing will take place from Tuesday, 10th to Friday, 13th March.
Each afternoon brings several Group races, featuring the best-bred horses, fearless jockeys, and the most experienced trainers. It's a treat for sports lovers, but who will be the big winners of the week?
The online bookmakers offer exciting betting markets and eye-catching odds on every race. You can predict the winner, bet each way or play one of the many specials, including forecast and match-betting. It's all available on your smartphone now. Tune in on Tuesday as the famous "Cheltenham roar" begins a gripping 28-race programme.
- The feature race on Day 4 is the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase, a Grade 1 race.
- Galopin Des Champs is a popular bet in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
- The New Lion is the best bookies' pick to win the Champion Hurdle.
- Understanding the Old Course and New Course is crucial.
- Willie Mullins is the Cheltenham Festival's leading trainer.
- Paul Townend won the Cheltenham Festival top jockey award in 2025.
- 1. Latest Cheltenham Festival Tips
- 2. How Did We Find The Best Cheltenham Festival Betting Tips?
- 3. What Should You Know Before Betting On Cheltenham Festival?
- 4. What Are The Top Betting Options For Cheltenham Week?
- 5. What Are The Latest Cheltenham Gold Cup Odds?
- 6. What Is The Cheltenham Festival 2026 Schedule?
- 7. Is The Cheltenham Festival Betting Worth It?
Latest Cheltenham Festival Tips
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How Did We Find The Best Cheltenham Festival Betting Tips?
We broke down the historical data
Regular readers of our sportsbook reviews and betting articles already know how much we value the stats and trends. The numbers and form are especially important in horse racing, with past results often leading you towards a strong bet.
We focused on recent winners of the biggest races, speed trends, country of origin, stable, jockey, last-time-out results, and season form. We also use age, weight, and any course-and-distance form.
We evaluated the current season form
While reviewing the results from previous years at the Cheltenham Festival, we discovered something the betting traders have known for many years. Certain warm-up races matter more than others.
When picking, prioritise results and performances in the Dublin Racing Festival and Cheltenham Trials. That will give you a list of horses primed to strike in March. Form, fitness, recent results, and appearances at Cheltenham matter most.
We factored in ground and weather impact
Keeping tabs on the Clerk of the Course updates, especially on Monday and Tuesday, will help you stay one step ahead of the weather.
The weather tells us about the expected conditions and the ‘going.’ Some jumps racing runners prefer to compete on soft ground, while others have their best chances on good to firm ground.
We studied trainer and jockey profiles
We touched on the most successful jockeys and trainers earlier in this preview; now, let’s go deeper into the stats.
Siding with a successful stable or a decorated jockey shows you’re trusting a team that knows exactly what it takes to win around Prestbury Park, where the challenges are unique.
Did you know that Willie Mullins has trained over 100 winners at the festival? The top stables always book the best riders, showing how much confidence they have in their horse.
We observed betting odds and markets
Bettors love the Cheltenham Festival for many reasons, including the big price odds at the top 100 bookmakers, and shock results. There’s plenty of value available on the approach to day one and throughout the four days of competitive racing.
The traders working at leading bookmakers don’t always get it right, but they’re rarely far away with their odds. Following price changes shows where the professional money is going, and which runners are attracting attention.
We made our final selections
Only after hours of research, covering the various points raised above, did we publish our Cheltenham race premium tips.
The pillars above ensure you can follow our picks with confidence, knowing they are based on the data, stats, trends, and the latest gambling odds.
What Should You Know Before Betting On Cheltenham Festival?
The Cheltenham Festival is known as 'The Greatest Show On Turf'. Betting during the Cheltenham week is unlike any other horse racing event. Some of the factors to consider when creating picks include:
- Race format and number of runners.
- Available odds at the leading betting apps.
- The left-handed direction of the course.
- Don’t forget the Cheltenham hill and that energy-sapping last few furlongs.
- Differences between the Old Course and the New Course at Prestbury Park.
Does the racecourse affect our Cheltenham Festival betting tips?
Knowing and understanding the course will greatly improve your chances of picking a winner and making a profit during the Cheltenham Festival. The tight Old Course with its sharp corners is best-suited to naturally quick horses. Those bred for explosive speed. You want a runner that’s good enough to find a strong position early and has the fleet of foot to hold off the competition. The New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse is more a test of character than of pace. It favours strong and gritty horses over fast and inexperienced runners. You want stayers who can last the trip but have the fitness to go through the gears as they approach the finish. The term “horses for courses” is very important when betting on the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. It’s no coincidence that previous winners are three times more likely to score again.
Are there any past horse racing stats and trends I can follow?
You now know why we adore the stats and how they helped in deciding our Cheltenham Festival 2026 best tips.
- 30 of the last 34 winners of the Arkle Novices Chase were younger than seven years old.
- In the Champion Hurdle, 11 of the last 17 winners have represented Willie Mullins or Nicky Henderson.
- The Queen Mother Champion Chase shows that 26 of the last 41 winners had previous success at the festival, making them at least two-time winners.
- Each of the last 22 winners of the Champion Bumper arrived on the back of a victory.
- The Mares Hurdle results show 15 of the last 18 winners have been Irish-trained mares.
- Quality matters in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, with all but one of the last 26 champions arriving as experienced Group 1 winners.
What are the jockey and trainer stats I should know?
Following the jockey and trainer stats is one of the factors that can help you make a profit in a single race. We will keep you informed to help you quickly narrow down the field, resulting in a strong and researched selection. It’s good to know:
- Irish trainers have won the Prestbury Cup in each of the last nine years.
- Willie Mullins is the most successful trainer in Champion Bumper history and has a strong record of winning the opening race of the festival.
- Dan Skelton has four County Hurdle winners since 2016.
- Paul Townend has more wins in the Gold Cup than any other rider of the modern era.
Cheltenham Gold Cup Prize Money
Huge financial incentives ensure the Cheltenham Festival always attracts a big audience and the best in the horse racing business. The feature race on Day 4 is the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase, a Grade 1 race. The winner typically banks around 56% of the pot.
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st Place | £351,688 |
| 2nd Place | £132,500 |
| 3rd Place | £66,313 |
| 4th Place | £33,125 |
| 5th Place | £16,625 |
| 6th Place | £8,313 |
| 7th Place | £4,125 |
| 8th Place | £2,125 |
Other Major Grade 1 Purses
| Race | Total Prize |
|---|---|
| Champion Hurdle | £450,000 |
| Queen Mother Champion Chase | £400,000 |
| Ryanair Chase | £375,000 |
| Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle | £325,000 |
| Arkle Novices' Chase | £200,000 |
| Brown Advisory Novices' Chase | £200,000 |
| Supreme Novices' Hurdle | £150,000 |
| JCB Triumph Hurdle | £150,000 |
What Are The Top Betting Options For Cheltenham Week?
Visit any respected online bookmaker, and you’ll see a long list of possible betting markets.
What are the best ways to gamble on a race from the festival, which give you a strong chance of making a profit, and how do they work? Here are our selected sportsbook markets to focus on.
Winner betting
Keep it simple and play the winner betting market. As the name suggests, you must predict which horse will cross the finish line first. If your pick wins, you win. If your pick finishes second or below, the bookie keeps your stake.
Each-way betting
An extremely popular way to gamble on the Cheltenham Festival, especially when want to skip short priced favourites and prioritize backing horses at chunky odds. An each-way bet places half of your total stake on a horse to win, with the other half on it to fill one of the prize places, usually 2nd or 3rd, depending on the number of runners in the starting field.
Forecast and tricast markets
Chasing large wins off a small stake? To win a forecast bet, you must correctly predict which horse will win and which will come second. For a tricast, you’re naming the first three home.
Placepots and festival multiples
Placepots and similar multiples, like Jackpots, require you to choose a horse in most races, usually the first five or six. Your bet wins if you can get through every leg unscathed. The best approach for multiples is usually a mix of early ante-post betting to take advantage of longer odds and waiting for late information closer to race time.
Winning distance and head-2-head
Predict how far a winner will finish ahead of the runner-up. It’s a great bet when you have a strong favourite at short odds. Call the winning distance, usually over or under a certain number of furlongs. If you have two well-matched horses, you can bet on which will perform better in the race.
Special features
The Cheltenham Festival encourages major bookmakers to wheel out a load of special features on several horses and races. The most popular of these are "Enhanced odds", where you get higher odds for selected markets, "Acca boosts" where the accumulator odds are increased by the bookie, "Cashback" for safety when your selection loses, and "Free bets" for engagement and punter retention.
What Are The Latest Cheltenham Gold Cup Odds?
Now, let’s look at the latest betting odds available on the highlight of the week, the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Should you back a favourite or one from further down the list? The main contenders are bunched, and it certainly applies to the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2026 betting.
Cheltenham Gold Cup 2026 Winner Odds
| Horse | Winner Odds | Horse | Winner Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jango Baie | 6.00 | The Jukebox Man | 6.50 |
| Gaelic Warrior | 7.50 | Fact To File | 8.00 |
| Galopin Des Champs | 9.00 | Inothewayurthinkin | 9.00 |
| Haiti Couleurs | 10.00 | Grey Dawning | 17.00 |
| Spillanes Tower | 17.00 | Grangeclare West | 34.00 |
| I Am Maximus | 34.00 | Affordale Fury | 67.00 |
| Envoi Allen | 41.00 | Impaire Et Passe | 41.00 |
| Montys Star | 41.00 | Banbridge | 51.00 |
| Fastorslow | 51.00 | Nick Rockett | 51.00 |
| Firefox | 67.00 | Spindleberry | 67.00 |
| Stellar Story | 81.00 | Heart Wood | 101.00 |
| Lhomme Presse | 101.00 | Lecky Watson | 126.00 |
| Three Card Brag | 126.00 | Handstands | 151.00 |
| Myretown | 151.00 | Resplendent Grey | 151.00 |
| Gold Tweet | 251.00 |
What Is The Cheltenham Festival 2026 Schedule?
We now bring you the schedule for each of the four days of racing from the Cheltenham Festival 2026. You can bookmark this page and return each day for the running order.
Champion Day - Day 1
| Time | Race | Grade | Distance | Total Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13:20 | Supreme Novices' Hurdle | 1 | 2m 87y | £150,000 |
| 14:00 | Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase | 1 | 1m 7f 199y | £200,000 |
| 14:40 | Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Fred Winter) | Premier | 2m 87y | £80,000 |
| 15:20 | Ultima Handicap Chase | Premier | 3m 1f | £150,000 |
| 16:00 | Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy | 1 | 2m 87y | £450,000 |
| 16:40 | Plate Handicap Chase | Premier | 2m 4f 44y | £150,000 |
| 17:20 | National Hunt Challenge Cup | 2 | 3m 5f 201y | £100,000 |
Style Wednesday - Day 2
| Time | Race | Grade | Distance | Total Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13:20 | Turners Novices' Hurdle | 1 | 2m 4f | £150,000 |
| 14:00 | Brown Advisory Novices' Chase | 1 | 3m 80y | £200,000 |
| 14:40 | Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle | Premier | 2m 5f | £100,000 |
| 15:20 | Cross Country Handicap Chase | Listed | 3m 6f 37y | £75,000 |
| 16:00 | Queen Mother Champion Chase | 1 | 1m 7f 199y | £400,000 |
| 16:40 | Grand Annual Handicap Chase | Premier | 1m 7f 199y | £150,000 |
| 17:20 | Champion Bumper | 1 | 2m 87y | £80,000 |
St Patrick’s Thursday - Day 3
| Time | Race | Grade | Distance | Total Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13:20 | Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle | 2 | 2m 179y | £105,000 |
| 14:00 | Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase | 2 | 2m 4f 127y | £125,000 |
| 14:40 | Mares’ Hurdle | 1 | 2m 4f 56y | £120,000 |
| 15:20 | Stayers’ Hurdle | 1 | 2m 7f 213y | £325,000 |
| 16:00 | Ryanair Chase | 1 | 2m 4f 127y | £375,000 |
| 16:40 | Pertemps Network Final Handicap | Premier | 2m 7f 113y | £100,000 |
| 17:20 | Kim Muir Amateur Jockeys’ Chase | Class 2 | 3m 2f | £75,000 |
Gold Cup Day - Day 4
| Time | Race | Grade | Distance | Total Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13:20 | Triumph Hurdle | 1 | 2m 179y | £150,000 |
| 14:00 | County Handicap Hurdle | Premier | 2m 179y | £100,000 |
| 14:40 | Mares’ Chase | 2 | 2m 4f 127y | £120,000 |
| 15:20 | Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle | 1 | 2m 7f 213y | £150,000 |
| 16:00 | Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup | 1 | 3m 2f 70y | £625,000 |
| 16:40 | Festival Challenge Cup Hunters’ Chase | Class 2 | 3m 2f 70y | £50,000 |
| 17:20 | Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle | Class 2 | 2m 4f 56y | £75,000 |
Is The Cheltenham Festival Betting Worth It?
This year's event promises to be another spectacular event and a great advert for UK and Irish horse racing. On the Cheltenham Festival betting tips page, we told you why backing Willie Mullins for top trainer is a smart idea.
That information will also help you find winners in the week's most important races. Our best bets are suitable for both single bets and accumulators. We also explained what makes Galopin Des Champs a strong option in the Gold Cup, and The New Lion in the Champion Hurdle.
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the highlights of the UK horse racing bet calendar, and it always attracts a global audience. The power is now in your hands to analyse the horses, the festival form, and the races, pick out the best stats, and place well-informed bets.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Cheltenham Festival is the biggest event of National Hunt (hurdle) racing, featuring 28 races over four days. It takes place annually over four days. You can expect the unexpected, as even the best horses can be beaten.
Setting a strict budget before the Cheltenham Festival is crucial to avoid irrational betting. Each-way betting provides safety and allows you to profit if your horse runs a place, given the large fields at Cheltenham. Ante-post betting allows you to place a bet on a race well in advance.
The Old Course favours speed and tactics. Strength and stamina are essential for horses running the Cheltenham due to the uphill finish of the New Course. The first two days of the Cheltenham Festival use the Old Course, while the New Course is used for the final two days.
Since 2004, 28 out of 58 odds-on favorites have lost at the Cheltenham Festival. Some Irish trainers, notably Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliot, have dominated recent Cheltenham Festivals. Jockeys such as Paul Townend, Davy Russell, and Nico de Boinville have recorded several wins. It is a significant event for trainers and jockeys, with many aiming to achieve success at this prestigious meeting.
Both have their merits. The earlier you bet, the higher the odds available. The later you bet, the less risk is tied to non-runners and the ground conditions. Market movements at the Cheltenham Festival are stronger than at most other meetings, so it's important to grab odds early.
It’s best to wait until both are available. Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) means you’ll always get the highest price available on your pick. Non-Runner No Bet means your stake is refunded if your pick doesn’t run in the race. Multiples, including doubles, trebles and accumulators, are extremely popular bets.
It's one of the biggest events of the year for bookmakers, and they often give free bets, bet credits, enhanced odds, cashback and extra places each way to both existing and new customers during the Cheltenham Festival. New UK customers can also claim welcome bonuses with their first qualifying deposit at most bookmakers.
