The Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of jump racing – four days, 28 races, and more talking points than any other event on the British sporting calendar. Cheltenham Festival 2026 runs from Tuesday, March 10 to Friday, March 13 at Prestbury Park in Gloucestershire, and with the Gold Cup headlining a stacked final day, the action promises to be exceptional from the very first race.
Whether you're a seasoned horse racing bettor or placing your first wager on the Festival, this guide covers everything you need to know: the full race schedule, what to watch out for, what's new at the racecourse this year, and – crucially – the exclusive offers Duelbits has built for every single race of the Festival.
You can bet on every race across all four days right now at Duelbits Sportsbook.
The Cheltenham Festival is a four-day jump racing meeting held annually at Cheltenham Racecourse, operated by The Jockey Club. It's widely considered the most prestigious National Hunt racing event in the world, drawing over 250,000 attendees across its four days and a global TV audience in the tens of millions.
The Festival's climax is the Cheltenham Gold Cup, a Grade 1 chase over 3 miles and 2 furlongs that has produced some of the sport's most iconic moments. Previous Gold Cup winners include Arkle, Golden Miller, Best Mate, and Kauto Star — names that remain legends of the sport decades after their victories.
For bettors, the Cheltenham Festival is the most important racing week of the year. Markets are deep, ante-post trading is intense, and the sheer volume of competitive racing — from novice hurdles to the Champion Chase — means there are wagering opportunities in every single race.
For full official information on the event, visit The Jockey Club's Cheltenham Festival page.
| Day | Date | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Tuesday, March 10 | Champion Day |
| Day 2 | Wednesday, March 11 | Ladies Day |
| Day 3 | Thursday, March 12 | St Patrick's Thursday |
| Day 4 | Friday, March 13 | Gold Cup Day |
Racing begins at 13:20 GMT each day, with the final race scheduled for 17:20 GMT. That's seven races per day across four days - 28 races in total.
Champion Day sets the tone for the entire Festival. The Supreme Novices' Hurdle opens proceedings as the traditional curtain-raiser, and the Champion Hurdle at 16:00 is one of the most hotly anticipated races of the week.
| Time (GMT) | Race |
|---|---|
| 13:20 | The Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle (2m 1/2f) |
| 14:00 | The Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase (2m) |
| 14:40 | The McCoys Contractors Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (2m 1/2f) |
| 15:20 | The Trustmarque Ultima Handicap Chase (3m 1f) |
| 16:00 | The Unibet Champion Hurdle (2m 1/2f) |
| 16:40 | The Sun Racing Plate (2m 4f) |
| 17:20 | The National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup (3m 6f) |
Ladies Day makes its return to the Festival for the first time since 2019, more on that below. On the track, the Queen Mother Champion Chase at 16:00 is the defining two-mile contest in jump racing.
| Time (GMT) | Race |
|---|---|
| 13:20 | The Turners Novices' Hurdle (2m 5f) |
| 14:00 | The Brown Advisory Novices' Chase (3m 1f) |
| 14:40 | The BetMGM Cup Handicap Hurdle (2m 5f) |
| 15:20 | The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase (3m 5f) |
| 16:00 | The BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (2m) |
| 16:40 | The Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase (2m) |
| 17:20 | The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (2m 1/2f) |
St Patrick's Thursday is traditionally dominated by Irish-trained runners, with enormous support from across the Irish Sea. The Stayers' Hurdle and the Ryanair Chase are two of the most competitive races of the week.
| Time (GMT) | Race |
|---|---|
| 13:20 | The Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle (2m 1f) |
| 14:00 | The Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase (2m 4f) |
| 14:40 | The Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle (2m 4f) |
| 15:20 | The Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle (3m) |
| 16:00 | The Ryanair Chase (2m 4f) |
| 16:40 | The Pertemps Network Final (3m) |
| 17:20 | The Rosconn Group Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase (2m 4f) |
The final day of the Festival is everything horse racing should be. The JCB Triumph Hurdle kicks things off, and four hours later the Gold Cup brings the curtain down on proceedings. Between the two you'll find the County Handicap Hurdle, the Mares' Chase, and the Albert Novices' Hurdle — a day packed with genuine betting heat from start to finish.
| Time (GMT) | Race |
|---|---|
| 13:20 | JCB Triumph Hurdle (2m) |
| 14:00 | William Hill County Handicap Hurdle (2m) |
| 14:40 | Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase (2m 4f) |
| 15:20 | Albert Novices' Hurdle (3m) |
| 16:00 | Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (3m 2f) |
| 16:40 | St James's Place Festival Hunters' Chase (3m 2f) |
| 17:20 | Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle (2m 4f) |
The Gold Cup takes place on Friday, March 13 at 16:00 GMT and is the undisputed centrepiece of the Festival. This year's race carries significant intrigue with Harry Redknapp's Jukebox Man bidding to become the first British-trained winner of the Gold Cup since 2018, a result that would represent a significant shift in the balance of power that has been dominated by Irish yards for years.
The Gold Cup is run over 3 miles and 2 furlongs with 22 fences, and demands a combination of speed, stamina, and jumping accuracy that only the best staying chasers in training can deliver. With markets already deep ahead of the off, it's the race that will define the week from a betting perspective.
Cheltenham Racecourse has made several changes to the Festival experience this year that are worth knowing about:
Duelbits Sportsbook has the full Cheltenham Festival covered, every race, every day. We've built a set of exclusive offers for horse racing betting specifically for the Festival that you won't find anywhere else, both in terms of price and maximum stake.
Have you ever seen two winners paid out in the same race? That's exactly what our Top 2 Payout does, if your selection finishes first or second, you get paid out as a winner. It's our marquee offer for the Festival and it runs on the opening race of each day across all four days. In fields as competitive as Cheltenham's, having that safety net on the first race every morning is a serious edge.
We'll be running Odds Boosts on every single race throughout the Festival. These come in three tiers, Regular, Super, and Mega, and will be refreshed daily. If you've seen how much traction competitor platforms generate with their boosted markets during Cheltenham, our offering goes further: better prices, higher stake limits, and more races covered. Our boosts are designed to be the most competitive on the market this week.
Each morning of the Festival, "Ace" will publish a Daily Double, a two-selection combination chosen for value and conviction. These will be live first thing each day, giving you a curated pick to work with before racing starts at 13:20 GMT. If you want a structured starting point for the day's betting without spending hours in the form guide, Ace's Daily Double is worth following.
Explore all Cheltenham markets and activate your offers at Duelbits Horse Racing.
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Markets for all 28 races are available ahead of the Festival, with live in-play betting available during each race.
