When it comes to National Hunt racing in the UK, nothing quite beats the Cheltenham Festival. Every year, across four days, thousands of fans descend upon Prestbury Park to watch the very best runners and riders from across the UK and Ireland race for glory in the likes of the Stayers Hurdle and the eponymous Gold Cup.
Whether you’re a long-time racing devotee or if it’s your first time heading to the event, here’s everything you need to know about the Cheltenham Festival.
Where and When
As it has for an astonishing 194 years, the 2025 edition of the Cheltenham Festival will take place at Cheltenham Racecourse at Prestbury Park, Gloucestershire.
🐴 2025 Cheltenham Festival: the changes made and why🐴
Read a full list of the changes made to the Cheltenham Festival plus the reasons behind them 👇#CheltenhamFestival
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 26, 2024
The four days of world-class racing will kick off on Tuesday, March 11th with Champion Day, then draw to a close with Gold Cup Day on Friday 14th March 2025.
Betting at The Cheltenham Festival
What’s that? You want to place a bet at the Cheltenham Festival? We get it, a huge amount of the appeal of attending the event is the opportunity to have a flutter or two. The good news is you don’t need to be a pro punter to get involved.
On-course betting might be the most traditional way to back your runners and riders, but you’ll find there are actually several options on race days themselves and during the build-up to the festival – what’s called ante-post betting.
You might already be familiar with high street bookies if you’re a native Brit, or sports betting apps if you’re reading this across the pond, but did you know that several online casinos also open up betting markets for major events like Cheltenham? As well as playing poker, slots, and a whole lot more, you can often bet on the races, wagering on who you think is most likely to take home the prize.
Certainly, your options will vary from operator to operator, but keep an eye out on your favourite online casino platforms. You can easily check out the horse racing odds at an online casino platform such as Bovada, which caters to a whole range of bettor needs. An online casino can be the perfect place for making a wager, and you’ll bump up the excitement on race day if you’ve got a stake in the game.
In terms of the types of wagers you can make, well, that’s a topic that deserves an article all of its own! Suffice it to say, you can expect to back your favourites to win, each-way and to place. Or, if you fancy yourself as a bit of a Nostradamus, have a go at making forecast and tricast bets!
Day 1 – Champion Day
As is tradition, the festival kicks off with Champion Day. Think of this as the day when you get to have a glimpse of the racing stars of the future.
These potential stars will be running at full force during the Supreme Novices Hurdle. As the opening race of the festival, it’s a real crowd-pleaser – the roars from the packed bandstands as the tape goes up signal that Cheltenham has truly begun!
Day 1’s feature race is the Champion Hurdle, a Grade 1 contest that crowns the season’s best two-mile hurdler. Previous winners like Hurricane Fly, and Buveur d’Air have etched their names into the history books with dominant performances.
This year, it was Willie Mullins’ State Man, ridden by Paul Townend, who took the win, and we’ll all be waiting to see if he can make it two in a row in 2025.
Day 2 – Ladies Day
Now, we’re not saying that the racing takes a back seat or anything, but it’s style that’s served up as the order of the day during Ladies’ Day. Arrived dressed to be seen and snapped; with all those social media influencers around, you might even make it onto a best-dressed list.
Back to the racing, though, and there’s plenty of on-course action for you to enjoy.
Day 2’s main event is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. This lightning-fast two-miler (fittingly) never fails to deliver on the drama front. With 13 fences on the course, speed and precision are needed to take home the trophy.
Mullins’ Energeumene has stood out in recent years here for his unforgettable form, winning back-to-back titles in 2022 and ’23 respectively.
Day 3 – St Patrick’s Thursday
As you may have guessed by the name, Day 3 is all about celebrating Irish culture and heritage. It’s no coincidence, either, that St Paddy’s Day at Cheltenham is often dominated by Irish runners.
The undeniable highlight of the day is the Stayers’ Hurdle. This gruelling test of stamina pits the hardiest of stayers against a three-mile track. This race is the most prestigious long-distance event in the National Hunt calendar, not just the festival itself.
It takes a bulletproof horse indeed to win multiple times here and, so far this century, none have been able to topple Big Buck from his throne. Going down in National Hunt racing history, he snared an impressive four consecutive victories in the Stayers Hurdle from 2009 to 2012.
Day 4 – Gold Cup Day
And, all too quickly, the Cheltenham Festival draws to a close with its spectacular finale. Gold Cup Day is arguably the most important day in the British racing calendar… it’s when racing legends are made!
The centrepiece? Why, the Cheltenham Gold Cup (of course).
From Arkle in the 1960s to modern-day superstars Al Boum Photo and A Plus Tard, this race has defined National Hunt careers. First run in 1924, over the century the Gold Cup has supplied racegoers with unforgettable moment after unforgettable moment.
Who could forget Kauto Star reclaiming the title in 2009? Maybe you even watched as racing history was made in 2022 when Rachael Blackmore smashed the glass ceiling by expertly steering A Plus Tard home to victory.
No surprises, then, that this race is now the most valuable in Britain.
Beyond the prestige, the Gold Cup represents the most gruelling test of the entire festival. Set over three miles and two furlongs, only the most elite all-rounders can meet the
demands of the course.
