Cheltenham Festival 2027: Gold Cup Odds, Race Schedule and Prestbury Park Tips

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Cheltenham Festival 2027: Four Days at Prestbury Park

The Cheltenham Festival runs from Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 March 2027, dates confirmed by The Jockey Club and the BHA's 2027 fixture list. It is the meeting the jumps season is built around: 28 races in 2026, a prize fund of just over £4.9m, and four championship days that settle the arguments of the winter.

Each day has its headline act. Tuesday is Champion Day, led by the Champion Hurdle. Wednesday brings the Queen Mother Champion Chase, Thursday the Stayers' Hurdle and the Ryanair Chase, and Friday the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, run over about three miles and two and a half furlongs with 22 fences, at 4pm.

The 2026 Festival belonged to Willie Mullins. He trained the winners of the Gold Cup (Gaelic Warrior, his fifth), the Champion Hurdle (Lossiemouth) and the Champion Chase (Il Etait Temps), and Ireland held the Prestbury Cup by 15 winners to 13. Britain's standout moment came from Nicky Henderson's Old Park Star, the 15/8 favourite for the Supreme, while Henry de Bromhead's Heart Wood beat the British favourite Jonbon in the Ryanair.

For the betting public, Cheltenham is the week of the year when bookmakers compete hardest: extra places on the handicaps, non-runner no bet on the ante-post markets and racing refunds that rarely appear in midweek. Knowing which concession suits which race is half the battle.

Course statistics, the layout of the Old and New courses and past results are on our Cheltenham racecourse guide.

Cheltenham Festival Schedule: Feature Races Day by Day

The feature races are shown on the days they were run in 2026. Cheltenham publishes the full 2027 programme, with every race time, closer to the Festival; the Gold Cup's 4pm start on Friday 19 March is already confirmed by The Jockey Club. Prize money for 2027 has not yet been announced, so the 2026 figures are a guide.

Every runner, rider and result goes up on our Cheltenham racecards as soon as the declarations are made.

Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Stayers' Hurdle and Gold Cup: The Championship Races

Four races decide the season's titles, one on each day. They are level-weights Grade 1s, so the best horse usually wins, but the 2026 renewals showed how differently they can play out.

Unibet Champion Hurdle (Tuesday, about 2m)

The two-mile hurdling crown. Lossiemouth won it at 7/5 in 2026, with Brighterdaysahead second and The New Lion third, and the form held up: Brighterdaysahead went on to win the Aintree Hurdle at 13/8 in April, with The New Lion this time second. A year earlier the race was a demolition derby, Golden Ace winning at 25/1 after Constitution Hill and State Man both fell.

Queen Mother Champion Chase (Wednesday, about 2m)

The fastest race of the week over fences, where jumping at speed decides everything. Il Etait Temps won at 5/2 in 2026, but Libberty Hunter, second at 50/1, was the reminder that the place market in a small championship field can pay handsomely.

Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle (Thursday, about 3m)

Stamina over hurdles, and often the most unpredictable of the four. Home By The Lee won at 33/1 for Joseph O'Brien in 2026 at his fifth attempt, beating Ballyburn and Bob Olinger, and then followed up in the Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree at 5/1.

Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (Friday, about 3m 2½f)

The championship of steeplechasing, run over 22 fences on the New Course with the climb to the line that finds out any doubtful stayer. Gaelic Warrior beat Jango Baie by eight lengths in 2026; Jango Baie franked the form by winning the Bowl at Aintree by 16 lengths at evens.

The going matters more here than at almost any other meeting, because the March ground can range from good to heavy within a week. Our guide to the going explains what each description means for a horse's form.

Gold Cup Odds and the Early Festival Market

Gaelic Warrior is the horse to beat in the Gold Cup. He won the 2026 renewal by eight lengths from Jango Baie as the 11/4 joint-favourite, and William Hill's Steve Mullington quoted him at 7/4 to retain his crown on 20 October 2026. At The Races' Gary Nutting makes the case for Jango Baie, who is younger than the champion and kept improving as he stepped up in trip last season.

The Champion Hurdle market is wide open. Lossiemouth won it in 2026 at 7/5, but At The Races picks out Mydaddypaddy, third in the 2026 Supreme Novices' Hurdle and still lightly raced after five career starts. In the two-mile chasing division, William Hill tips Kopek Des Bordes, second at 11/8 in the 2026 Arkle, for the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Old Park Star, the 15/8 favourite who won the 2026 Supreme for Nicky Henderson, is William Hill's pick for the Arkle in his first season over fences.

● Live odds

Today’s racing: best prices

Prices updated 05:58 · Odds can change

1:10Huntingdon 1:20Lingfield (AW) 1:40Huntingdon

PricedUp Boosts And BOG Veterans' Handicap Steeple Chase 2m7f129y · Good · 5 runners

No.	Horse	Best bookmaker price
2	Charles RitzJonathan Burke · Tom George	5/27Bet, bet365 +3
3	SherborneLorcan Williams · Joe Tizzard	3/1BetVictor, bet365 +8
4	OnemorefortheroadJack Quinlan · Neil King	4/1SBK
5	Fern HillCiaran Gethings · Ben Case	5/1SBK
1	Escaria TenFreddie Keighley(5) · Martin Keighley	6/1bet365

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Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Open National Hunt Flat Race 2m · Good · 4 runners

No.	Horse	Best bookmaker price
3	Got To Be RealSean Bowen · Olly Murphy	1/2bet365, LiveScore Bet
1	Bombus PascuorumHarry Brown(7) · Donald McCain	11/4SBK
4	Allez JacquelineGavin Sheehan · Katy Price	14/1bet365
2	EzenliMiss Brodie Hampson · Archie Watson	28/1BetVictor, bet365 +3

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PricedUp Bet Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle Race 2m4f145y · Good · 6 runners

No.	Horse	Best bookmaker price
1	TeorieToby McCain-Mitchell · James Owen	11/8bet365
3	Bread And ButterFreddie Mitchell · Cynthia Woods	7/2Midnite, SBK
2	Ocean HeightsRian Corcoran(3) · David Pipe	9/2SBK
5	WatchoutitscookieIsabelle Ryder · Nigel Hawke	8/1bet365, SBK
4	U Asking MeRobbie David · Daisy Hitchins	9/1bet365
6	Bargain HunterNick Slatter · D. J. Jeffreys	14/1SBK

Full racecard and every runner →

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18+. Prices via The Racing API; check the price on the bet slip before you bet. GambleAware.org

Each table shows the prices as quoted on the date given below; they are not a full market and will move through the winter. Live prices for today's British races appear above.

How to Bet on Cheltenham: Ante-Post, NRNB, Extra Places and BOG

Ante-post and non-runner no bet

An ante-post bet is struck weeks or months before the race, usually at a bigger price than you will see on the day. The catch is that it is all-in, run or not: if your horse misses the Festival through injury or a change of plan, the stake is lost. In the run-up to Cheltenham many bookmakers switch the championship markets to non-runner no bet, which returns your stake if the horse does not run. The prices are usually shorter by then, so the choice is between value and protection. Our ante-post betting guide covers when each approach makes sense.

Each-way terms and extra places on the handicaps

The Festival handicaps attract big fields, which is where each-way betting comes into its own. Under standard terms a handicap with 16 or more runners pays a quarter of the odds for four places; on extra-place promotions some bookmakers go further. Coral publishes Extra Place races every day, usually at a fifth of the odds for four places and rising to five on selected big races. The catch at several firms is that extra-place races fall outside Best Odds Guaranteed, so decide which matters more for the horse you fancy. Our extra places guide sets out the trade-off, our handicaps explained page covers how the weights work, and the each-way calculator shows what each extra place is worth.

Best Odds Guaranteed and Rule 4

Best Odds Guaranteed pays the starting price if it beats the price you took, provided you bet after the bookmaker's start time on race day, typically 8am or 9am. Ante-post bets are generally excluded. When a fancied horse is withdrawn late, winning bets on the rest of the field are cut by a Rule 4 deduction; bet365 waives the first 5p. Festival multiples are popular too: Betfred pays bonuses on Lucky 15s, 31s and 63s, though those bets sit outside its BOG concession. Price up a Lucky 15 across the week on our bet calculator before you commit.

1. Open accounts early. Verification can take time, and you want it done before the Tuesday. Our horse racing betting sites guide compares the main firms.
2. Claim the welcome offer, entering the Promo Code at sign-up if the offer needs one, and note the minimum odds, the expiry and whether racing qualifies.
3. Decide ante-post or on the day. Bet early only when you want the price more than the protection.
4. Read the card properly. Our guide to reading a racecard explains the form figures, ratings and weights you will see on the Festival cards.
5. Check the place terms on each handicap, on the bet slip, before you bet each way.
6. Set a limit for the week, not just for the day. Four days of 28 races is a long time to chase losses. Free, confidential help is available at GambleAware.org.

Gold Cup Winners and Festival Trends

The 2026 championship races

• Willie Mullins has trained five of the last eight Gold Cup winners, and in 2026 he took the Gold Cup, the Champion Hurdle and the Champion Chase.
• Irish-trained horses have won ten of the eleven Gold Cups from 2016 to 2026. Native River, in 2018, is the only British-trained winner in that run.
• Paul Townend has ridden five of those eleven Gold Cup winners.
• Ireland won the Prestbury Cup 15–13 in 2026, retaining the trophy.

Cheltenham Tips: What the Trends Say

Selections can wait for the declarations, but the last two Festivals point to a handful of useful rules.

Respect the Gold Cup favourite

The Gold Cup has been kind to the market. Galopin Des Champs won at 7/5 and 10/11, A Plus Tard at 3/1 and Gaelic Warrior at 11/4 joint-favourite. Only Al Boum Photo's first win, at 12/1, came at a double-figure price in the eleven runnings from 2016 to 2026. Backing against a proven champion has rarely paid.

Expect a shock somewhere

The other championships have been far less predictable. Golden Ace won the 2025 Champion Hurdle at 25/1 after Constitution Hill fell at the fifth and State Man at the last, and Home By The Lee took the 2026 Stayers' Hurdle at 33/1. Libberty Hunter was second at 50/1 in the 2026 Champion Chase. In a race with a short-priced favourite, an each-way bet on a solid outsider has repeatedly been better value than piling into the jolly.

Second-season improvers

Heart Wood finished second to Fact To File in the 2025 Ryanair, then came back to win it at 9/2 in 2026. Jango Baie, second in the 2026 Gold Cup, fits a similar profile. Horses who ran well in defeat at the previous Festival deserve close attention in the same race twelve months on.

Novice form is fragile

The 2026 Arkle was a warning about short prices in novice races: Lulamba, the 11/10 favourite, finished third and Kopek Des Bordes, at 11/8, second, behind 7/1 shot Kargese. Old Park Star's Supreme win at 15/8 shows that the best novices can deliver, but odds-on in a novice chase leaves little margin for a jumping error.

Aintree is the sequel

Festival form is tested again three weeks later. In 2026 Brighterdaysahead, Jango Baie and Home By The Lee all won at Aintree after running well at Cheltenham, while Lulamba, beaten favourite in the Arkle, unseated his rider at odds-on in the Manifesto. A Festival run is a guide, not a guarantee.

How to Watch the Cheltenham Festival

ITV Racing has shown the Festival live on terrestrial television, with STV in Scotland and streaming on ITVX, and ITV's four-year deal with the BHA, running from 2027 to 2030, includes Cheltenham.

Bookmaker apps carry live pictures too, usually for customers with a funded account or a recent bet. QuinnBet, for example, asks for a £1 qualifying bet before it shows live pictures. Check the rules a week before the Festival, not five minutes before the Supreme.

Cheltenham Free Bets: Choosing Festival Bookmakers

For Cheltenham, the welcome offer matters less than what a bookmaker gives you on the Wednesday handicap. The four firms above were chosen for their racing terms; full welcome terms sit alongside each offer.

• bet365: BOG from 8am with no published cap, and Each Way Extra on selected races, although those bets fall outside BOG.
• Coral: daily Extra Place races, five places on selected big races, and Pipped at the Post, an opt-in on selected Racing Club races that pays out if your horse is beaten a neck or less over jumps.
• Betfred: BOG from 8am with no opt-in, plus multiples bonuses for Lucky 15 punters.
• QuinnBet: refunds as free bets when your horse fails to finish, is beaten a head or less, or finishes second to the SP favourite, plus non-runner no bet on the championship races at the Festival.

If you prefer to lay a fancied favourite, our betting exchange guide covers how Festival markets work on the exchanges. The jumps calendar continues three weeks later at Aintree, covered on our Grand National free bets page. Over Christmas, the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day and the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow are early pointers to the Gold Cup and the National.

Cheltenham Festival betting FAQs