County Hurdle tips, free bets & extra places

The most anticipated week of racing in the jumping calendar, the Cheltenham Festival, is already halfway through and there are two more days full of stars left to go. The final day of the festival is on Friday and the second race is the County Hurdle, an ultra-competitive handicap for two-mile hurdlers.

We’ve found the top Cheltenham free bets available from the bookmakers to get your festival week off to the best possible start and selected the three horses with leading chances of landing the spoils in the County Hurdle.

Check out how many Cheltenham free bet tokens you can collect to spend at this superb fixture. The more betting accounts you sign up for increases the number of free bets received, with over £200 up for grabs - plenty for you to have a go at and use in every race of the Cheltenham Festival for free.

The best County Hurdle free bets

Paddy Power Cheltenham free bets

Get up to £50 in free sports bets for the County Hurdle

Place a single £10 Sportsbook bet and get money back as a free bet if it loses. There are x 5 free bets available. Maximum refund per qualifying bet is £10. Only deposits made via cards will be eligible for the promotion (Apple Pay excluded). T&Cs apply

William Hill Cheltenham free bets

Bet £10 on the County Hurdle get £30 in free bets

Play safe. From 00:01 on 13.04.2022. £30 bonus. New customers only. Minimum £10 stake on odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater on the sportsbook. Further terms apply. 18+.

Coral Cheltenham free bets

Get a £20 free bet when you place a £5 bet on the County Hurdle

18+. New UK & ROI customers only. Minimum deposit £5. Minimum first £5 bet at minimum odds of 1/2 to qualify for 1 x £20 free bet. Certain deposit methods and bet types are excluded. Free bet valid for seven days. Stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply.

Sky Bet Cheltenham free bets

Get £40 in free bets when you place a £10 bet on the County Hurdle

New customers only. First single & e/w bet only. £10 minimum stake. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 4 x £10 horse racing bet token. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets for horse racing only. Free bets are non withdrawable. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions and further t&cs apply. 18+. Begambleaware.org.

Betfair Cheltenham free bets

Place a £10 bet on the County Hurdle and get £30 in free bets

Place a minimum £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of minimum 1/2 (1.5) and get £30 in free bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards or Apple Pay will qualify. T&Cs apply.

bet365 Cheltenham free bets

Place a £10 bet on the County Hurdle and get £30 in free bets for new customers at bet365

Minimum deposit requirement. Free bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Minimum odds, bet, and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.

Ladbrokes Cheltenham free bets

Bet £5 on the County Hurdle and get £20 in free bets

18+. New UK+IRE customers only. Certain deposit methods and bet types are excluded. Minimum first £5 bet within 14 days of an account registration at minimum odds of 1/2 to get 4 x £5 free bets. Free bets are available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets are valid for seven days, and the stake is not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply.

Tote Cheltenham free bets

Bet £5 on the County Hurdle and get £20 in free bets

New customers online only. Place your first bet on racing pools for a minimum of £5 and win or lose you will receive £20 Tote Credit. £20 Tote Credit rewarded as £10 redeemable against racing bets only and £10 redeemable against UK and Irish Placepot bets only. Tote Credit cannot be withdrawn, exchanged or substituted and expires after 7 days. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the betslip. Ten to Follow, virtual and football bets do not qualify. Totewin will be the qualifying bet when a Totewin and a Toteplace bet are struck at the same time. UK & ROI customers only. 18+.  Full T&Cs apply.

Unibet Cheltenham free bets

Get money back as a bonus up to £40 if your first bet on the County Hurdle loses

Plus £10 Casino Bonus. New customers only. Min Dep £10. Debit cards only. Opt in for bonus funds. Wagering, sportsbook 3x at min. odds of 1.40 (2/5), casino 50x. Sports bonus must be wagered before using the casino bonus. Valid for 7 days. Geographical Restrictions and T&Cs Apply.18+. BeGambleAware.org.

How to claim your County Hurdle offers

Our favourite bookmaker welcome bonuses are displayed above and with Cheltenham about to kick off, now is the perfect time to take advantage of their generous sign-up offers.

You can sign up by using your mobile or desktop computer, so why not follow the simple step-by-step registration details below and collect your free bets.

1. Select a bookmaker betting offer from the above list and click its link to begin. The process is the same for any apps covered on this page.
2. Complete the registration form, adding all the necessary information to register your account.
3. A few betting apps require you to enter a unique promo code when joining. If this is the case, the code will be supplied during registration.
4. Deposit funds to your betting account using an accepted method, such as a debit card, and place a qualifying sportsbook bet. Look out for minimum odds.
5. When the qualifying bet results, the free bet tokens will be automatically added to your account balance and can be used.

How to bet on the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival

Once you’ve registered for an account using the instructions above, it’s time to use your deposit in order to trigger your betting offer and qualify for your free bets, so why not start with a bet in the County Hurdle. Here’s how to place your bet.

1. Open the website/app of your chosen bookmaker and log in
2. Navigate to the Horse Racing tab
3. Scroll to UK and Ireland and select the Cheltenham Festival
4. Open up the racecard for the 2.10 Cheltenham on Friday
5. Click on the horse who you think is going to win, this will add the selection to your betslip
6. Open up your betslip and add your stake, making sure to hit the requirements needed to obtain your free bets, and then place your bet.
7. Now sit back and enjoy and watch your selection saunter home to victory - hopefully!

Three horses with a chance in the County Hurdle

A shrewd trainer in these types of races, Emmet Mulins could once again have another leading festival chance in Filey Bay, who could be hard to beat having finished a good second in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury last month.

The Harry Fry-trained Gin Coco also has strong handicap form and at Cheltenham too, having been put away for this race since finishing second in the Greatwood Hurdle back in November.

The class edge in the race could be Sharjah for Willie Mullins, who has won two of the last three runnings of this festival contest. He is a multiple Grade 1 winner and dual Champion Hurdle second, but has not been seen at his best in three starts this season.

Check out our Cheltenham day four tips for expert opinions on the races, or find £200+ in free bets.

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing.