A race-by-race guide to the Cheltenham Festival

The Cheltenham Festival is jump racing's showpiece event and is staged over four days in March every year. The festival begins on a Tuesday and finishes on a Friday, with seven races each day, meaning a total of 28 races across the week. Each day has a feature championship race: the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday, Champion Chase on Wednesday, Stayers' Hurdle on Thursday and the Gold Cup on Friday. The festival is racing's version of the Olympics, where the best take on the best, old scores are settled and legends are made.

Tuesday

Supreme Novices' Hurdle

A huge roar from the expectant crowd greets the opening race of the festival, which is a 2m hurdle race on the Old course for the fastest novices. The contest is for inexperienced superstars of the future with many of the past winners going on to claim glory in the Champion Hurdle the following year.

Arkle Novices' Chase

The action moves over to the chase course where the Arkle is always a sight to behold as the leading two-mile novice chasers serve up a pulsating spectacle. Agility and speed are tested in this Grade 1, which throws up future champions of the ultimate two-mile chase prize, the Champion Chase.

Ultima Handicap Chase

The first handicap of the week and one of the biggest betting races on day one, the Ultima attracts a big field for a fiercely competitive contest. Staged over a distance of 3m1f, stamina is crucial, with past winners having gone on to run in the following month's Grand National.

Mares' Hurdle

A race restricted to the classiest mares and run over 2m4f. It has been dominated by Ireland's champion trainer Willie Mullins, who was successful six years in a row with the mighty Quevega.

Champion Hurdle

The first championship race of the week, the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle is one of the most coveted prizes of the whole season. It's the race in which the greatest two-mile hurdlers are anointed. The day one showpiece has been won by some titans of the turf, including See You Then and Istabraq.

Constitution Hill: seeks a second Champion Hurdle success on TuesdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

Fred Winter Hurdle

A handicap hurdle solely for young horses, new to jumping. Offers an alternative to Friday's Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle, which is similarly for four-year-olds. With the weights horses carry based on their ability, the race attracts a large field and its competitive nature makes it a fascinating betting opportunity.

National Hunt Novices' Chase

Formerly a race for amateur riders only, the criteria was changed for the 2025 running and it is now open to professional jockeys. The historic chase run over 3m6f is the longest race at the festival, where resolution and stamina are tested to the max.

Wednesday

Turners Novices' Hurdle

The second day kicks off with a Grade 1 contested by a high-quality field of novice hurdlers. A race with similar stature to the Supreme but run over a longer trip of 2m5f, it is synonymous with horses who go on to achieve greatness in the sport, including Champion Hurdle winners Istabraq, Hardy Eustace and Faugheen.

Brown Advisory Novices' Chase

Another Grade 1 contest, this extended 3m chase presents a tough examination of the top novices, demanding a combination of class and staying power. Always a race to savour, it acts as a festival springboard for future Gold Cup contenders.

Coral Cup

This 2m5f handicap hurdle attracts a big field and is renowned for being one of the most competitive races of the week. Often run at a furious pace, it requires a mixture of speed and stamina.

Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase

Something a bit different, with the cross-country course offering an array of obstacles, raised banks and tight turns. Staged over a distance of 3m5½f, it demands an abundance of stamina as well as agility, attributes the legendary Grand National winner Tiger Roll displayed when winning the race three times.

Cross Country Chase: takes place around a unique course at CheltenhamCredit: Edward Whitaker

Champion Chase

A true spectacle as the fastest and classiest two-mile chasers battle it out for greatness in the second championship race of the week. There is no margin for error as the runners jump at high speed as they aim to add their names to a roll of honour featuring some legends of the sport including the mighty Sprinter Sacre. 

Grand Annual Handicap Chase

Speed is a key attribute in this 2m handicap chase, which is contested by a big field and run at a furious pace. The oldest race at the festival, it has the name of trainer Nicky Henderson's father Johnny attached to its title

Champion Bumper

A Grade 1 race run on the flat with no obstacles, it is for inexperienced horses who tend to return the following year for the top novice hurdle contests. Willie Mullins has a sensational record, having won it for the 13th time in 2024.

Thursday

Mares' Novices' Hurdle

The action switches to the New course for the last two days of the festival, starting with this Grade 2 for female novice hurdlers, run over a distance of 2m1f. It serves as a key stepping stone for promising mares in the hurdling division.

Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase

A race previously run as the Turners Novices' Chase, the conditions have been changed and it is now a novices' handicap chase over 2m4f. It attracts young, up-and-coming chasers and provides an important opportunity for them to gain valuable experience at the sport's biggest meeting.

Pertemps Network Final

This 3m handicap hurdle is made up of a competitive field of seasoned handicap hurdlers who have qualified through a series of races throughout the season. A highly anticipated and fiercely competitive contest, it provides a tricky puzzle for punters to solve.

Ryanair Chase

A Grade 1 chase over the intermediate distance of two and a half miles, the Ryanair is one of the feature races of the festival with total prize-money of £375,000. Top-class chasers compete for the prestigious prize and winners such as Cue Card and Frodon have gone on to win the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Teahupoo: favourite to win back-to-back Stayers' HurdlesCredit: Patrick McCann

Stayers' Hurdle

The highlight of the third day, this Grade 1 is the most coveted contest for the best long-distance hurdlers in the sport. Established in 1912, the race is renowned for its testing challenge over three miles with many legendary horses, such as the mighty Big Buck's, dominating it in recent years.

Plate Handicap Chase

Run over two and a half miles, this handicap features a competitive field of horses rated in the mid-range, offering a thorough test of stamina and jumping ability. First run in 1951, the race has become known for its open nature, with many surprise winners.

Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase

A 3m2f handicap chase open to amateur jockeys and featuring a competitive field of riders and horses with varying levels of experience and ability. It is often a challenging and tactical contest, so look out for the more experienced jockeys such as Derek O'Connor as they can make all the difference.

Friday

Triumph Hurdle

The opening race on the final day of the festival, the Triumph Hurdle is a 2m1f Grade 1 contest restricted to four-year-old juvenile hurdlers and it is the most prestigious race of its type during the season. It has produced four subsequent Champion Hurdle winners in Clair Soleil, Persian War, Kribensis and Katchit, while dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll triumphed in 2014.

County Handicap Hurdle

A proper head-scratcher of a race with a big field in a ultra-competitive handicap hurdle run over 2m1f. It has a reputation for producing thrilling finishes with some major gambles landed over the years.

Mares' Chase

A relatively new addition to the festival, first run in 2021, the Mares' Chase is a Grade 2 for female horses, contested over an extended 2m4f and offering a platform for top mares in the chasing division. It has quickly gained prominence, providing a prestigious opportunity for mares to showcase their talents on the big stage.

Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle

The ultimate test for the best long-distance novice hurdlers around, this Grade 1 is run over a demanding three miles and, given the nature of attracting big, raw young horses, it has produced plenty of shock results. A race that showcases stamina and potential, it has been a schooling ground for Gold Cup horses of the future such as 2021 winner Minella Indo.

Cheltenham Gold Cup: the main race of the festivalCredit: Edward Whitaker

Cheltenham Gold Cup

Jump racing's most prestigious race and the highlight of the Cheltenham Festival, the Gold Cup has been won by some of the greatest horses in the history of the sport. With prize-money of £625,000, the Grade 1 showpiece is the most valuable jumps race in Britain and Ireland after the Grand National and represents the ultimate challenge for the very best staying chasers, with 22 fences to be jumped over a relentless three miles and two and a half furlongs. Among the greats to have won the race are Golden Miller, Mill House, Arkle, Best Mate and Kauto Star. Galopin Des Champs is the latest to join these legends after back-to-back victories in 2023 and 2024.

Hunter Chase

Often referred to as the amateur riders' Gold Cup, the Hunter Chase is run over the same course and distance as the festival's flagship race. Previously run as the Foxhunters' Chase, it features horses who have been trained specifically for point-to-point racing, offering them a chance to compete at the highest level.

Martin Pipe Hurdle

The final race of the Cheltenham Festival is a 2m4½f handicap hurdle named in honor of legendary trainer Martin Pipe and restricted to conditional jockeys - riders at the start of their careers. It attracts a large and competitive field and offers trainers, owners and jockeys - not to mention punters - one last chance of festival success.

Read more . . .

A beginners' guide to a day at the races 

The educational guide on how to bet on horseracing 

The golden rules for betting at the Cheltenham Festival 

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