In 2026, the Cheltenham Festival takes place during 10th to 13th March. Here are our tips for every race in 2026.
Cheltenham Tuesday betting
7 races are scheduled in total on the opening day (10th March) of the 4 day Cheltenham Festival in 2026.
Tuesday’s Cheltenham Tips
- 1.20 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – MIGHTY PARK
- 2.00 Arkle Chase – LULAMBA
- 2.40 Festival Juvenile Handicap Hurdle – GLEN TO GLEN
- 3.20 Ultima Handicap Chase – JAGWAR
- 4.00 Champion Hurdle – LOSSIEMOUTH
- 4.40 Festival Plate Handicap Chase – MADARA
- 5.20 National Hunt Chase – NEWTON TORNADO
Do you know these facts about Tuesday’s key races?
- The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle opens the entire Cheltenham Festival. Jockey Ruby Walsh has won this race 6 times – including Klassical Dream in 2019. Each of his wins was on a different horse. Trainer Willie Mullins has 8 victories, including Appreciate It in 2021 and Kopek Des Bordes in 2025.
- The Arkle Chase has given trainer Nicky Henderson has 8 victories, including Shishkin in 2021 and Jango Baie in 2025. The Ruby Walsh-Willie Mullins jockey-trainer combination has 3 wins (2015 and 2016 with Un de Sceaux and Douvan, and 2018 with Footpad). Walsh was also the winning jockey in 2003. The Paul Townend-Willie Mullins jockey-trainer combination won in 2019, 2023, and 2024.
- The Champion Hurdle is the FEATURE race of the day. This is the most well regarded National Hunt hurdles’ race of the year. Five horses tie the record for most wins in this race, each winning three times in consecutive years – Hatton’s Grace, Sir Ken, Persian War, See You Then, and Istabraq. Trainer Nicky Henderson has a 9 record wins, including in 2023 when Constitution Hill won for jockey Nico de Boinville. Owner J.P. McManus has been successful a record 9 times, including in 4 consecutive years from 2017 to 2020 – Buveur D’Air won in 2017 & 2018, Espoir d’Allen won in 2019, and Epatante won in 2020.
Cheltenham Wednesday betting
7 races are scheduled in total on the 2nd day (11th March) of the 4 day Cheltenham Festival in 2026.
Wednesday’s Cheltenham Tips
- 1.20 Turners Novices’ Hurdle – NO DRAMA THIS END
- 2.00 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase – FINAL DEMAND
- 2.40 BetMGM Cup – KATEIRA
- 3.20 Cross Country Chase – STUMPTOWN
- 4.00 Champion Chase – MAJBOROUGH
- 4.40 Grand Annual – BE AWARE
- 5.20 Champion Bumper – KEEP HIM COMPANY
Do you know these facts about Wednesday’s key races?
- The Turners Novices’ Hurdle has seen trainer Willie Mullins be victorious on 7 occasions (including Sir Gerhard in 2022, Impaire Et Passe in 2023, and Ballyburn in 2024), making him the race’s leading trainer. Ruby Walsh is the leading jockey with 4 wins.
- Winners of the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase can go on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup the following year – e.g. Denman, Bobs Worth, and Lord Windermere. Trainer Willie Mullins has won this race a record 7 times, including Fact To File in 2024, and Lecky Watson in 2025.
- The Champion Chase is the feature race of the day. This National Hunt steeplechase is the most important minimum distance allowed chase in the National Hunt year. Only one horse has won at least three times – Badsworth Boy in 1983, 1984, and 1985.
- The Champion Bumper is the highest regarded bumper (i.e. flat race) in the National Hunt year. Trainer Willie Mullins has had an amazing record 14 wins in this race, including Jasmin De Vaux in 2024, and Bambino Fever in 2025. Jockey Patrick Mullins has a record 4 wins in this race, including Jasmin De Vaux in 2024. The inexperienced horses who do well in this flat race, unsurprisingly often go on to great success in their future jumping career.
Cheltenham Thursday betting
7 races are scheduled in total on the 3rd day (12th March) of the 4 day Cheltenham Festival in 2026.
Thursday’s Cheltenham Tips
- 1.20 Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle – BAMBINO FEVER
- 2.00 Jack Richards Handicap Chase – JORDANS CROSS
- 2.40 Mares’ Hurdle – WODHOOH
- 3.20 Stayers’ Hurdle – BALLYBURN
- 4.00 Ryanair Chase – BANBRIDGE
- 4.40 Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle – C’EST DIFFERENT
- 5.20 Kim Muir Challenge Cup – JERIKO DU REPONET
Do you know these facts about Thursday’s key races?
- Quevega won the Mares’ Hurdle 6 times in a row between 2009 and 2014. Ruby Walsh was the jockey on all of those occasions – he also won this race in 2016 riding Vroum Vroum Mag, and again in 2018 riding Benie Des Dieux. Willie Mullins was the trainer for each of Ruby Walsh’s 8 wins, and he also had wins with Glens Melody in 2015 as well as Lossiemouth in both 2024 and 2025. Quevega (6 wins), Walsh (8 wins), and Mullins (11 wins) hold the records for most successful horse, jockey, and trainer in this race. 2023 saw Honeysuckle win for jockey Rachael Blackmore – a repeat of her 2020 win.
- This Stayers’ Hurdle is one of the biggest highlights of the day, and is the leading National Hunt long-distance hurdles race of the season. The race became known as the Stayers’ Hurdle from 1972, but renamed the World Hurdle between 2005 and 2016. However, since 2017 it has reverted back to the Stayers’ Hurdle. Since 1972, only 1 horse has won at least four times – Big Buck’s won in the 4 consecutive years of 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Infact, the jockey on each of those occasions was Ruby Walsh, who also won in 2017 on Nichols Canyon – his 5 wins make him the leading jockey since 1972.
- Ruby Walsh is the leading jockey in the Ryanair Chase (another of the biggest highlights of the day) with 4 wins, including on the Willie Mullins trained pair Vantour in 2016 and Un De Sceaux in 2017. Willie Mullins is the leading trainer in this race with 6 wins, including Fact To File in 2025.
Cheltenham Friday betting
7 races are scheduled in total on the final day (13th March) of the 4 day Cheltenham Festival in 2026.
Friday’s Cheltenham Tips
- 1.20 Triumph Hurdle – PROACTIF
- 2.00 County Hurdle – KARBAU
- 2.40 Mares’ Chase – DINOBLUE
- 3.20 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle – SPINNINGAYARN
- 4.00 Cheltenham Gold Cup – GAELIC WARRIOR
- 4.40 Hunters’ Chase – PANDA BOY
- 5.20 Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle – ROC DINO
Do you know these facts about Friday’s key races?
- The Triumph Hurdle is the leading National Hunt race, for juveniles novice hurdlers only. Barry Geraghty’s 5 wins make him the race’s leading jockey. Nicky Henderson’s 7 wins make him the race’s leading trainer (including Pentland Hills in 2019). 4 horses who have won the Triumph Hurdle, have later gone on to win the Champion Hurdle, including Katchit (2007 Triumph Hurdle winner, 2008 Champion Hurdle winner).
- Tony McCoy and Paul Townend are the leading jockeys in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle with 3 wins each. Willie Mullins is the leading trainer, with 4 successes (Penhill in 2017, Monkfish in 2020, The Nice Guy in 2022, and Jasmin De Vaux in 2025).
- The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the most valuable non-handicap chase that takes places in Great Britain. Known as the Blue Riband of jump-racing, it is of course the feature race of entire festival.
- Golden Miller holds the record for the horse with the most Cheltenham Gold Cup wins with 5 victories in a row – the horse won in 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, and 1936. Infact, Golden Miller is the only horse to have won both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National in the same year – achieved in 1934.
- Only three other horses, apart from Golden Miller, have won at least three times (they all happen to have won in consecutive years too). Cottage Rake won in 1948, 1949, and 1950. Arkle won in 1964, 1965, and 1966. Best Mate won in 2002, 2003, and 2004.
- One of the most famous winning horses of recent times is Kauto Star – by winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup in both 2007 and 2009, the horse became the first to regain the trophy. In the intervening year (2008) Kauto Star finished 2nd to stablemate Denman. Denman finished 2nd to Kauto Star in 2009.
- Arkle’s jockey for all three wins, Pat Taaffe, also won on another horse (Fort Leney) in 1968 – his 4 wins make him the joint most successful winning jockey at the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He shares this honour with Paul Townend who achieved a double with Al Boum Photo in 2019 & 2020, and then another double with Galopin Des Champs in 2023 & 2024.
- In 2025 Paul Townend was denied 3 wins a row on Galopin Des Champs, when they finished 2nd to Inothewayurthinkin.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Racing facts (e.g. leader trainer, jockey, horse etc) do not take into account any happenings from the 2026 festival. Tips for each day’s racing published anytime from 5pm the day before each race, upto 11am on the day of each race. All tips will remain unchanged once published, but anything else in this article (including any errors and corrections) may be updated afterwards .
