Welcome to your Cheltenham Festival Survival Kit! The Cheltenham Festival is the highlight of the National Hunt races and attracts thousands of racing enthusiasts every March. To ensure you have the best experience, we’ve put together this survival kit to provide you with everything you need, from essential tips to insightful information about the races.
You’ll find all the information you need to know about this year’s renewal, including race times and dates, and which horses, trainers and jockeys to keep an eye on.
Cheltenham Festival 2026 Race Schedule
The Cheltenham Festival 2026 will take place from Tuesday March 10 Unpleasant Friday March 13, 2026. Here is a detailed race schedule for each day: the first race is at 1:20 PM and the last race is at 5:20 PM.
The Cheltenham Festival 2026 will take place from Tuesday March 10 Unpleasant Friday March 13, 2026. Here is a detailed race schedule for each day:
Day 1: Championship Day – Tuesday, March 10, 2026
| Time | Race title | Figure | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13:20 | Obstacle for supreme beginners | Grade 1 | 2m |
| 2:00 PM | Pursuit of Arkle beginners | Grade 1 | 2m |
| 2:40 PM | Youth disability obstacle | Prime Minister | 2m½f |
| 15:20 | Ultima Handicap Chase | Grade 1 | 3m 1f |
| 4:00 PM | Champion obstacle | Grade 1 | 2m |
| 4:40 PM | TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase | Disability | 2m 4f |
| 5:20 PM | National hunt for beginners with disabilities | Beginner | 3m 6f |
Day 2: Ladies Day – Wednesday March 11, 2026
| Time | Race title | Figure | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13:20 | The hurdle for Turners beginners | Grade 1 | 2m 5f |
| 2:00 PM | Brown Advisory Beginner Hunt | Grade 1 | 3m |
| 2:40 PM | Coral Cup handicap hurdle | Prime Minister | 2m 5f |
| 15:20 | Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Pursuit | Cross country | 3m 5½f |
| 4:00 PM | Queen Mother Champion Chase | Grade 1 | 2m |
| 4:40 PM | Johnny Henderson Major Annual Handicap Chase | Disability | 2m |
| 5:20 PM | Champion bumper (Weatherbys) | Grade 1 | 2m |
Day 3: St Patrick’s Thursday – Thursday March 12, 2026
| Time | Race title | Figure | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13:20 | Mares’ obstacle for beginners | Grade 2 | 2m 1f |
| 2:00 PM | Jack Richards’ Limited Handicap Chase for Beginners | Disability | 2m 4f |
| 2:40 PM | Close the Brothers Mares obstacle | Grade 1 | 2m 4f |
| 15:20 | Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle | Grade 1 | 3m |
| 4:00 PM | Ryanair chase | Grade 1 | 2m 4f |
| 4:40 PM | Pertemps Network final handicap hurdle | Disability | 3m |
| 5:20 PM | Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase | Disability | 3m 2f |
Day 4: Gold Cup Day – Friday March 13, 2026
| Time | Race title | Figure | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13:20 | JCB Triumph obstacle | Grade 1 | 2m |
| 2:00 PM | The provincial handicap hurdle | Disability | 2m |
| 2:40 PM | Mares’ Steeple Chase (Mrs Paddy Power) | Grade 2 | 2m 4f |
| 15:20 | Albert Bartlett’s Obstacle for Beginners | Grade 1 | 3m |
| 4:00 PM | Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup | Grade 1 | 3m 2f |
| 4:40 PM | St James’s Place Festival Hunter Chase | Hunter Chase | 3m 2f |
| 5:20 PM | Martin Pipe conditional jockey hurdle | Disability | 2m 4f |
Comments
First race: Starts at **1:20 PM
Gates opened: Daily at 10:30 am.
Free tips for Cheltenham
Here are this year’s free tips for Cheltenham from tipster reviews. Also don’t forget to follow us on TikTok for our free daily nap for Cheltenham, and also check out our daily free tips page for more selections.
Day 1 – Opening Day
The best race on day 1 is undoubtedly the Champions Hurdle, the first race of the day. and our free selection for Day 1 at Cheltenham is The New Lion, currently winning at around 5/2.
Day 2 – Ladies Day
If you can keep an eye on the horses and not the ladies on day two, then the big race is the Queen Mother’s at four o’clock. and our selection for this race is L’eau Du Sud, currently winning at around 5/1.
Day 3 – St. Patrick’s Day
On the day of the festival, where most alcohol or Guinness is consumed, others organize the Stayers Hurdle at 3:20 PM. Our free Cheltenham tip for this race is Teahupoo on 13/8 currently.
Day 4 – Gold Cup Day
The biggest race of the festival takes place on the final day with the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup race at 3.30pm. Our free tip for this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup is Jango Baie one way, currently around 6/1.
The free Cheltenham Festival Lucky 15
We recommend that you put all the above selections into a lucky 15 in case they all get in
March 10 – 4:00 PM – The new lion 5/2
March 11 – 4:00 PM – Southern Water 5/1
March 12 – 3:20 PM – Thursday 13/8
March 13 – 4:00 PM – Eat Yes 5/1
Bet 50p each way on a lucky 15 (15 bets) bet of £15, potential return if everyone wins = £878.14!
Essential tips for Cheltenham Festival
- What to bring: Don’t forget to pack your essentials!
- Weather equipment: The weather can be unpredictable; bring waterproof clothing and a hat.
- Comfortable footwear: You’re on your feet a lot, so choose sturdy shoes.
- Cash and cards: Some merchants may not accept cards, so have cash on hand.
- Navigating Cheltenham: Familiarize yourself Decide the layout before you arrive to avoid missing important races and events. Use our Course card for a helpful guide.
- Hydrate and refuel: Stay hydrated and make time for meals. There are plenty of food stalls, but the lines can be long. Consider bringing snacks.
Cheltenham Festival Survival Guide – Best Tips for Cheltenham
The best time of year to employ the services of a professional is during the Cheltenham Festival, but with so many horse racing tipsters it is difficult to find those who excel in this competition. But don’t worry, we have 3 tipsters who can improve your #cheltfest experience.
1. Cotswold Racing
One of, if not the best, horse racing tipsters at Tipsters Empire.
Cotswold is a tipster that has gone from strength to strength over the years, delivering consistent results and many big winners on the way to…read more
ROI = 15.11%, Gain since launch up to £10 stake = £4579 (457 points), Launched February 2020
2. Underdog racing
Ultra consistent horse racing tipster who has been active since January 2021 and has only had 4 losing months (4 out of 27), which equates to 23 months of winning… Read more
ROI – 37%, UNDERDOG Racing Tips has made £11,286 profit from 1,539 horse racing tips in the last 12 months (approximately 30 tips per week), giving an average monthly profit of £938. Launched January 2021
3. Tips for chicken farmers
And don’t forget this Tipster League horse racing tipster service, which is only 2 months old but is off to a really good start. The tipster says he always does well in Cheltenham, so it might be worth trying the service for FREE during this year’s Cheltenham festival.
ROI – N/A (less than 3 months of data), Total profit since launch = about 45-40 points at the time of writing, Launched– Jan 2023, 2 week free trial available
A combination of these tipsters could be very fruitful for you during the festival, but if you don’t want to pay for tips from horse racing tipsters, we also have a number of resources for you where you can get more free Cheltenham festival tips than you can shake a stick at!
There are a number of places where you can get free tips, both from us on our socials and our daily free tips page, but also on the following websites.
Tipsstr
Tiptrr gives you access to thousands of tipsters for all sports. It’s also free to register and use; All you need is an email address and you’ll get access to free horse racing and Cheltenham tips every day.
Cheltenham Festival Survival Guide – Other free tips providers that may be useful to you…
The realm of tipsters – Some of the best horse racing tipsters out there
SVB tips – Tipster of the Year 2022 and 2023, continues to impress in 2025
WAP Betting – 100% free tips every day, no card details required, just an email address
Tipsters4U – Weekly free tips and also free trials from all professional tipsters
Not sure what to do at Cheltenham when it comes to betting?
Why not read our betting guides, which you’ll find especially useful:
How to Read a Race Card – Look at the section of the course and know what you are talking about.
How to Pick a Winner in Horse Racing – It’s not easy to pick a winner, but if you follow these steps you can increase your chances.
Each Way Betting Guide – Learn everything you need to know about Each Way Betting on the course.
How does betting on Tote work? Tote is available at racecourses across the UK. If you don’t know what it is, this will help.
Guide to Horse Racing Betting – Overall a good read if you want a chance of coming back with some money, but also with a hangover.
Conclusion
We hope this survival kit will serve you well during the Cheltenham Festival! If you find this guide helpful, please share it with your friends and follow us on social media for up-to-date tips and insights.
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