Cheltenham Festival 2025: Everything you need to know in our Ultimate Guide

• Day-by-Day schedule to this year's Cheltenham Festival

• Past winners and prices of the day's feature races

• A brief history and timeline ahead of the Gold Cup

• Rolling news, Dublin Racing Festival and Daryl Carter sections

• Top jockey and trainer markets discussed

• Check out our 2025 Cheltenham Festival HUB

• We're now NON-RUNNER NO BET on all 28 Cheltenham Festival races

• Completely Free Bet available every day this Cheltenham Festival on any racing multi

---

*First Published Monday 17 February

---

Rolling News

Keep checking back for news of significant horses being confirmed for certain races, or when a horse is ruled out of this year's Cheltenham Festival.

- 8 Mar:  Betfair Imperial Cup winner Go Dante unlikely to go to Cheltenham says trainer Olly Murphy

- 6 Mar:  Watering has started at Cheltenham with the official going Good to Soft on Thursday

- 3 Mar:  Gordon Elliott has confirmed that Brighterdaysahead will run in the Champion Hurdle

- 1 Mar:  2023 Arkle winner El Fabiolo ruled out of Cheltenham after defeat at Navan on Saturday

- 26 Feb:  We are now live with Betfair Predicts, showing % chance of winning for certain horses/races

- 25 Feb:  Jockey James Bowen ruled out of Cheltenham Festival due to a seven-day whip ban

- 22 Feb:  Champion Hurdle favourite Constitution Hill will have a public gallop at Kempton on Tuesday

- 20 Feb:  The Betfair Exchange now has antepost markets for all 28 Cheltenham Festival races

- 17 Feb:  Paul Nicholls reveals his possible runners at the Festival. Click here for the full list

- 15 Feb:  Paul Nicholls confirms Betfair Ascot Chase winner Pic D'Orhy will go straight to Aintree

- 10 Feb:  Antepost Arkle favourite Sir Gino ruled out for remainder of the season

---

The 2025 Cheltenham Festival

The Cheltenham Festival is a four-day horse racing meeting regarded as the highlight and most prestigious meeting in the National Hunt calendar for UK and Ireland horse racing.

It takes place annually in the middle of March at Cheltenham Racecourse, Prestbury Park in Gloucestershire, with this year's Cheltenham Festival commencing on Tuesday 11 March and lasting for four days up to Friday 14 March.

There are 28 Cheltenham races in total with each of the four days consisting of seven races, with the first race on each day starting at 13:20 and the final race due to commence at 17:20.

There are two main types of races in the Cheltenham schedule, known as Hurdles and Chases, and they are categorised as either graded races or handicaps.

The three exceptions are the Cross Country Chase, the Champion Bumper (a National Hunt Flat race), and an Open Hunters' Chase.

Racing over the four days is done on two courses, the first two days are on the Old Course, considered more of a speed test which is why the Grade 1 2m races are run on these days, while the final two days are on the New Course, considered a track more suited to stamina, hence the Stayers' Hurdle and Gold Cup being run on these days.

---

The 2025 Cheltenham Festival HUB

If you're looking for tips for a specific day or ante-post, visit our Cheltenham HUB where you'll find insight, previews, tipping columns and much more in the lead up to, and during the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.

---

How to watch the Cheltenham Festival

ITV Racing will broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX on all four days of the Cheltenham Festival, showing the first six races on each of the four days. This means that free-to-air viewers can watch 24 of the 28 races at no extra cost to their current TV package.

Racing UK will show all 28 races live on their subscription channel, while if you're on the go and have a funded Betfair account, then you can watch all 28 races free of charge using a smart device or laptop.

---

Cheltenham... Only Bettor

The Cheltenham... Only Bettor Podcast section on betting.betfair is where you'll find dedicated Festival preview shows where our experts and special guests run through all the key races and best antepost bets for the Cheltenham Festival.

Just click on the link above to go to the dedicated page where you can watch all this seasons shows, or you can watch the latest episode (26 Feb) right here.

 

---

Cheltenham Festival preview show

And don't forget about our superb Cheltenham Festival preview night that can be view below right now, featuring Daryl Carter, Kevin Blake and Dan Barber, with exclusive insight from top trainer Paul Nicholls and betting updates from Barry Orr.

Our Cheltenham 2025 Preview is LIVE 🚨

Festival tips from @DanBarberTF & @DarylCarter7 with @V_Binnie_Ryle.

Unique insight from festival legends @rachaelblackmor and @PFNicholls! https://t.co/MftnQ5HhnI

-- Betfair Racing (@BetfairRacing) March 6, 2025

---

Cheltenham Festival Day-by-Day Schedule

• Day 1 - Tuesday 11 March - Champion Day
• Day 2 - Wednesday 12 March - Style Wednesday
• Day 3 - Thursday 13 March - St Patrick's Day
• Day 4 - Friday 14 March - Gold Cup Day

---

Day 1 Races - Champion Day

After months of hype, weeks of preview nights, and literally hundreds of tipping columns and podcasts, the 2025 Cheltenham Festival commences on Tuesday 11 March with the famous Cheltenham roar being heard around 13:20 as the tapes go up to signal the start of the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

The are four Grade 1 races on the opening day, a Grade 2 contest for amateur riders, and two handicaps, with the feature race of the day being the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle at 16:00.

Tuesday's race schedule:

All eyes will be on the still unbeaten Constitution Hill as he bids to regain the Champion Hurdle crown at 16:00. Nicky Henderson's brilliant 8yo won the race in 2023 but was unable to defend his crown 12 months ago due to injury. 

Constitution Hill returned to racing in the Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day, where he got the better off the Willie Mullins-trained mare Lossiemouth. He followed up that victory with a straightforwad win in the International Hurdle on Cheltenham Trials Day, and he now goes straight to the Champion Hurdle as an odds-on favourite at around the 8/131.61 mark.

He is likely to face stiff opposition however from a trio of Irish-trained raiders including the aforementioned Lossiemouth, Gordon Elliott' brilliant mare Brighterdaysahead and last year's winner State Man.

---

The Betfair Sportsbook are Non-Runner No Bet on all 28 races at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival. Full deatils here.

---

There could well be an Irish banker in the opening Supreme Novices' Hurdle at 13:20 with the Willie Mullins-trained Kopek Des Bordes available to back at a shade of odds on following his breathtaking victory at the Dublin Racing Festival at the beginning of February.

He looks set to take the world of beating in the Festival curtain-raiser, and he could well be followed home by his stablemate Salvator Mundi, who is currently the joint second favourite at alongside Elliott's Romeo Coolio.

The Arkle Chase and Mares Hurdle complete the four Grade 1 races on the opening day and will feature last year's Triumph Hurdle winner Majborough - who leapt to the top of the market when the unbeaten Sir Gino was recently ruled out for the season - in the former.

However, the Mares Hurdle picture looks very murky at the time of this guide going live with both the top two in the market, Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth, also prominent in the Champion Hurdle market.

Last 10 winners of Tuesday's feature races:

---

Day 2 Races - Style Wednesday

Similar to Tuesday, there are four Grade 1 races to enjoy on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival, two handicaps, and the 'love it or hate it' Cross Country Chase.

The Cheltenham roar will once again be heard at around 13:20 as they day's proceedings begin, with the feature race of the day, the Queen Mother Champion Chase being staged at 16:00.

Wednesday's race schedule:

Similar to the start of Day 1, the second day will commence with a warm Willie Mullins-trained favourite to win the Turners Novices' Hurdle in the shape of Final Demand, who was impressive in winning his trial race at the Dublin Racing Festival in early February.

The home contigent have a well-fancied runner themselves however with The New Lion, trained by Dan Skelton, unbeaten in three starts over hurdles including a victory in the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle in January.

Mullins has yet another favourite for a Grade 1 race - as well as the second favourite - with last year's impressive Turners Novices' Hurdle winner Ballyburn lining up for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at 14:00.  Having won two of his three chase starts to day, including a Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival last time out - he's likely to be a warm order to get the better of his unbeaten (over fences) stablemate Dancing City.

The theme of warm favourites continues with the Champion Chase at 16:00, where the often under-appreciated Jonbon goes for further Grade 1 glory.

Nicky Henderson's star has won a remarkable 17 of his 20 lifetime starts (runner-up in the other three) including nine Grade 1 contests, yet he regularly fails to overwhelm the racing public and is likely to be one of the strong favourites at this year's Festival that many will oppose, despite winning all three starts this season.

The final Grade 1 contest on Wednesday is the Champion Bumper at 17:20, and it's a race that offers a look into the future with so many previous winners of the race going on to be champions and multiple Cheltenham Festival winners.

Like last year, this year's renewal has an open feel to it with the Betfair Sportsbook going 4/15.00 the field at the time of writing, though in recent days money has come in for Copacabana, trained by Willie Mullins who has trained the winner of the race a remarkable 13 times since 1996.

On Thursday 20 February Mullins sent out Gameofinches to impressively win a Punchestown bumper and immediately after the race he went to the top of the Champion Bumper market at around 7/24.50

Last 10 winners of Wednesday's feature races:

---

Day 3 Races - St Patrick's Day

Two Grade 1s, a Grade 2 contest and four handicaps are the races for the third day of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival with the Stayers' Hurdle at 16:00 being the feature race of the day.

And a reminder that from here on in all 14 remaining races will be contested on the New Course.

Thursday's race schedule:

The Stayers' Hurdle is the feature race on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival and we're likely to have another very strong favourite in the shape of last year's emphatic winner Teahupoo.

Gordon Elliott's 8yo has only been seen once this season when finishing runner-up behind Lossiemouth in the Grade 1 Hatton's Grace Hurdle over an inadequate 2m4f. He's sure to come on for that run, is reported to be in fine fettle at home, and he looks easily the one to beat in a far from vintage division of stayers.

Watch out for Langer Dan however, the Dan Skelton-trained raider always comes good in the spring, and although too high in the ratings to be plotted for a handicap this year, no one will be surprised if he puts this season's poor form behind him and runs well at a double figure price.

The only other Grade 1 contest on St Patrick's Day is the Ryanair Chase, and it will be fascinating to see how many horses initially thought to be Gold Cup contenders now duck that race and reroute to the Ryanair because of the exploits of the brilliant Galopin Des Champs this season.

Fact To File looks one such contender for Willie Mullins, who has finished behind GDC on his last two runs but has strong enough form to make him the antepot favourite for the Ryanair. 

French raider Il Est Francais looks a fascinating contender however. He has a 'catch me if you can' style of racing on a going day, as was very nearly the case at Kempton on Boxing Day when he made all the running bar the final 100 yards in the King George. A slight step back in trip at Cheltenham could well suit, though he has the potential to blow out if not getting his own way on the front end.

The handicaps on the card, the Novices' Handicap Chase, the Pertemps Final, the Plate and the Kim Muir will all be fiercely competitive contests where you'll likely get much better Win odds on the Betfair Exchange nearer to race day should that be how you prefer to bet.

Last 10 winners of Thursday's feature races:

---

Day 4 Races - Gold Cup Day

The fourth and final day of the Cheltenham Festival has three Grade 1 races, a Grade 2 contest, and a couple of very competitive handicaps.

Throw in the Festival Hunters' Chase and we have a fascinating day of racing to look forward to which of course features the blue riband event, the 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup at 16:00.

Friday's race schedule:

Similar to the opening race of the meeting, the start of the Cheltenham Gold Cup will be greeted with an almighty roar as the runners are sent on their way at around 16:00.

Winner of the race for the last two years, Galopin Des Champs will be a warm order at around 1/21.50 to defend his crown after looking back to his sublime best in two recent victories, including one in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival, a race he was winning for the third consecutive year.

In fact, away from Punchestown the 9yo looks almost unbeatable and his form at Cheltenham is superb, winning at the Festival three times (would have been four but for a last fence fall in 2022), and he now bids to match the modern era achievements of Arkle and Best Mate in winning three consecutive Gold Cups.

For many, he's the star act of the week and rightly so.

---

Read all of our ambassador columns exclusively on betting.betfair. Click here for Paul Nicholls and click here for Rachael Blackmore. And don't forget our star tipsters, Daryl Carter, Kevin Blake and Katie Midwinter.

---

The Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle commences the final day of the Festival at 13:20, and it looks set to stage a fascinating all-British battle between Lulamba and East India dock, while the penultimate Grade 1 of the meeting, the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle is a intriguing contest for one particular reason.

Year after year we highlight how good this race has been for outsiders, and yet again we saw a big price winner in 2024 when 33/134.00 shot Stellar Story took the honours.

Take a look at the tables in this guide that show the previous 10 winners and starting prices of each day's feature races, but pay attention particularly to the prices of the recent Albert Bartlett winners.

In 2020 Monkfish at 5/16.00 was the only winner under the odds of 11/112.00 in the last 10 years, and we go into this year's renewal following back-to-back 18/119.00 winners and that 33/134.00 winner mentioned above in the last three renewals.

Immediately before Monkfish winning in 2020 we had winners at 33/134.00 and 50/151.00, so we'll say it again, if there's a Grade 1 contest at Cheltenham where you simply have to back something each-way at a big price, then the Albert Bartlett is the race for you.

*Last 10 winners of Friday's feature races:

---

The Dublin Racing Festival

In recent years Irish-trainer horses have dominated the graded races at the Cheltenham Festival, and although the gap might be closing marginally, the Irish once again dominate the antepost betting markets for the 15 graded contests this year.

With that in mind, it makes sense to check out the main trials races for Irish-trained horses, and they come no bigger than those contested at the Dublin Racing Festival.

First established in 2018, the DRF has quickly become the key meeting for Irish-trained horses being targeted to run at the Cheltenham Festival, and in its short history has thrown up a plethora of future Cheltenham winners.

In fact, since the DRF was introduced, the last seven Cheltenham Festivals have produced an incredible 48 winners that ran at the Dublin Racing Festival the month before, with 22 of those winners having won at the DRF.

Grade 1 winners at the DRF have a particularly good record at following up at Cheltenham in March, or at least running well. Looking back to 2024 alone, of the eight Grade 1 winners in Dublin, four of them followed up at Cheltenham, one finished runner-up and two finished third. The only one not to place was El Fabiolo, and he went off at 2/91.22 to win the Champion Chase!

With that in mind, below is a list of the Grade 1 winners at this year's Dublin Racing Festival, and where likely they are to run at Cheltenham in March.

Dublin Racing Festival 2025 Grade 1 Winners:

- Kopek Des Bordes - 2m Novice Hurdle
- 5/61.84 to win the Supreme Novices' Hurdle NRNB (11 March)

- Majborough - 2m1f Irish Arkle Novice Chase
- 4/71.57 to win the Arkle Chase NRNB (11 March)

- State Man - 2m Irish Champion Hurdle
- 6/17.00 to win the Champion Hurdle NRNB (11 March)

- Final Demand - 2m6f Novice Hurdle
- 13/82.63 to win the Turners Novices' Hurdle NRNB (12 March)

- Ballyburn - 2m5f Novice Chase
- 13/82.63 to win the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase NRNB (12 March)

- Solness - 2m1f Dublin Chase
- 8/19.00 to win the Champion Chase NRNB (12 March)

- Hello Neighbour - 2m Juvenile Hurdle
- 9/25.50 to win the Triumph Hurdle NRNB (14 March)

- Galopin Des Champs - 3m Irish Gold Cup
- 1/21.50 to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup NRNB (14 March)

---

Daryl Carter's Cheltenham Focus

Put simply, Daryl Carter's weekly Cheltenham Festival Focus column is an unmissable read.

Betfair's resident tipser, a three-time winner of the Smart Betting Club (SBC) Best Free Tipster award, Daryl has regularly put up big-price winners in his antepost columns, not least when sensationally tipping Sire Du Berlais to win the Stayers' Hurdle in 2023 at odds of 100/1101.00!

Daryl has been producing weekly antepost columns again this season, looking ahead to the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, and it's fair to say, if you took his 25/126.00 advice about backing Kopek Des Bordes for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, then you're in a great place.

Daryl Carter's 2025 Cheltenham Festival Focus Highlights:

(click the bet description link to read Daryl' column' in full)

Week 1

- Ballyburn at 5/16.00 to win the Brown Advisory Novices Chase

Daryl says: "I've backed him myself for the Brown Advisory. While a 5/16.00 ante-post winner will not make or break the season, and he is the first horse in this column in two years to be offered below double figure odds, he does represent good value if I am correct, as he will be heavy odds on if all goes to plan."

Week 7

- Langer Dan at 33/134.00 to win the Stayers' Hurdle

Daryl says: "I like the angle for potential improvement moved up in trip, that this is a typically weak division, and that his festival record can't be knocked. He will surely go off at least a single-figure price in this market on the day and makes plenty of appeal a 33/134.00 top price with Betfair."

Week 9

- Kopek Des Bordes at 25/126.00 to win the Supreme Novices' Hurdle

Daryl says: "It's time to take a bit of a swing in the Novice Hurdle contests, and the horse that stands out and is in the "could be anything category" is Willie Mullins' Kopek Des Bordes, who held two entries over Christmas over 2m and 2m4f. He was touted as a "staying novice hurdler" by Patrick Mullins in his five to follow but described by Willie Mullins as having plenty of speed to go down the 2m route. That leaves us guessing again.

"However, considering his declaration on Boxing Day over 2m, I am happy to chance this son of No Risk At All for the Supreme Novice Hurdle. He holds a bit of class, and while we have only seen him on the racecourse once, he was devilishly impressive."

Week 10

- Il Est Francais at 12/113.00 to win the Ryanair Chase

Daryl says: "The young improver has now twice run into the high 160s in Britain, and while he has never been to Cheltenham, this shouldn't pose an issue. He is a relentless front-runner, and his early pace will certainly see him gain the front-running advantage. Front runners, or those up with the pace, have an excellent record in this race."

Week 13

- Be Aware at 14/115.00 to win the Coral Cup

Daryl says: "Dan Skelton has a good record with his handicappers, which hasn't been seen since the turn of the year at the Festival. Furthermore, he is unexposed to middle-distance trips and has that all-important Cheltenham experience from the Greatwood.

"He will likely be near the top of the betting come March, and he looks worth taking at any double-figure odds with this race name-checked in a Harry Skelton interview."

Week 15

- Dublin Racing Festival Review

No bet from Daryl in his week 15 column but it's a must read as he analyses the aforementioned Dublin Racing Festival and gives his views on the new odds-on Arkle favourite Majborough and the sensational Gold Cup favourite Galopin Des Champs, plus much more.

Week 18

- All 28 Cheltenham Festival favourites ranked

Two more antepost bets from Daryl in his penultimate Festival Focus column but he also uses a five star rating system to rank all 28 antepost favourites, including;

Supreme Novice Hurdle - 10/111.91 Kopek Des Bordes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

@DanBarberTF: "Everything about Kopek des Bordes screamed top-class hurdler in the making.

"Those who share @Timeform's view won't have to wait long to have that belief confirmed when he lines up next month for the curtain-raising @SkyBet Supreme."pic.twitter.com/jrmzy53DMl https://t.co/A2FlJLhs4C

-- Sporting Life Racing (@SportingLife) February 11, 2025

Daryl says, "You can make up all the fantasies you like about what could or couldn't happen in the preliminaries at the Cheltenham Festival, but the facts are he is the speed figure horse, the form horse and the stand-out Supreme Novice candidate. Everything else is out of the punter's hands, but you can say he will be bigger than his current 10/111.91 on the day, and I can't wait to get stuck in."

---

The Cheltenham Gold Cup - A brief history

Regarded as the single most prestigious National Hunt race of the season, The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a race that every owner, trainer and jockey wants to win, and this year it celebrates its 101st year.

It is a race steeped in history that was first contested in the summer of 1819 as a flat race, and it wasn't until over 100 years later - 1924 to be precise - that it was first run as a jumps race.

Raced initially on what is now the 'Old Course', the Cheltenham Gold Cup was far from the most important race of the season in its early years, and in fact wasn't even the most important race at the Festival, that accolade going to the National Hunt Chase.

But the five successive victories of Golden Miller from 1932 to 1936 saw the race grow in popularity, and when the Vincent O'Brien-trained Cottage Rake won three successive victories up to the year 1950, popularising the race in Ireland, the Cheltenha Gold Cup was now firmly established as the biggest race in the jumping calendar.

The contest was moved to the 'New Course' in 1959, and the subsequent achievements of horses like Arkle, Dawn Run, Desert Orchid, Best Mate, Kauto Star (pictured above) and Denman have helped maintain the race as the blue riband event of both the Cheltenham Festival and the National Hunt season.

*Timeline of significant events

1819 - First contested as a flat race
1924 - First contested as a jumps race on the Old Course
1932 - First of five successive victories for Golden Miller
1948 - First of three successive victories for Irish-trained Cottage Rake
1959 - Race switched to the New Course
1964 - First of three successive victories for Arkle
1966 - Shortest priced winner of the race - Arkle at 1/10
1972 - First commercial sponsorship of the race (Piper Champagne)
1983 - Michael Dickenson trains first five home
1986 - Dawn Run becomes first horse to win Champion Hurdle & the Gold Cup
1990 - Longest priced winner of the race - Norton's Coin at 100/1
2001 - Race cancelled becaue of foot-and-mouth disease
2002 - First of three successive victories for Best Mate
2009 - Kauto Star becomes first horse to regain the Gold Cup
2020 - One of last major sporting events before Covid-19 lockdown
2021 - Raced behind closed doors due to Covid-19 pandemic
2022 - Rachael Blackmore becomes first female jockey to win the race
2024 - Galopin Des Champs defends the crown he won the previou year

---

Betting on the Cheltenham Festival

There are many ways you can bet on the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, either on the Betfair Exchange or on the Betfair Sportsbook, with the most popular and traditional way being to back on individual races via either win or each-way bets.

All 28 of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival races are now priced up for ante-post purposes, both on the Exchange and Sportsbook, with anyone doing so now on the latter platform receiving the Non Runner No Bet concession, meaning if your selection doesn't run then you'll get your money back.

The 'day of the race' markets typically appear around 48 hours before racing should you want to wait until the final declarations (runners and riders) are known.

---

Betfair Safer Gambling: A range of tools to help

Betfair is committed to safer gambling and here you can find out about the tools that help you set your budget, keep track of your spend, take a break when you need it, and more. Click here for full details.

---

And you don't just have to back singles. You can include more than one selection in what is called a multiple.

A selection in two different races combined in a multiple is called a double, three races it's a treble, and four or more races is often referred to as an acca (accumulator).

Closer to the races Betfair will be enhancing odds on certain horses, enhancing the place terms for each-way betting on some races (6 places paid instead of 4 for example), and providing plenty of 'specials' which can include a boosted price for a jockey to ride 2+ winners, or a horse to win by over 5 lengths, among many other specials.

And keep an eye out for the daily Betfair Superboost, where the Betfair Sportsbook will select a strongly-fancied odds-on shot - whether it be a horse to win or a horse to finish in a certain number of places - and superboost the price to 1/12.00 or even bigger.

From the Horse Racing section on the Betfair Sportsbook, simply click on the Specials tab to see all the offers for that day, Betfair Exchange specials can be found here.

---

Betfair Education - Betting Explained

We understand and appreciate that not everyone betting on this year's Cheltenham Festival will be familiar with how it all works, and that to some new customers it may appear a bit daunting at first.

With so much information already given in this guide you might just want to jump straight in and place some bets. If that's the case, then we have you covered.

Within our excellent Betting Explained section on betting.betfair.com you will find all the educational pieces that you will need to place a bet.

You might just want to know what the simplest types of bets are available to you, or how betting odds work, and even how to place a bet on either the Betfair Sportsbook or Betfair Exchange.

Click the links below for some popular Betting Explained articles for beginners.

- What are the simplest types of bet? Click here.

- How do odds work? Click here.

- How to place a bet on the Betfair Exchange. Click here.

- How to place a bet on the Betfair Sportsbook. Click here.

---

Make use of Betfair Beacons

Betfair have made it easier for horse racing customers to keep track of price moves on the Betfair Exchange, meaning you'll instantly be able to see which horses are shortening in price, and which are drifting, on all 28 Cheltenham Festival races.

The Betfair Beacons are here to light up a more efficient era where price movement is visible immediately.

A flames Beacon will show for horses that are popular in the market and are shortening. Horses that are not popular in the market that are drifting will be marked by a snowflake (see image below).

Betfair Beacons will not provide any information that isn't already available, but they mean you will no longer need to click into runners and check price graphs to see which horses are being backed and which ones are drifting as that information is shown automatically via the fire and ice.

They will indicate which horses are attracting money in the market and which ones aren't, allowing you to make quicker and better betting choices during the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.

For more on Betfair Beacons, click here.

---

Cheltenham Top Jockey Betting

Another popular way to bet on the 2025 Cheltenham Festival is to have a bet in the Cheltenham Top Jockey market on the Betfair Sportsbook (click on the Cheltenham tab and scroll down to the Top Jockey market).

This can be a fun way of having an interest in all 28 races at the Festival, cheering on the jockey you have backed in races that they're riding in, and hoping that a potential danger to your bet - a jockey you haven't backed - doesn't win a race in any contest that your selection isn't riding in.

Paul Townend, winner of this award for the last three years, is a strong favourite at 2/51.40, and he'll be riding a lot of the Willie Mullins fancied runners, so his chances of making it four top jockey titles on the bounce are obvious.

But a below par week for Mullins, or dare we say it, an injury to Townend, then the door would be well and truly open for another jockey to win the title.

Nico de Boinville will have a very strong book of rides, riding mostly for Nicky Henderson, and he is the 11/26.50 second favourite in the market, while Harry Skelton may appeal as a decent outsider at 20/121.00 given the ammunition that trainer Dan Skelton has.

Betfair Ambassador Rachael Blackmore - winner of this market in 2021 - is currently available to back at around 25/126.00 and she is sure to have a good book of rides throughout the Festival.

So if you can't decide on a runner, then how about just picking a rider and keeping an eye on that jockey all week?

*Cheltenham leading jockey and no. of wins in last seven years:

2024 - Paul Townend (6)
2023 - Paul Townend (5)
2022 - Paul Townend (5)
2021 - Rachael Blackmore (6)
2020 - Paul Townend (5)
2019 - Nico de Boinville (3)
2018 - Davy Russell (4)

David Power Jockey's Cup

In addition to the Cheltenham Festival Top Jockey betting we also have the David Power Jockey's Cup, a season long competition featuring the best national hunt jockeys in the world competing for a first prize of £500,000.

For me informaton on how the competition works, and for the latest results and standings, click here, but be sure to check the Betfair Sportsbook during the week of the Cheltenham Festival for betting markets on the David Power Jockey's Cup where we will likely include top daily points scorer betting and outright DPJC betting.

---

Cheltenham Top Trainer Betting

Just like the top jockey market, on the Betfair Sportsbook there is a Cheltenham Top Trainer market available to bet on.

It works in exactly the same way as the top jockey - whoever trains the most winners at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival wins the award - though sadly, it's not a very competitive market with Willie Mullins a long odds-on shot at 1/51.20 to take the leading trainer honours.

Mullins has won the award at 10 of the last 12 festivals, and the two that he didn't win went to his Irish counterpart Gordon Elliott!

However, Elliott is only third in the market this year at 12/113.00 with the second favourite tag going to Nicky Henderson at 11/26.50.

Despite the loss of odds-on antepost favourite Sir Gino for the Arkle, Henderson still has some exciting intended runners at this year's Festival including favourites Constitution Hill (Champion Hurdle), Jonbon (Champion Chase) and Lulamba (Triumph Hurdle), and he'll undoubtedly have a number of fancied runners in the handicaps.

*Cheltenham leading trainer and no. of wins in last seven years:

2024 - Willie Mullins (9)
2023 - Willie Mullins (6)
2022 - Willie Mullins (10)
2021 - Willie Mullins (6)
2020 - Willie Mullins (7)
2019 - Willie Mullins (4)
2018 - Gordon Elliott (8)

---

Cheltenham Festival Best Horse

Depending on the criteria, the debate as to which horse can be regarded as the best Cheltenham Festival horse ever could go on longer than the four days itself.

On ratings, Arkle and Kauto Star lead the way, but was Golden Miller's five Gold Cup wins better than Best Man's three? And what about Big Buck's four Stayers' Hurdle wins? Was See Pigeon better than See You Then and Istabraq?

Different eras, different opinions, different types of horses. We all have our favourites and well all have our opinion as to who was the best.

But for me... my mind will never be changed.

It's Quevega all the way.

For starters, her record of six consecutive Cheltenham Festival wins in six different seasons is likely never to be bettered, but also, when you look back at how she demolished her fields in her early victories, there's no doubt in my mind that she could have won far better races.

She won the Mares' Hurdle for six consecutive seasons between 2009 and 2014, but don't let the fact that the race was then 'only' a Grade 2 contest diminish her achievements.

It was still the major 'mares-only' race at the Festival, and it attracted deep fields with the best mares from the UK and Ireland.

But she beat them all, and her stunning victories in her first four wins were literally 'performance of the Festival' contenders each year.

In her prime she had the cruising speed and change of gear to contend a Champion Hurdle, and she had the stamina to fight out a Stayers' Hurdle, but by all accounts she was a fragile mare, and connections chose to keep her runs to a minimum and target the Mares' Hurdle each season.

But boy was she good.

---

Now read more Cheltenham Festival previews here.

---

---