Cheltenham Festival 2026: Everything you need to know in our Ultimate Guide

YEAR	MARES HURDLE	STAYERS' HURDLE	RYANAIR CHASE
2025	Lossiemouth 4/61.67	Bob Olinger 8/19.00	Fact To File 6/42.50
2024	Lossiemouth 8/131.61	Teahupoo 5/42.25	Protektorat 17/29.50
2023	Honeysuckle 9/43.25	Sire Du Berlais 33/134.00	Envoi Allen 13/27.50
2022	Marie's Rock 18/119.00	Flooring Porter 4/15.00	Allaho 4/71.57
2021	Black Tears 11/112.00	Flooring Porter 12/113.00	Allaho 3/14.00
2020	Honeysuckle 9/43.25	Lisnagar Oscar 50/151.00	Min 2/13.00
2019	Roksana 10/111.00	Paisley Park 11/82.38	Frodon 9/25.50
2018	Benie Des Dieux 9/25.50	Penhill 12/113.00	Balko Des Flos 8/19.00
2017	Apple's Jade 7/24.50	Nochols Canyon 10/111.00	Un De Sceaux 7/42.75
2016	Vroum Vroum Mag 4/61.67	Thistlecrack 1/12.00	Vautour 1/12.00

TIME	RACE	SBK Odds	NRMB Odds	EXC Odds
13:20	Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) - 2m 179y	SBK	NRNB	EXC
14:00	County Handicap Hurdle - 2m 179y	SBK	NRNB	EXC
14:40	Mares' Chase (Grade 2) - 2m 4f 127y	SBK	NRNB	EXC
15:20	Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) - 3m	SBK	NRNB	EXC
16:00	Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1) - 3m 2f 70y	SBK	NRNB	EXC
16:40	Festival Hunters' Chase - 3m 2f 70y	SBK	NRNB	EXC
17:20	Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle - 2m 4f 56y	SBK	NRNB	EXC

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For a look at Day 4 in more detail, with more day-specific news and betting updates, 10-year trends for every race, the record of the favourites, links to antepost previews and much more, then visit our dedicated Cheltenham Festival Day 4 page which will be updated on a regular basis.

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*Last 10 winners of Friday's Grade 1 races:

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Real Time odds (Betfair Exchange) for Friday's Grade 1 races

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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 with 11 favourites in the 15 graded contests.

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 eight Cheltenham Festivals have produced an incredible 55 winners that ran at the Dublin Racing Festival the month before, with 25 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, 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!

Last year's Grade 1 DRF winners didn't do quite as well the following month, but Kopek Des Bordes followed up by winning the Supreme, State Man would have won the Champion Hurdle but for falling at the last, and three others were all placed at Cheltenham.

With that in mind, below is a list of the Grade 1 winners at this year's Dublin Racing Festival with their current odds for the race(s) in which they hold an entry at Cheltenham.

Dublin Racing Festival 2026 Grade 1 Winners:

Dublin Racing Festival Race	Winner	Cheltenham Festival Odds
2m Novice Hurdle	Talk The Talk	9/25.50 to win Supreme Novices' Hurdle 9/110.00 to win Turners Novices' Hurdle
2m1f Irish Arkle Chae	Romeo Coolio	10/111.00 to win Arkle Chase 10/111.00 to win Brown Advisory Novices' Chase
2m Irish Champion Hurdle	Brighterdaysahead	7/24.50 to win Champion Hurdle 16/117.00 to win Mares' Hurdle
2m6f Novice Hurdle	Doctor Steinberg	8/19.00 to win Turners Novices' Hurdle 7/24.50 to win Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle
2m5f NoviceChase	Kaid D'authie	6/17.00 to win Brown Advisory Novices' Chase
2m1f Dublin Chase	Majborough	13/82.63 to win Champion Chase
2m Juvenile Hurdle	Narciso Has	RULED OUT OF TRIUMPH HURDLE
3m1f Irish Gold Cup	Fact To File	8/19.00 to win Cheltenham Gold Cup 5/42.25 to win Ryanair Chase

*prices correct as of 08:00, Saturday 28 February 2026

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Sam Turner's 2026 Cheltenham Festival Ante-post Tips

Award-winning journalist and former Racing Post Naps table winner Sam Turner is one of Betfair's resident tipsters, and you can find all his daily columns, features and ante-post tips on his dedicated page here.

For the past few months Sam has been looking ahead to the 2026 Cheltenham Festival with weekly ante-post columns, reviewing some of the big races and key trials in the national hunt calendar, as well as highlighting some horses to look out for at Cheltenham, including some tips using the Betfair Sportbook's ante-post markets.

Below are a selection of Sam's tips, with links to his columns in full and a snippet of words on why he likes the horse in question.

(click on the race name/selection for the full column and the 'Now' price to go directly to a pre-loaded betslip)

• Supreme Novices' Hurdle - Sober Glory @ 40/141.00

• Now 16/117.00

Sam says: "Sober Glory has been on the radar as a big-price play in the Supreme for some time with my only hesitancy being which race connections would target in March. However, Sober Glory holds just one entry at Cheltenham so if he is to go there, the Supreme will be his main aim. Admittedly he still has a way to go to match the likes of Old Park Star, Talk The Talk and El Cairos, but at 40/141.00 he looks grossly overpriced for a horse of his ability."

• Champion Hurdle - Alexei e/w @ 33/134.00

• Now 33/134.00

Sam says: "Alexei wasted little time landing four of his seven hurdes starts since with two of the defeats easily excused by the trip and soft ground and the fact he has been extremely well backed both at Ascot and now Cheltenham (Greatwood Hurdle) suggests he is something out of the ordinary."

• Brown Advisory Novices' Chase - Wendigo e/w @ 20/121.00

• Now 7/18.00

Sam says: "Although beaten nearly four lengths by Kitzbuhel, this remained a terrific effort by Wendigo who found three miles on lively ground an insufficient test. Last of the six runners turning for home, the seven-year-old charged home in the straight to record a finishing speed percentage of 109.91% as the tempo slackened off a little and his closing four-furlong sectional was only just over a second slower than The Jukebox Man in the day's feature chase."

• Stayers' Hurdle - Ma Shantou e/w @ 50/151.00

• Now 7/18.00

Sam says: "Ma Shantou has already improved a stone courtesy of two Cheltenham victories this term, one on the Old Course and the latest on the New, and he could develop into one of the better outsiders in the race with another prominent showing in the Cleeve."

• Cheltenham Gold Cup - Gaelic Warrior @ 8/19.00

• Now 7/18.00

Sam says: "Having won that Grade 1 over a staying trip, I find it hard to believe Gaelic Warrior will revert to the Ryanair Chase in the spring unless the ground was bottomless and, although his price for the Gold Cup has tightened up, he will only be eight in March whereas stablemate Galopin Des Champs will be trying to regain his title at the age of 10 (no winner that old since Cool Dawn in 1998) with history largely stacked against such a feat."

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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 102nd 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 renewals 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), Denman and Galopin Des Champs 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

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Betting on the Cheltenham Festival

There are many ways you can bet on the 2026 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 2026 Cheltenham Festival races are now priced up for ante-post purposes on the Betfair Sportsbook while all 15 Graded races, plus the Cross Country Chase, have ante-post markets on the Betfair Exchange (markets for the handicaps will appear soon). The Non-Runner No Bet markets, meaning that if your ante-post selection becomes a non runner then you get your money back, are now live for all 28 Cheltenham Festival races.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Cheltenham Top Jockey Betting

Another popular way to bet on the 2026 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 four years, is the current favourite at 1/12.00, and he'll be riding a lot of the Willie Mullins fancied runners, so his chances of making it five 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. Below is Townend's current form, which will update in real time.

Mark Walsh will have a very strong book of rides as the retained rider for the JP McManus-owned horses and he'll be desperate to take the prize given that this will be the last Cheltenham Festival he will ride in as the McManus retained rider as Harry Cobden is set to take that role after the current season. Walsh is the 7/42.75 second favourite in the market.

Third favourite in the market, Jack Kennedy at 9/25.50, will also have a very strong book of rides as the retained rider of Gigginstown and no one would begrudge him winning the top jockey honours after missing plenty of festivals due to some horrendous injuries.

Nico de Boinville will have a strong book of rides, especially on the opening day riding mostly for Nicky Henderson, and he is 20/121.00 in the market, while Harry Skelton has been backed as a decent outsider in recent days and is now 8/19.00 from 16/117.00 which is no surprise given the ammunition that trainer Dan Skelton has and their excellent record in the handicaps.

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 eight years:

2025 - Paul Townend (4)
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)

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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 2026 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. Below is Mullins' current form, which will update in real time.

Mullins has won the award at 11 of the last 13 festivals, and the two that he didn't win went to his Irish counterpart Gordon Elliott!

Elliott is the second favourite in the market this year at 5/16.00, while third favourite Dan Skelton, like his brother Harry in the Top Jockey market, has been very well backed in recent days and is now 12/113.00. Nicky Henderson has lost some of his big guns recently with the absence of Sir Gino and Constitution Hill, but he still has a lot of fancied runners including Old Park Star and Lulamba, and he might be a decent outsider at 20/121.00.

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

2025 - Willie Mullins (10)
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)

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 2026 Cheltenham Festival.

For more on Betfair Beacons, click here.

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Horse Racing Jargon Buster

When it comes to betting, no sport has its own jargon more than Horse Racing.

From an Acca to a Yankee (we can't think of a term that starts with Z), taking in a Jolly and a Steamer, racing is full of weird and wacky terminology that you'll hear and read on a daily basis.

But what does it all mean? Fear not, we have you covered with our in-depth jargon buster below.

Accumulator (Acca)

In simple terms an accumulator is a bet consisting of at least two selections (legs) where all parts of the bet must be successful to secure a payout, with the winnings from the first part of the acca rolling onto the next part and so on.

However, a bet containing just two selections is referred to as a double, while three selections is called a treble, so the term Accumulator or Acca usually refers to a bet that contains at least four selections.

Ante-post

A betting market that appears well in advance of a race's scheduled start time, often meaning you can get bigger odds about your selection.

Back

A 'back' bet on a horse means you're backing that horse to either win or place if it's an each-way bet.

Banker

A horse that is very likely to win, or a horse that is by far your strongest selection if backing more than one, is considered to be a banker.

Betting Exchange

A platform through which gamblers can bet directly against each other on a peer-to-peer betting network, rather than a bookmaker. Betting exchanges like the Betfair Exchange allow lay bets to be made, as well as win and place bets, meaning that gamblers can bet on hores to lose.

Bookmaker

A bookmaker is the organisation that provides odds on the outcome of horse races in order to accept bets based on predictions by customers.

Cash Out

The process of taking a payout offered by your bookmaker before the full completion of the bet.

Dead Heat

When two or more horses cross the winning line at exactly the same time a dead heat is declared the result, meaning both (or all) horses are deemed the winner.

Double

A bet that contains just two horses in two different races whereby both horses must win to guarantee a return.

Drifter

A horse that is regularly getting bigger in price (its odds are lengthening) is referred to as a drifter.

Each-Way

An each-way bet is available in horse races that feature a winner and a number of other horses finishing in a sequence of places.

The bet involves a single selection but is comprised of two bets: a 'win bet' and a 'place bet'. The same horse is thereby backed to win the event at set odds, and backed to finish within a range of places at different odds. The each-way bet will provide a payout if either part of the bet proves successful.

Favourite

The shortest priced horse in the race, the market leader.

Fell (F)

Signified by a letter F in a form line, fell means that a horse tripped up, or didn't clear an obstacle in jump racing.

Flip-flop

When a favourite in a race drifts in price and/or the second favourite shortens in price meaning they swap positions at the head of the market, the favourites are said to flip-flop.

Forecast

A bet consisting of two horses where both must finish first and second in the order that you predict to guarantee a return.

Gamble

A gamble is a term used for a horse that has been significantly backed, whether it be by just a small number of punters for large stakes, or by many punters for smaller stakes, resulting in the horse's odds shortening considerably.

Going

The term used to describe how soft or hard the ground is on turf racing. In the UK the going ranges from Heavy (very soft ground) to Firm (hard ground) though the latter is a going you will rarely get these days because of horse welfare and the ability for racecourses to add water to the ground to make it less firm.

In-Running (In-Play)

A form of betting that has become hugely popular through online betting sites, and involves placing a bet on a horse after the racet has started but before the race concluds, hence betting In-Running. It is also referred to as In-Play, especially in sporting events other than horse racing.

Jolly

Another term used for the favourite in a horse race.

Jumps

The code of racing whereby most races are contested on a racecourse that contains 'jumps' in the form of hurdles and fences. Officially it is called National Hunt racing, but jumps is a more commonly used term. The jumps season usually runs from mid autumn to late spring.

Lay

On a betting exchange a customer can play a lay bet, which effectively means that you're backing a horse NOT to win. Laying a horse to win a race for example means that you're betting that it doesn't win the race and therefore every other horse in the race is on your side.

Long-shot

A horse who appears to have a low chance of winning and therefore is priced at big odds, 33/134.00 for example.

Lucky 15

A popular form of bet consisting of four different horses in four different races, making up 15 bets (4 x singles, 6 x doubles, 4 x trebles and 1 x four-fold). Just one horse must win to guarantee a return.

Market Mover

A horse that significantly moves in price, either by shortening - 10/111.00 into 3/14.00 for example - or by lengthening in price - 2/13.00 out to 6/17.00. A horse that significantly shortens in price is called a postive market mover while a horse that significantly lengthens in price is classed a a negative market mover.

Nap

A 'Nap' is often used by tipsters and simply means what is, in their opinion, their strongest fancy if they have put up two or more selections.

Non-Runner

Non-Runner means that a horse that was originally due to take part in a race is no longer going to take part, hence being a non-runner.

Non-Runner Money-Back

Non-Runner Money-Back (NRMB), also known as Non-Runner No-Bet (NRNB), is a concession that bookmakers will offer on some ante-post markets and simply means that should you back a horse that doesn't take part in the race, then you will get your stake back.

Odds

Also referred to as the price. Odds are the returns a bookmaker offers for a horse to win.

Odds-against

A price where the odds are bigger than 1/12.00 (fractional) or 2.01/1 (decimal); 2/13.00 for example.

Odds-on

A price where the odds are less than 1/12.00 (fractional) or 2.01/1 (decimal); 1/21.50 for example.

On the nose

To back a horse to win only without any consideration to backing it each-way. The term is derived from the fact that to determine the winner of a horse race, the first body part of a horse used when crossing the winning line is the nose.

Outsider

A horse who is deemed to have the least chance of winning in a race and therefore has the biggest betting odds.

Photo Finish

When two or more horses cross the winning line in very close proximity and it's not obvious which one won, a photo finish is declared, meaning a photograph (or a digital image) is required to determine who crossed the line first.

Pillar to Post

A term used for a horse that leads all the way (from start to finish) and wins a race.

Place Bet

A place bet involves backing a selection to finish in a particular place, or within a range of places, in a horse race.

Price

Also referred to as the odds. Price is the returns a bookmaker offers for a horse to win.

Pulled-Up (P)

Signified by a letter P in a form line, pulled-up means a horse was prevented from finishing a race by its jockey. This usually occurs when a horses gets injured in a race or is so far behind in a race that for its welfare it is better to pull it up rather than continue to race.

Punter

The individual or customer who places a bet.

Return

The money to be returned to the customer if a bet is successful.

Rule 4

A rule that allows a bookmaker to deduct a percentage of a customer's winnings should a horse become a non-runner AFTER the customer has backed a horse at a certain price.

Single

The simplest of all bets and means to back just one selection, whether to win or each-way, in a particular horse race.

Starting Price or SP

The starting price is the odds for each hose at the time of a race commencing, and is used to determine the payout to a customer if they didn't take an earlier price.

Stake

The amount of money that you bet on a horse.

Steamer

Similar to a gamble, a steamer is a horse that is being backed regularly meaning a significant shortening in the price.

Tailed Off

The term used for a horse that is a huge distance behind the rest of the runners during a race, and therefore has very little or no chance of winning.

Tip

A selection that is put up or advertised by a respected tipster. A tip can also be valuable but not widely known information about a horse - an owner telling a friend that his horse has been training really well for example, and therefore has a good chance of winning a race.

Trainer

The official name given to a person who holds a license to train horses and is therefore responsible for planning and entering horses into races.

Treble

A bet that contains three horses in three different races whereby all horses must win to guarantee a return.

Tricast

A bet consisting of three horses where all must finish first, second and third in the order that you predict to guarantee a return.

Unseated Rider (UR)

Signified by a letter U in a form line, unseated rider means a jockey came out of the saddle and fell of the horses during a race. This usually happens when a horse makes a mistake at a hurdle or fence but doesn't actually fall itself, it just unbalances the jockey resulting in an un-seat.

Void bet

A bet which is declared invalid. The stake is returned to the customer without deduction.

Yankee

A popular form of bet consisting of four different horses in four different races, making up 11 bets (6 x doubles, 4 x trebles and 1 x four-fold). At least two horses must win to guarantee a return.

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Now read more Cheltenham Festival previews here.

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