Globally, horse racing has a wonderful Cheltenham Festival event held on its side at the racecourse. The Cheltenham Festival 2026 will take place from March 10 to March 13, 2026, at Cheltenham Racecourse in Prestbury. The four-day event will showcase world-class National Hunt racing. The festival’s key races include the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, and the iconic Gold Cup. The Cheltenham Festival will be a pivotal event, attracting top horses and trainers on the horse racing calendar.
The Cheltenham Festival will mark its 166th edition since its inception in 1860. The event is the core element of jumps racing, comparable to Royal Ascot for flat racing. An elite group of horses from Britain, Ireland, and beyond competes during the festival, showcasing the highest level of jumps racing. The final race will be the defending champion’s aim to maintain their reputation alongside their trainers and jockeys.
Origin of Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival originated in 1860, when the first National Hunt Chase was held at Market Harborough. Over the course of a decade, the event evolved and was launched as the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1924. This festival’s status grew further with the addition of the Champion Hurdle in 1939, and it later gained greater status. In 2005, the festival was expanded to a four-day tournament, making it a major event in the National Hunt calendar. Nowadays, this event is the Olympics of jump racing, attracting fans from Ireland, Britain, and other countries.
Past Year Champion
In the past year, this festival has produced unforgettable moments, with the Gold Cup champion Inothewayurthinkin’ a dominant force. Meanwhile, Lossiemouth, under Paul Townend, displayed brilliance and consistency in the Champion Hurdle. Jonbon led a decisive victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase; his reputation is among the leading horses in national hunt racing.
Event Details
Main Event: Cheltenham Festival 2026
Date: March 10-13, 2026
Venue: Cheltenham Racecourse in Prestbury, Gloucestershire, England.
Where can I watch the 2026 Cheltenham Festival?
The Cheltenham Festival 2026 will be widely available in the UK on ITV Racing and Racing TV. These platforms will be available to see for free on ITV Racing for this event.
Don’t miss out on the horse racing Cheltenham Festival event, which will be live-streamed on Sky or Virgin Media. While Racing TV offers live streaming to subscribers via its digital platforms, it is also available on Sky and Virgin Media.
ITV Racing and Racing TV will broadcast live streams of all festival races, including the WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup.
In the UK, the Cheltenham Festival 2026 will air on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra with live commentary. This network provides all 28 races throughout the four-day meeting.
This festival will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live, including the Gold Cup on March 13, 2026.
Additionally, talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2 will provide live coverage of all four days, ensuring fans cannot miss any of the action.
Format-Cheltenham Festival 2026
The Cheltenham Festival features four sessions over four days, including Champion Day, Ladies Day, St. Patrick’s Thursday, and the Gold Cup. This year, three races were divided into hurdles, cross-country, and steeplechase events. Over hurdles or fences, novice races are for horses in their first season, as well as championship races open to more experienced runners. The Cheltenham Festival is not a regular horse racing event, which makes it different from other events.
Schedule
| Day | Date | Theme | Feature Race |
| Day 1 – Champion Day | Tue 10 Mar 2026 | Opening Day | Champion Hurdle |
| Day 2 – Ladies Day | Wed 11 Mar 2026 | Style & Racing | Queen Mother Champion Chase |
| Day 3 – St Patrick’s Thursday | Thu 12 Mar 2026 | Irish Celebration | Stayers’ Hurdle |
| Day 4 – Gold Cup Day | Fri 13 Mar 2026 | Finale | Cheltenham Gold Cup |
Day 1-Champion Day
| Date | Race |
| March 10, 2026 | The Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle 2m 1/3f |
| March 10, 2026 | The Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy Steeple Chase 2m |
| March 10, 2026 | The McCoys Contractors Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race 2m 1/2f |
| March 10, 2026 | The Trustmarque Ultima Handicap Chase 3m 1f |
| March 10, 2026 | The Unibet Champion Hurdle 2m 1/2f |
| March 10, 2026 | The Sun Racing Plate 2m 4f |
| March 10, 2026 | The National Hunt Steeple Chase Challenge Cup 3m 6f |
Day 2- Ladies Day
| Date | Race |
| March 11, 2026 | The Turners Novices’ Hurdle 2m 5f |
| March 11, 2026 | The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase 3m 1f |
| March 11, 2026 | The BetMGM Cup Handicap Hurdle 2m 5f |
| March 11, 2026 | The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Steeple Chase 3m 51/2f |
| March 11, 2026 | The BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase 2m |
| March 11, 2026 | The Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Steeple Chase Challenge Cup 2m |
| March 11, 2026 | The Weatherbys Champion Bumper 2m 1/2f |
Day 3-St. Patrick’s Thursday
| Date | Race |
| March 12, 2026 | The Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle 2m 1f |
| March 12, 2026 | The Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase 2m 4 1/2f |
| March 12, 2026 | The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle 2m 4 1/2 f |
| March 12, 2026 | The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle 3m |
| March 12, 2026 | The Ryanair Chase 2m 4 1/2f |
| March 12, 2026 | The Pertemps Network Final 3m |
| March 12, 2026 | The Rosconn Group Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase 2m 4 1/2f |
Day 4-Cheltenham Gold Cup
| Date | Race |
| March 13, 2026 | William Hill County Handicap Hurdle 2m |
| March 13, 2026 | Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase 2m 4f |
| March 13, 2026 | Albert Novices’ Hurdle 3m Hurdle |
| March 13, 2026 | Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase 3m 2f |
| March 13, 2026 | St James’ Place Festival Hunters Chase 3m 2f |
| March 13, 2026 | Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f |
Horses Participating in the Cheltenham Festival 2026
March 10, 2026 -Day 1
| Race | Horse | Jockey |
| Supreme Novices’ Hurdle | Jeriko Du Reponet | Nico de Boinville |
| Champion Hurdle | Lossiemouth | Paul Townend |
| Champion Hurdle | Constitution Hill | Nico de Boinville |
March 11, 2026-Day 2
| Race | Horse | Jockey |
| Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase | Fact To File | Paul Townend |
| Queen Mother Champion Chase | Jonbon | Nico de Boinville |
| Queen Mother Champion Chase | El Fabiolo | Paul Townend |
March 12, 2026-Day 3
| Race | Horse | Jockey |
| Ryanair Chase | Envoi Allen | Rachael Blackmore |
| Stayers’ Hurdle | Teahupoo | Jack Kennedy |
March 13, 2026-Day 4
| Race | Horse | Jockey |
| Triumph Hurdle | Sir Gino | Nico de Boinville |
| Cheltenham Gold Cup | Inothewayurthinkin | Mark Walsh |
| Cheltenham Gold Cup | Galopin Des Champs | Paul Townend |
| Cheltenham Gold Cup | Bravemansgame | Harry Cobden |
Cheltenham Festival 2026-Prize Pool
| Day | Race | Prize Money |
| Day 1 – Champion Day (Tue, 10 Mar) | Supreme Novices’ Hurdle | £150,000 |
| Day 1 – Champion Day (Tue, 10 Mar) | Arkle Challenge Trophy | £200,000 |
| Day 1 – Champion Day (Tue, 10 Mar) | Ultima Handicap Chase | £150,000 |
| Day 1 – Champion Day (Tue, 10 Mar) | Champion Hurdle | £450,000 |
| Day 1 – Champion Day (Tue, 10 Mar) | Mares’ Hurdle | £120,000 |
| Day 1 – Champion Day (Tue, 10 Mar) | Boodles Juvenile Handicap | £80,000 |
| Day 1 – Champion Day (Tue, 10 Mar) | National Hunt Chase | £200,000 |
| Day 2 – Ladies Day (Wed, 11 Mar) | Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle | £150,000 |
| Day 2 – Ladies Day (Wed, 11 Mar) | Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase | £200,000 |
| Day 2 – Ladies Day (Wed, 11 Mar) | Coral Cup | £100,000 |
| Day 2 – Ladies Day (Wed, 11 Mar) | Queen Mother Champion Chase | £400,000 |
| Day 2 – Ladies Day (Wed, 11 Mar) | Cross Country Chase | £75,000 |
| Day 2 – Ladies Day (Wed, 11 Mar) | Grand Annual Chase | £150,000 |
| Day 2 – Ladies Day (Wed, 11 Mar) | Champion Bumper | £80,000 |
| Day 3 – St Patrick’s Thursday (Thu, 12 Mar) | Turners Novices’ Chase | £150,000 |
| Day 3 – St Patrick’s Thursday (Thu, 12 Mar) | Pertemps Final Handicap | £100,000 |
| Day 3 – St Patrick’s Thursday (Thu, 12 Mar) | Ryanair Chase | £375,000 |
| Day 3 – St Patrick’s Thursday (Thu, 12 Mar) | Stayers’ Hurdle | £325,000 |
| Day 3 – St Patrick’s Thursday (Thu, 12 Mar) | Plate Handicap Chase | £150,000 |
| Day 3 – St Patrick’s Thursday (Thu, 12 Mar) | Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle | £105,000 |
| Day 3 – St Patrick’s Thursday (Thu, 12 Mar) | Kim Muir Handicap Chase | £75,000 |
| Day 4 – Gold Cup Day (Fri, 13 Mar) | Triumph Hurdle | £150,000 |
| Day 4 – Gold Cup Day (Fri, 13 Mar) | County Handicap Hurdle | £100,000 |
| Day 4 – Gold Cup Day (Fri, 13 Mar) | Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle | £150,000 |
| Day 4 – Gold Cup Day (Fri, 13 Mar) | Cheltenham Gold Cup | £625,000 |
| Day 4 – Gold Cup Day (Fri, 13 Mar) | Festival Hunters’ Chase | £50,000 |
| Day 4 – Gold Cup Day (Fri, 13 Mar) | Mares’ Chase | £120,000 |
| Day 4 – Gold Cup Day (Fri, 13 Mar) | Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap | £75,000 |
High-profile participation in the Cheltenham Festival
Lossiemouth
Lossiemouth has been one of the leading hurdlers in recent years, boasting multiple triumphs at the Cheltenham Festival. She has won 13 of her 17 hurdles, including festival titles in three consecutive years. Her winning streak at the Cheltenham Festival and consistency will enable her to dominate in National Hunt racing. She is trying to make history at their upcoming event.
Inothewayurthinkin
Inothewayurthinkin is set to compete in the Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival. He aims to prove his ability to handle one of the toughest tests. He maintains strong finishing speed; the talented chaser has proven he can perform well on ground conditions. He delivered several high-level performances in major races, positioning himself as a leading contender in the staying chase. The horse will once again be partnered with jockey Mark Walsh. He will look to make a strong contender for the Gold Cup title.
Closure
The Cheltenham Festival 2026 promises a four-day event of top-tier National Hunt racing. Fans are waiting to see exciting clashes at Prestbury Park, England. At the festival, racing enthusiasts will look forward to how they perform in this year’s Gold Cup.
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