The Cheltenham Festival takes place between Tuesday 10 - Friday 13 March 2026, and is always an event to remember.
Seven races are scheduled for Day One of the Festival. The feature race of the day is the Champion Hurdle, a two mile Grade 1 race.
On the second day, the highlight is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Competitors in this Grade 1 event jump 12 fences over a two mile course.
Day Three this year will be known as St Patrick's Day, with two key races on the day - the Stayers' Hurdle and the Ryanair Steeple Chase.
The focus of the fourth day, and ultimately the week, is the Cheltenham Gold Cup itself. Run over three miles and two furlongs, this is the pinnacle award in National Hunt racing, with the winner taking home the magnificent trophy and over £350,000 in prize money.
Listed below are the schedules for each day, with the 2025 race winners in brackets:
Cheltenham Festival 2026 Race Schedule
Tuesday 10th March
- 1.20pm The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 87y (Kopek des Bordes - 4/6 fav)
- 2.00pm The Arkle Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) 2m (Jango Baie - 5/1)
- 2.40pm The Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Fred Winter)) 2m 87y (Puturhandstogether - 17/2)
- 3.20pm The Ultima Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) 3m 1f (Myretown - 13/2 fav)
- 4.00pm The Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 87y (Golden Ace - 25/1)
- 4.40pm The TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase 2m 5f (Jagwar – 3/1)
- 5.20pm The Princess Royal National Hunt Novices’ Handicap Chase 3m 6f (Haiti Couleurs - 7/2 joint fav)
Wednesday 11th March
- 1.20pm The Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 5f (The New Lion - 11/4)
- 2.00pm The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) 3m 80y (Lecky Watson - 20/1)
- 2.40pm The Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) 2m 5f (Jimmy Du Seuil - 16/1)
- 3.20pm The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase 3m 6f 37y (Stumptown -7/2 fav)
- 4.00pm The Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1) 2m (Marine Nationale - 5/1)
- 4.40pm The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Hcap Chase 2m (Jazzy Matty - 15/2)
- 5.20pm The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Grade 1) 2m 87y (Bambino Fever 4/1)
Thursday 12th March
- 1.20pm The Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) 2m 179y (Air of Entitlement - 16/1)
- 2.00pm The Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (Grade 2) 2m 4f (Caldwell Potter 7/1)
- 2.40pm The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 4f (Lossiemouth 4-6 fav)
- 3.20pm The Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle (Grade 1) 3m (Bob Olinger - 9/1)
- 4.00pm The Ryanair Chase (Grade 1) 2m 4f 127y (Fact to File - 6/4 fav)
- 4.40pm The Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle 3m (Doddiethegreat - 25/1)
- 5.20pm The Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Amateur Jockeys’ Hcp Chase 3m 2f (Daily Present 12/1)
Friday 13th March
- 1.20pm The JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 179y (Poniros - 100/1)
- 2.00pm The County Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) 2m 179y (Kargese - 3/1 fav)
- 2.40pm The Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (Grade 2) 2m 4f (Dinoblue - 6/4 fav)
- 3.20pm The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 3m (Jasmin De Vaux - 5/1)
- 4.00pm The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1) 3m 2f 70y (Inothewayurthinkin - 8/1)
- 4.40pm The St James's Place Festival Hunters’ Chase 3m 2f 70y (Wonderwall - 28/1)
- 5.20pm The Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f (Woodhooh - 4/1)
