Cheltenham 2024 Betting
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Last Updated: The Cheltenham Festival is one of the world’s most prestigious Horse Racing meetings, where drama and intrigue are in great supply.
The Cheltenham Festival is considered by most experts and fans to be one of the world’s most prestigious annual horse racing meetings. Set in a stunning natural amphitheater in England, the races at Cheltenham are known for epitomizing the sport, with drama and intrigue in great supply for both the spectators and those wagering the event each year.
Cheltenham Festival betting is a staple part of bookmaker's calendars each year, and horses are brought from all over England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland to compete. The festival is renowned for its vibrant and noisy atmosphere and has firmly cemented itself among the greatest festivals in horse racing history. With a recent surge in growth and popularity, Cheltenham is considered British racing’s biggest success story!
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What is the Cheltenham Festival?
The Cheltenham Festival features several Grade 1 races, including the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Stayers’ Hurdle and the infamous Gold Cup. Cheltenham betting has grown exponentially since the festival’s humble beginnings in 1860. The race format has changed dramatically, growing from a two-day meeting to a four-day meeting with millions of pounds in prize money to be won every year. There are 28 National Hunt races at the festival each year, with the maximum audience capacity on the day of the Gold Cup being 68,000. There are two courses, known as the New Course and the Old Course, with the former being slightly longer.
Cheltenham Festival Schedule
Tuesday 12th March - Champion Day
Wednesday 13th March - Ladies Day
Thursday 14th March - St Patrick's Day
Friday 15th March - Cheltenham Gold Cup Day
Day 1 - Tuesday 12th March - Champion Day
| Time: | Race: |
| Supreme Novices' Hurdle (2m 1/2f) | |
| Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Steeple Chase (2m) | |
| Baylis & Harding Affordable Luxury Handicap Chase (3m 1/2f) | |
| Stan James Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (2m 1/2f) | |
| Mares' Hurdle (for the David Nicholson Trophy) (2m 4f) | |
| National Hunt Chase (4m) | |
| Novices' Handicap Chase (2m 4 1/2 f) |
Day 2 - Wednesday 13th March - Ladies Day
| Time: | Race: |
| Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle (2m 5f) | |
| RSA Steeple Chase (3m 1/2f) | |
| Coral Cup (2m 5f) | |
| BetVictor Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase (2m) | |
| Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase (3m 7f) | |
| Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (2m 1/2f) | |
| Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Open NH Flat Race) (2m 1/2f) |
Day 3 - Thursday 14th March - St Patrick's Day
| Time: | Race: |
| JLT Novices' Steeple Chase (2m 5f) | |
| Pertemps Final (Handicap Hurdle) (3m) | |
| Ryanair Chase (2m 5f) | |
| Ladbrokes World Hurdle (3m) | |
| Byrne Group Plate Handicap Steeple Chase (2m 5f) | |
| Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase (3m 1 1/2f) | |
| St. Patrick's Derby (Charity Race) (1m 5f) |
Day 4 - Friday 15th March - Cheltenham Gold Cup Day
| Time: | Race: |
| JCB Triumph Hurdle (2m 1f) | |
| Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle (2m 1f) | |
| Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (3m) | |
| Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase (3m 2 1/2f) | |
| Foxhunter Steeple Chase (3m 2 1/2f) | |
| Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle (2m 4 1/2f) | |
| Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Steeple Chase (2m 1/2f) |
Most Popular Ways To Bet On Cheltenham
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the biggest horse racing betting events of the year in the United Kingdom and Ireland but is wagered all throughout the world, so there are plenty of betting options for bettors to choose from. During the festival, around £150,000,000 is expected to be placed in bets. The thousands of racegoers that pour through the gates at Cheltenham can expect to place their crucial last minute bets at stands throughout, but for those of us not lucky enough to be attending not all is lost. Most of the top bookmakers offer in-play betting so the action doesn't stop when the races kick off. A few online bookmakers even stream some races live too, so you can take them in and enjoy Cheltenham Festival betting action anywhere, including your mobile devices while on-the-go.
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Cheltenham's Feature Races
The following are considered to be the biggest races at Cheltenham:
- The Champion Hurdle | This race is open to horses aged four years and older and is run on the Old Course at an approximate distance of 2.5 miles. It is the last leg of the Triple Crown of Hurdling and is scheduled to take place each year on the opening day of the festival.
- The Queen Mother Champion Chase | Open to horses aged five years or older, this race is also run on the Old Course, but at a shorter distance of 2 miles. There are twelve fences for horses to jump. The Queen Mother Champion Chase features on the second day of the Festival.
- The Stayers' Hurdle | The Stayers’ Hurdle is open to horses aged four and older and is run on the New Course at Cheltenham, at an approximate distance of 3 miles. This race features twelve hurdles and is the feature race on the third day of the Festival.
- The Cheltenham Gold Cup | The Gold Cup is the most prestigious of all National Hunt events and has featured some of the greatest racehorses to ever exist, with household names like Arkle and Best Mate featuring on it’s winners list. It is open to horses aged five and over and runs on the New Course.
Cheltenham Gold Cup Betting
It is fair to say that the Gold Cup is probably the best known race on the National Hunt calendar, and alongside the Grand National, the horse race that garners the highest level of excitement in UK and Ireland betting circles. It is no surprise that the Gold Cup generates the majority of Cheltenham’s television viewers. The first race known as the Gold Cup actually took place in July 1819, years before Cheltenham was shaped into the festival we know today.
The climactic event gathers interest months before taking place, with publications and fans alike offering consistent speculation as to who could be a potential winner. Winning the Gold Cup is considered a lifetime achievement for a professional jockey, and horses who win go down in the history books. Major horse racing events are priced well in advance of other minor races, and the Gold Cup is no exception when it comes to the top horse racing bookmakers.
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Gold Cup Winners
| Year | Winner | Starting Price | Age | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Native River | 5/1 | 8 | Richard Johnson |
| 2017 | Sizing John | 7/1 | 7 | Robbie Power |
| 2016 | Don Cossack | 9/4 | 9 | Bryan Cooper |
| 2015 | Coneygree | 7/1 | 8 | Nico de Boinville |
| 2014 | Lord Windermere | 20/1 | 8 | Davy Russell |
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