2024-03-06

Cheltenham Festival 2024 Guide: All You Need To Know

They call it the greatest show on turf for a reason.

The Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of the jumps season in the UK and Ireland. A magical maze winds its way through Prestbury Park – it’s the job of the nags, NAPs and NBs to navigate it as safely and as quickly as possible.

It runs from 12th March until 15th March 2024 with each day brimming with season-defining races for trainers, jockeys, yards and followers alike.

Here, we break down all you need to know ahead of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival including key dates, TV and streaming details, feature race profiles, full race schedules and more.

Where to watch the Cheltenham Festival

You can watch every Cheltenham Festival race right here on BetMGM thanks to our live horse racing streaming service – and be sure to keep up to date with all the action, reaction, talking points and offers with us each day via X.

On television, the biggest racing festival of the year gets most of its airtime on terrestrial TV in the UK with the first five races of each day broadcast on ITV.

The remaining races can be found on the subscription-based Racing TV, which will also showcase the entire card.

BetMGM’s 2024 Cheltenham Festival Guide

Let’s take a look at how the racing at Cheltenham breaks down throughout the four days, including the biggest races, the notable horses and the storylines that could dominate the festival.

Cheltenham Festival Day 1

There is nothing like the first day at Cheltenham – there is a buzz in the air and on social media. A strip of grass and its condition has never been analysed as closely; whether it’s soft, good or heavy, the going plays a mammoth part in the day’s outcome. The world and its dog are looking to find value in different runners and riders.

The day one hype is built around the quality quartet that is the Supreme Novices' Hurdle (1.30), Arkle Challenge Trophy (2.10), Champion Hurdle (3.30) and Mares’ Hurdle (4.10).

Race of the Day: The Champion Hurdle

While the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle garners plenty of attention as the day’s opening contest and the architect of the very first ‘Cheltenham roar’ every year, much of the focus for day one is on the Champion Hurdle.

Despite the magnitude of the renewal, we could yet see the joint-shortest-priced winner in the history of the event – State Man has been as short as 2/5 in the build-up after last year’s winner Constitution Hill was withdrawn from the race by trainer Nicky Henderson due to an infection.

The previous shortest-price horse to win this race was Sir Ken, who started as 2/5 favourite in 1953 when winning the second of three consecutive Champion Hurdles.

Without the spectre of Constitution Hill looming over the race, though, there could be some other opportunities for previously unfancied runners. Early entrant Lossiemouth has won six of her seven starts and is floating around the 4/1 mark while Irish Point has also won his previous four races on the bounce. If they both line up come March 12th, keep an eye on them.

Cheltenham Day 1 Stat: In 2023, the first day at Cheltenham was one for the favourite-backers as five of the seven winners were favourites or joint-favourites.

Full Cheltenham Day 1 Racecard

1.30 – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
2.10 – Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase (Grade 1)
2.50 – Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
3.30 – Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Grade 1)
4.10 – Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
4.50 – Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
5.30 – National Hunt Novices’ Chase (Grade 2)

Cheltenham Festival Day 2

The racing palooza continues in earnest on Wednesday with Ladies Day taking centre stage – expect to see hats… and lots of them.

Highlights from the second batch of seven races include the Novices’ Hurdle (1.30), Novices’ Chase (2.10), Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (2.50) and the Queen Mother Champion Chase (3.30).

Race of the Day: Queen Mother Champion Chase

It’s tough to call which race is the most important but all eyes will be drawn to the Queen Mother Champion Chase – and rightly so as it should be a proper ding-dong battle between two heavyweight horses in Jonbon and El Fabiolo.

Thanks to a huge engine and aggressive jumping style, El Fabiolo is the likely favourite with punters fancying his chances ahead of Jonbon after the latter’s poor performance over fences in the Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham back in January.

Both are top-class specimens and it should make for a fascinating affair, as their thrilling finish when facing off in last year’s Arkle Challenge Trophy proved. El Fabiolo triumphed by 5½ lengths on that occasion – will he repeat the trick this year in the Champion Chase?

Cheltenham Day 2 Stat: Pay attention to the odds… 11 of the 12 winners of the Champion Chase since 2012 have been one of the top three in the betting

Full Cheltenham Day 2 Racecard

1.30 – Novices’ Hurdle Race (Grade 1)
2.10 – Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
2.50 – Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
3.30 – The Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1)
4.10 – Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase
4.50 – Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
5.30 – The Champion Bumper (Grade 1)

Cheltenham Festival Day 3

The festival celebrates St Patrick's Day on Thursday 14th March – expect an especially raucous atmosphere and a sea of green outfits across the racecourse and in the stands.

The pick of the races on this day includes the Novices’ Chase (1.30), Ryanair Chase (2.50) and the Stayers' Hurdle (3.30).

Race of the Day: Stayers’ Hurdle

The Stayers’ Hurdles is the fourth of five Championship races to take place throughout the week and the feature event on the third day.

The Cleeve Hurdle – also run in Cheltenham every January – is seen as a trial for this race and four of the previous 10 winners of the Cleeve have gone on to win the Stayers’.

With that in mind, the stage is set for the 2022 Grand National winner and 2024 Cleeve Hurdle conqueror Noble Yeats to bolster an already incredible pedigree.

Current race favourite Teahupoo, who overcame odds on favourite Impaire Et Passe to defend his Hatton's Grace Hurdle title at Fairyhouse in December, could take all the beating though.

Cheltenham Day 3 Stat: Don’t be afraid to take on the odds – in four of the last five runnings of this race the returning price has been in the double figures

Full Cheltenham Day 3 Racecard

1.30 – Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
2.10 – Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
2.50 – Ryanair Chase/Festival Trophy (Grade 1)
3.30 – Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
4.10 – The Festival Plate Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
4.50 – Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2)
5.30 – Challenge Cup Handicap Chase

Cheltenham Festival Day 4

The final day at the festival rounds the week off with a bang, mainly thanks to the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

In 2023, a whopping 1.7 million people tuned in to watch the race unfold. It is the most valuable non-handicap chase in Britain with runners sharing a prizepool of £625,000.

Other races at the Cheltenham Festival on Friday 15th March include the BetMGM County Hurdle, Triumph Hurdle (1.30), Novices’ Hurdle (2.50) and the Grade 2 Mares’ Chase (4.50).

Race of the Day: Cheltenham Gold Cup

It needs no introduction. The Cheltenham Gold Cup is imprinted on the sport’s DNA and represents some of the most magical memories for followers of racing.

From Best Mate matching Arkle's record of three successive Gold Cup victories in 2004 to Kauto Star putting in one of the greatest performances in racing history with a 2009 win over rival Denman, this race is dripping in historical significance.

The indomitable Shishkin is courting a lot of fancy despite his shocking fall in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day when two lengths clear heading over the second-last. He could be the one to beat.

The current favourite, though, is Galopin Des Champs. Plenty fancy him to defend his 2023 Gold Cup crown after an authoritative Savills Chase victory late last year.

He also came out on top in the Irish Gold Cup in early February – beating Fastorslow by 4½ lengths. He, too, is fancied to lay down a strong challenge here but does he have enough in the tank to lay a glove on Galopin Des Champs?

Cheltenham Day 4 Stat: You have to go back to 1998 to find a horse older than 9 which has got the job done in the Gold Cup. Indeed, the last 12 Cheltenham Gold Cup winners have been aged between seven and nine years old

Full Cheltenham Day 4 Racecard

1.30 – The Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1)
2.10 – The BetMGM County Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
2.50 – Novices’ Hurdle Race (Grade 1)
3.30 – Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1)
4.10 – Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase
4.50 – Mares' Chase (Grade 2)
5.30 – Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (0-145)

BetMGM Cheltenham Festival Welcome Offer

Here at BetMGM we make every race an occasion – so be sure to check our website and app for daily Cheltenham Festival Specials, odds boosts and more as the entertainment unfolds.

We also have an outstanding Welcome Offer for new customers ahead of Cheltenham.

Enjoy the greatest show on turf with BetMGM and get £60 in Free Bets when you bet £10.

It’s showtime!

Cheltenham Welcome Offer Terms & Conditions: New customers only. 7 days to place a qualifying bet to receive 6 x Free Bets: 4 x £10 Horse racing, 2 x £10 Acca Free Bets. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. T&Cs apply. 18+ BeGambleAware.org

Full terms can be found here.