28 races. Four great days.

Cheltenham Festival bigwigs have been tinkering with the race schedule for this year’s meeting.

Prestbury Park opens its doors for another four days of high-class Jumps action from Tuesday, 10th March to Friday, 13th March in 2026. Champion Day and St Patrick’s Thursday are affected by the changes as the Mares’ Hurdle and Plate Handicap Chase have traded places on the running order.

A total of 28 races, including 13 Grade 1s, feature on this year’s Cheltenham Festival race schedule. The big one, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, is the centre piece on the final day of action from the Gloucestershire track.

Find Cheltenham Festival odds on the Paddy Power website and app. Otherwise, the schedule for this year’s meeting is below.

Cheltenham Festival 2026 schedule

Day One: Tuesday, 10th March

13:20: Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
14:00: Arkle Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
14:40: Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
15:20: Ultima Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
16:00: Champion Hurdle (Grade 1)
16:40: Plate Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
17:20: National Hunt Chase

Day Two: Wednesday, 11th March

13:20: Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
14:00: Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
14:40: Coral Cup (Premier Handicap)
15:20: Cross Country Chase
16:00: Champion Chase (Grade 1)
16:40: Grand Annual (Premier Handicap)
17:20: Champion Bumper (Grade 1)

Day Three: Thursday, 12th March

13:20: Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2)
14:00: Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (Grade 2)
14:40: Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
15:20: Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
16:00: Ryanair Chase (Grade 1)
16:40: Pertemps Network Final (Premier Handicap)
17:20: Kim Muir

Day Four: Friday, 13th March

13:20: Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1)
14:00: County Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
14:40: Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (Grade 2)
15:20: Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
16:00: Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1)
16:40: Festival Hunters’ Chase
17:20: Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle

What is the Cheltenham Festival?

The Cheltenham Festival is the Olympics of horse racing as the cream of the crop in the Jumps game descend on Gloucestershire for four days of world-class action.

There are a total of 28 renewals on the Cheltenham Festival schedule including a feature race on each day.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup for staying chasers is the week’s highlight and one of the biggest races of the whole Jumps season.

The Cheltenham Festival attracts more than 200,000 racegoers over the four-day period.

What horses will run at the Cheltenham Festival 2026?

Paddy Power’s Champion Hurdle antepost betting suggests Sir Gino is the one to beat over the minimum distance after an impressive return from injury. There’s also the little matter of whether Lossiemouth will line up.

A pair of Irish contenders, last year’s winner Marine Nationale and Il Etait Temps, head our antepost betting for the Champion Chase.

Our Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle antepost betting market is headed by 2024 winner Teahupoo, who’s looking to regain the crown.

Cheltenham Gold Cup antepost betting could see Galopin Des Champs attempt to reverse the form with Inothewayurthinkin from last season’s renewal. King George winner The Jukebox Man and last year’s Arkle hero Jango Baie look good for the home team, however.

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