Cheltenham Betting
Find all the latest 2026 Cheltenham Festival betting odds below.
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Cheltenham Festival Betting Odds
With a wide range of different Cheltenham 2026 Betting markets available to choose, and some of our most competitive odds available, it's easy to get started betting on Cheltenham 2026 with BetVictor.
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most famous National Hunt horse racing meetings that takes place at the aptly named Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire. The four day festival, which takes place every March, has one of the largest prize money pools on offer, exceeded only by the Grand National itself. It's also a chance to get some great betting offers for all the UK bettors, so keep your eyes peeled for free bets and special offers for both new and existing punters.
Historically, the Cheltenham Festival is often talked about as a contest between two countries: the British and the Irish. In the previous years, several Irish-trained horses, especially those under the watch of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott have performed exceptionally well at Cheltenham, while other trainers including Henry de Bromhead and Jessica Harrington have also landed several big records. In fact, with the event dating back to 1860, some of the biggest names in horse racing, like Desert Orchid, Golden Miller and Kauto Star have raced here.
Over the course of the four days, the Cheltenham Festival hosts 28 different races, seven races each of the days, and attracts huge numbers of visitors. The Friday, however, is the most popular date because it's the Gold Cup day, which is the most prestigious of all the Cheltenham races. This year, the Cheltenham Festival 2026 is scheduled to take place between Tuesday 10th March and Friday 13th March 2026, and with monumental amounts of wagers being placed across the Cheltenham Festival, there will be lots of popular Horse Racing betting odds and markets covered across the days. We know that getting the best odds is crucial, so be sure to keep an eye on the all our odds and market changes here at BetVictor, so you can enjoy the best offers.
An Overview of Betting on the Cheltenham Festival Betting
There are many different types of betting options available at Cheltenham, from bets on the winners and each-ways, through to more complicated forecast and tricast bets. With millions of pounds wagered on the Cheltenham race course every year, it's a chance for experienced punters to bet on their favourite horses or newcomers to have a flutter on some of most popular names around. Here are just some of the options available across the four days.
Cheltenham Gold Cup Odds Outright Betting
The most popular betting market, as far as the Cheltenham festival is concerned, is the legendary Gold Cup, which is run on the final day. The current reigning champion is Galopin Des Champs, who was trained by Willie Mullins, although the 2026 Gold Cup has seen other major contenders enter the race such as Fact to File, Jango Baie and The Jukebox Man, all of whom are currently placed above the defending champion to edge the race. At the time of writing, Fact to File is the current favourite to win, boosted by his success in the Irish Gold Cup, although odds and runners could change before the final entries are submitted.
Champion Hurdle Outright Betting
On the first day of the Cheltenham Festival, making up the last leg of the famous Triple Crown is the Champion Hurdle. Spanning just over two and half miles and for horses aged four plus, it has had some notable winners, including Constitution Hill in 2023 and most recently Golden Ace in 2025. While both are expected to return to try their luck again at the 2026 Cheltenham festival, currently the favourite stands as New Lions with Brighterdaysahead a close second, although big names like Gaelic Warrior, Harry Des Ongrais, Irish Avatar, Kopek Des Bordes, Selma De Vary and El Cairos are also expected to feature in the race.
Queen Mother Champion Chase Outright Betting
The feature race for the second day of Cheltenham is the Queen Mother Champion Chase, which is the smallest distance chase on the calendar is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase. It's been won for the last two years by Energumene, a horse that was trained by the incredible Willie Mullins. However, due to an injury, Energumene will not be defending his title in the 2026 Cheltenham Festival Champion Chase, with the current Cheltenham favourite in the betting odds as El Fabiolo.
Triumph Hurdle Outright Betting
Another final day highlight at Cheltenham is the Triumph Hurdle, which showcases some of the best four year old hurdlers that horse racing has to offer. Another Grade 1 National Hunt race, covering two miles and a furlong, the Triumph Hurdle generates huge interest amongst both jockeys and trainers, with this year proving no different. With memorable winners like Vauban, Burning Victory and Quilixios having won in the past few years, this year sees Proactif and Selma de vary as current frontrunners in the betting markets, although this could of course change.
Additional Notable Races
Taking aside the main events like the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Queen Mother Champion Chase and Champion Hurdle, the Cheltenham Festival packs a busy line up of some other great races to watch. For novice chasers, take a look at the Arkle Challenge Trophy or to see some of the best long-distance hurdles, it's the Stayers Hurdle that you want. Middle-distance chaser fans, don't feel left out, check out the Ryanair Chase which takes place on Day 3 and is one of the big feature races. Moving on to Handicap races, you have the Coral Cup and Grand Annual Chase, while hurdling fans can tune in to the Turners Novices' Hurdle and Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle where fan favourites like Romeo Coolio, Mighty Park and Fruit de Mer will try to win a trophy of two over the course of the Cheltenham Race Days. With 28 different prestigious events ready to watch across the four days, be sure to check out our BetVictor Cheltenham betting page, delivering all the action and betting markets you can think of with the best odds guaranteed.
Cheltenham Festival Specials
Here at BetVictor, we have a great selection of Cheltenham Festival Specials for you to bet on, like:
- Willie Mullins to train 9 winners or more
- Cheltenham's Top Jockey
And that's just a small sample of what's to come ahead of the 2026 event.
Cheltenham Betting Options
As far as sports betting is concerned, horse racing is one of the punters favourites. At BetVictor, we've got an incredible selection of markets for the Cheltenham Festival, but more than that, we cover all the big events with leading Grand National odds and Royal Ascot odds, through to some of the best odds accessible on both the Epsom Derby and even international races like the Kentucky Derby. Whether it's ante post betting, straight bets or each way betting, we have a choice for all of our punters. We even have our own bet builder, allowing you to make custom picks - even across different sporting events on our site.
So with so many different betting options available, we've put together a small list of some of the best Cheltenham Festival betting options for you to review. Here's a quick list on the different type of bets you can make here at BetVictor.
Straight Bets
- Win – Bet on a horse that you expect to win outright
- Place – Bet on a horse that you think will place 1st, 2nd or 3rd
- Each-way – Bet on a horse to either finish first and a second bet of the same amount for the horse to place.
Exotic Bets
- Forecast – Bet on which two horses you think will finish top and in the exact order you predict
- Reverse Forecast – Bet on two horses you think will come 1st or 2nd, but irrespective of the order
In addition to the different bets you can make, one of our key perks at BetVictor, ahead of the Cheltenham Festival betting, is our Horse Racing Calculator. The calculator is straightforward and can help you calculate returns or potential winnings for any bet you place at Cheltenham, from singles, outright bets and accumulators, through to Lucky 15's, 31's and 63's.
You'll be able to bet on all 28 races spread out over the four days, including the 14 different Grade 1 races, including the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Stayers Hurdle, Arkle Challenge Trophy, and of course the biggest race at Cheltenham, the Gold Cup itself.
With so many markets on offer and the best odds about, get ready to enjoy our extensive variety of Horse Racing Betting options and check out our latest Cheltenham Festival Betting Odds today.
Cheltenham Betting Strategies
Making a bet at Cheltenham often requires a little pre-planning. While the obvious favourites might have a strong record when it comes to the Cheltenham festival, there have been many surprise winners and even big-priced outsiders that have shocked punters before. One of the easiest betting strategies is to consider the horses who have kept a solid form in recent races, have a proven track record at big races like Cheltenham and opting for those with experienced trainers and jockeys. By keeping an eye on the latest odds and the different market changes, you can gain valuable insight as to which way the trend is going. By combining these different factors and staying informed, you can have a better chance of backing a winner at Cheltenham.
Cheltenham Betting Tips
Before you get stuck into the Cheltenham betting experience, here are a few key tips to help you choose the best bet.
- Keep an eye on our BetVictor Cheltenham odds as these can change dramatically in the run-up to the big days.
- Keep a close eye on the form and previous runs of the competing horses, alongside their trainers and jockeys.
- Make sure to use a reputable UK bookmaker, like us, where you know your bets will be fair and the market odds are transparent.
If you follow these tips and keep an eye on the extensive list of different betting markets available to you, you'll be able to bet with confidence and make use of our incredible bet builder tools and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
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