Cheltenham Racing Today: Racecards, Results and Fixtures

No races today.

This page has today's Cheltenham race card, live Cheltenham racing results, upcoming fixtures and our Cheltenham racing tips, plus an in-depth guide to the home of jump racing.

Prestbury Park sits beneath Cleeve Hill on the edge of the Cotswolds and is the most famous National Hunt venue in the world. The Cheltenham Festival in March is the highlight of the jumps calendar, but the course races from October to April, with big meetings in November, December and January leading up to it.

Cheltenham Racecards for Today

The Cheltenham race card today shows every runner and rider along with recent form, the latest odds and race times. It updates from final declarations right up to the off, so non-runners and going changes show as soon as they're announced.

The race results are added as each race is settled, and tomorrow's Cheltenham race card appears once declarations close, usually the morning before racing.

Cheltenham Racing Fixtures 2026

Cheltenham holds 16 racedays a season. The 2026/27 jumps season starts at Prestbury Park with the Showcase meeting in October. Here are the remaining Cheltenham race meetings for 2026:

Advance tickets for the November and Christmas meetings start from £13.50, while tickets for the Showcase start from £30.50.

Cheltenham Racing Tips

If you're looking for Cheltenham racing tips for today, here are some general tips to keep in mind for the track:

• Check which course is in use: Cheltenham has an Old Course and a New Course, and they ride quite differently. The Old Course is used for the October and November meetings and the first two days of the Festival. The New Course is used in December, January and the last two days of the Festival. Course form on one doesn't always carry over to the other.
• Prove they can handle the hill: The last half mile is uphill, and that climb to the line finds out any horse that isn't fully staying. Previous form at Cheltenham, or at other stiff tracks like Sandown, is a big plus.
• Respect the fourth-last and the downhill run: On the chase course, the fourth-last comes soon after the turn at the top of the hill, and it catches out lots of horses. The downhill run to the third-last on the New Course also needs a fluent, accurate jumper. Horses with sloppy jumping records rarely get away with it here.
• Ride prominently over fences, wait over hurdles: Prominent racers do well in chases up to around two and a half miles. On the hurdles course, there are only two flights in the last six furlongs, so stamina matters more. Held-up horses often win in big-field two-mile hurdles.
• Look for horses that travel and find gaps: Big fields and tight turns mean horses often get boxed in. Look for horses that travel well within themselves and can take a gap quickly, since there isn't much time to make up ground late.
• Follow the big yards, especially at the Festival: Willie Mullins was the leading trainer at the 2026 Festival for the eighth year in a row. At the other meetings, Dan Skelton, Gavin Cromwell and Henry de Bromhead have all had strong recent records at Cheltenham.
• Watch the going all season: Cheltenham can range from good in October to heavy in January, and the ground changes a horse's chances more than at most courses. Check the official going report and the clerk of the course's updates on the day of racing.
• Use the earlier meetings as Festival trials: The November and December meetings and Festival Trials Day in January show which horses handle the course. Strong form from those meetings is one of the best guides to the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Cheltenham Racecourse Guide

The Cheltenham race course is a left-handed, undulating track set in a natural amphitheatre below Cleeve Hill. The fences are known to be stiff, the turns are sharp, and the last half mile climbs steadily to the line. It's one of the toughest tests of jumping and stamina in British racing.

The Old Course

The Old Course hosts the Showcase, the November Meeting and the first two days of the Festival, including the Champion Hurdle and the Queen Mother Champion Chase. It is generally considered the quicker of the two tracks, and horses with plenty of speed usually do well on it.

The New Course

The New Course is used for the Christmas Meeting, the January fixtures and the last two days of the Festival, including the Gold Cup. It has a tricky downhill fence and a longer run-in after the final fence in chases, so stamina and fluent jumping are even more important here.

The Cross Country Course

Inside the main track is the cross-country course. It's a twisting circuit with banks, hedges and other unusual obstacles, and it hosts the cross-country chases at the November, December and Festival meetings. The course rewards experience above everything else, and the same horses and specialist riders often return to win year after year.

Draw and Ground

There are no starting stalls in jump racing, so the draw doesn't apply at Cheltenham. Instead, position matters. Prominent runners have a good record in chases up to about two and a half miles. In big-field hurdles, horses can get boxed in on the inside, so riders who keep their horses out of trouble often get the best result.

The going at Cheltenham depends on the time of year. The October Showcase is often run on good ground, while November and December are usually good to soft or soft. Mid-winter meetings can be heavy. The clerk of the course aims to provide good to soft ground for the Festival, but late rain can change that quickly. Course inspections are fairly common in January if there's frost or waterlogging.

The Cheltenham Festival

The Cheltenham Festival runs over four days in mid-March. It features 28 races, including 14 Grade 1 contests, and draws crowds of up to 67,500 a day. Every day is built around a championship race:

• Champion Day (Tuesday): The Champion Hurdle is the headline race, alongside the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, the Arkle and the Mares' Hurdle. In 2026, Lossiemouth won the Champion Hurdle for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend. She was only the eighth mare to win it, and it was her fourth Festival win in four years.
• Style Wednesday: The Queen Mother Champion Chase is the feature race, run over two miles. Il Etait Temps won it in 2026, also for Mullins and Townend.
• St Patrick's Thursday: The Stayers' Hurdle and the Ryanair Chase are the big races. In 2026, Home By The Lee won the Stayers' Hurdle and Heart Wood won the Ryanair.
• Gold Cup Day (Friday): The Cheltenham Gold Cup is run over about three and a quarter miles and is the most prestigious race in jump racing. Gaelic Warrior won the 2026 Gold Cup by eight lengths. It was a fifth Gold Cup for Willie Mullins, equalling the trainer record, and a record fifth for Paul Townend.

Willie Mullins was leading trainer at the 2026 Festival with eight winners, his 13th title, and Paul Townend was leading jockey. Irish-trained horses won the Prestbury Cup 15-13, one of the closest battles between Britain and Ireland in recent years. The 2027 Cheltenham Festival runs from Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 March.

Other Big Race Days at Cheltenham

The Showcase in October opens the season at Prestbury Park. It's often the first run of the season for horses with Festival ambitions. The November Meeting is one of the biggest jumps meetings outside the Festival, with the Paddy Power Gold Cup on the Saturday and the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle on the Sunday.

The Christmas Meeting in December features the December Gold Cup and the International Hurdle, which is an important trial for the Champion Hurdle. The New Year's Day card is another popular fixture. Festival Trials Day in late January, with the Cotswold Chase and the Cleeve Hurdle, is the last big chance for horses to show their form at the track before March.

History

Racing in the Cheltenham area dates back to 1815, and the first meeting on Cleeve Hill was held on 25 August 1818. The Grand Annual Steeplechase, first run in 1834, is one of the oldest races still run at the Festival. Racing moved to its current home at Prestbury Park in 1902.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup was first run in 1924, followed by the Champion Hurdle in 1927, and the two races soon became the centrepiece of jump racing. Legends such as Golden Miller, Arkle, Dawn Run, Best Mate and Kauto Star have all made their mark here. The Festival was cancelled in 2001 because of the foot-and-mouth outbreak, the first time it had been lost since 1943. The £45 million Princess Royal Stand opened in 2015. The course is owned by The Jockey Club.

Top Trainers and Jockeys at Cheltenham

Willie Mullins is the dominant trainer at the Festival. He's been leading trainer 13 times, including every year since 2019, and he has trained more Festival winners than anyone else.

Across all Cheltenham meetings in recent seasons, Dan Skelton has trained the most winners, while Gavin Cromwell and Henry de Bromhead have had excellent strike rates.

Paul Townend is the standout jockey at the Festival, with an exceptional strike rate on Mullins-trained horses and a record five Gold Cup wins. Harry Skelton and Harry Cobden ride the most winners at Cheltenham's other meetings. Source: At The Races.

Visiting Cheltenham Racecourse

Cheltenham Racecourse is on Evesham Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 4SH, about five minutes by car from the town centre and just off Junction 11 of the M5. Public parking is free on most race days.

The exceptions are the November Meeting Saturday and the Festival, when you'll need to pay or book in advance. Cheltenham Spa railway station has good links with Birmingham, Bristol and London, and buses run from the station to the course on race days.

Cheltenham races tickets are cheapest when bought in advance through The Jockey Club website. Admission to the November and Christmas meetings starts from £13.50, while Festival tickets start from £42 and often sell out for the Gold Cup day. Hotels in Cheltenham and the surrounding Cotswolds also book up months in advance for Festival week.

Cheltenham Races Dress Code

There's no strict dress code at Cheltenham races. The racecourse asks racegoers to come dressed to feel their best, and comfort is just as important as style. Racing takes place in the winter and much of the course is uncovered, so bring layers, a warm coat, sensible footwear for the grass, and an umbrella.

Tweed, wool coats, hats and boots are the classic Cheltenham races outfit, especially during Festival week, and many racegoers dress up on Style Wednesday. Fancy dress is allowed as long as it's not offensive, but football shirts and team kits aren't permitted.

Where to Watch Cheltenham Racing Live

Every race at Cheltenham is shown live on Racing TV. The Festival, the November Meeting, the Christmas Meeting, New Year's Day and Festival Trials Day are also shown on ITV Racing, including every Festival race on free-to-air TV.

Many bookmakers also offer free live streams of Cheltenham races to customers with a funded account or who have placed a bet.

Betting on Cheltenham Races

Cheltenham is the biggest betting event in the jumps calendar, and bookmakers compete hard for customers during Festival week. Look for Best Odds Guaranteed, extra places on the big handicaps, money-back specials and non-runner no bet offers on the ante-post markets, which open months before the Festival.

Prices can vary a lot between bookmakers on the big handicaps, such as the Paddy Power Gold Cup and the Festival handicaps, so it's always worth comparing odds before you bet.

Cheltenham Racing FAQs

Is Cheltenham racing on today?

Check the fixtures table above. If there's racing at Cheltenham today, the race card and race times appear at the top of this page. Cheltenham races from October to April, with no racing during the summer.

What time does Cheltenham racing start?

The first race at Cheltenham is usually at around 1.30pm, and the last race is usually between 4pm and 5pm, depending on the time of year. The exact race times appear on the race card at the top of this page.

Where can I find Cheltenham race results today?

Cheltenham race results are added to this page as each race is settled, including the winners, placed horses and starting prices. Results from earlier meetings also remain available afterwards.

When is the Cheltenham Festival 2027?

The 2027 Cheltenham Festival runs from Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 March, with the Gold Cup on the Friday.

Who won the 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup?

Gaelic Warrior won the 2026 Gold Cup by eight lengths for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend.

Is there racing at Cheltenham on New Year's Day?

Yes. Cheltenham races on 1 January every year, and it's one of the most popular fixtures of the winter.

What should I wear to Cheltenham races?

There's no formal dress code. Wear warm layers and comfortable shoes, as it's a winter course and much of it is outdoors. Smart country clothes like tweed are popular, especially at the Festival. Team kits aren't allowed.

Is there flat racing at Cheltenham?

No. Cheltenham stages jump racing only, although some cards also include National Hunt flat races (bumpers).

Where can I watch Cheltenham racing today?

Every Cheltenham race is shown on Racing TV, and the biggest meetings, including the whole Festival, are also shown on ITV Racing. Many bookmakers also stream the races live.