Cheltenham Festival 2027: odds, tips and free bets

Cheltenham Festival odds: betting ante-post and on the day

Cheltenham has the deepest ante-post market in jumps racing. Prices for the championship races are available a year ahead, and they move hard as the Irish and British form lines meet over the winter. Backing early can land a much bigger price, but a horse switched to another race or ruled out by injury is a losing bet unless your bookmaker offers non-runner no bet.

Most bookmakers turn on non-runner no bet for the big races in the weeks before the Festival. From then the risk of an early bet drops, and the value of a good price stays.

Cheltenham Festival 2027 favourites: who heads the betting?

Gold Cup favourites have a solid recent record. Galopin Des Champs won at 10/11 in 2024 and Gaelic Warrior was the 11/4 joint-favourite in 2026; the exception was Inothewayurthinkin at 15/2 in 2025.

Final declarations for the Cheltenham Gold Cup are made shortly before the race. From then, this section shows every runner with the best price, bookmaker and market-implied chance.

Cheltenham Festival free bets and betting offers

The Cheltenham Festival brings out some of the best racing offers of the year. Each of these lets a new customer place the qualifying bet on horse racing, and every one is for new UK customers aged 18 and over, with the significant terms in full.

Compare every welcome offer on our horse racing free bets page.

Best betting sites for the Cheltenham Festival

At a meeting as big as the Cheltenham Festival, the bookmaker matters as much as the horse. These are the sites we would use, and why each one earns its place at Cheltenham.

1. bet365: the best all-round Cheltenham Festival betting site. It paid extra places in more races than any other bookmaker in our data, and streams UK racing to funded accounts so you can watch every race of the Cheltenham Festival live on your phone. Best Odds Guaranteed covers UK and Irish racing.
2. SBK: the best Cheltenham Festival odds. SBK had the top price on more UK runners than any other bookmaker in our daily comparison, because its prices come from the Smarkets exchange. At a meeting as competitive as the Cheltenham Festival, a few points more on your selection add up.
3. Betfred: the best for racing bonuses at Cheltenham. Best Odds Guaranteed from 8am, earlier than most, plus Lucky 15, 31 and 63 bonuses for a Cheltenham Festival multiple and Super Extra Place terms on selected big races. Its £50 welcome offer is the most racing-friendly on our list.
4. William Hill: the best high-street name for the Cheltenham Festival. Best Odds Guaranteed on UK and Irish racing, extra places on high-profile races and WHTV streams of UK and Irish racing after a £1 bet. Promo Code S30 gets new customers £30 in free bets, all usable on the Cheltenham Festival.
5. Grosvenor Sport: the best for boosting your Cheltenham Festival pick. The welcome offer includes a 100% odds boost token, so a 10/1 selection at the Cheltenham Festival would be paid at 20/1. Best Odds Guaranteed starts at 9am and UK racing streams free to funded accounts.
6. Ladbrokes: the best for extra places and the Tote. Daily Extra Place Races and the Tote Guarantee on selected races, plus Best Odds Guaranteed from 8am once you opt in. A £5 qualifying bet gets new customers £30 in free bets.
7. Virgin Bet: the best for choosing your own places. Each Way Your Way lets you pick how many places you are paid on, trading price for cover. Streams are free with any funded account.
8. Coral: the best for big-race promotions. Pipped at the Post pays out on close finishes, Best Odds Guaranteed starts at 8am with an opt-in, and its £5 qualifying bet is the joint-lowest stake on this list, with Ladbrokes.
9. SpreadEx: the best for Cheltenham Festival spread betting. Race Index, Favourites and Jockey Index spreads let you bet on how the whole race unfolds, and First Past the Post payouts settle on the horse first past the line. Spread betting losses can exceed your deposit.

Our full ranking of the best horse racing betting sites scores each one on price, Best Odds Guaranteed, each-way terms and streaming.

Cheltenham Festival live odds and racecards

Racecards for the Cheltenham Festival appear here, and on our racecards page, from the day before each race day. Every race gets runners, form, jockeys, trainers and the best odds from our UK bookmakers, with a link to each horse’s profile.

Today’s racecards · Today’s best odds · Cheltenham racecourse guide

Cheltenham Festival tips: trends from recent winners

Irish stables have dominated the Festival for a decade, and the Gold Cup shows it as clearly as any race.

The Willie Mullins factor

Willie Mullins trained two of the last three Gold Cup winners (2026, 2024). Any runner from the yard deserves a close look in the betting.

Paul Townend in the saddle

Paul Townend rode two of the last three winners of the Gold Cup.

What the market tells you

Two of the last three winners started favourite, and the biggest-priced winner in that time was Inothewayurthinkin at 15/2 in 2025. The market has been a reliable guide to this race lately.

Mullins and Townend, again

Gaelic Warrior's 2026 win gave Paul Townend a record fifth Gold Cup as a jockey and took Willie Mullins level with Tom Dreaper on five as a trainer

Follow the leading yard

Willie Mullins was leading trainer at the 2026 Festival with eight winners, his 13th such title, and Paul Townend leading jockey with five

The Irish edge

The 2026 Gold Cup was the 32nd Irish-trained winner of the race

Read the ground at Cheltenham

Cheltenham in March can ride anywhere from good to heavy, and the going often changes between Tuesday and Friday. Check the morning update, and favour horses with form on similar ground. Our Cheltenham racecourse guide shows how the course rides.

How to bet on the Cheltenham Festival

1. Choose a bookmaker. Pick one licensed by the UK Gambling Commission with Best Odds Guaranteed on UK racing; our best horse racing betting sites list ranks the leading ones.
2. Claim a welcome offer. Most sign up offers let you place the qualifying bet on the Cheltenham Festival. Compare them on our horse racing free bets page.
3. Pick your horse and bet type. A win single is the simplest bet; an each-way bet also pays if your horse is placed, which suits the bigger fields of the Cheltenham Festival.
4. Take a price, or the SP. With Best Odds Guaranteed you can take an early price and still be paid the starting price if it is bigger. See our BOG sites guide.
5. Check the result and any Rule 4. Late withdrawals can reduce winnings; our Rule 4 guide explains how.

Cheltenham Festival each-way betting and extra places

Most Festival races pay three places, and the big handicaps four or more at a quarter of the odds. Bookmakers compete hard for Cheltenham business, so extra places on the handicaps are the norm rather than the exception.

In championship races with small fields, each-way rarely offers value; save it for the handicaps and the bigger novice races.

Our each-way betting guide shows how the place part of a bet is settled.

Cheltenham Festival 2027: the four days

Each day has a championship race at its heart: the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday, the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Wednesday, the Stayers’ Hurdle on Thursday and the Gold Cup on Friday.

1. Tuesday 16 March · Champion DayChampion Hurdle
2. Wednesday 17 March · Ladies DayQueen Mother Champion Chase
3. Thursday 18 March · St Patrick's ThursdayStayers' Hurdle
4. Friday 19 March · Gold Cup DayCheltenham Gold Cup

Other big races at the meeting include the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, the Arkle Challenge Trophy, the Champion Hurdle, the Turners Novices' Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Champion Bumper, the Mares' Hurdle, the Stayers' Hurdle, the Ryanair Chase, the Triumph Hurdle and the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.

Recent Cheltenham Gold Cup winners

Golden Miller still holds the record for most Gold Cup wins, with five in a row from 1932 to 1936.

Cheltenham Festival FAQs