Leading bookmaker William Hill now offer Cheltenham non runner no bet terms on ALL the 2025 Festival races from the 1st January 2025. This means their customers can wager on any ante-post market and get their money back should their selections not run.
William Hill Offer Cheltenham Festival Non-Runner No Bet From New Year’s Day 2025
Horse racing fans heading into the New Year received a welcome tonic from one of the leading Cheltenham free bets sites as William Hill are offering non-runner, no bet on ALL 2025 Festival races from January right up until the 9th of March – which is two days before the start of the meeting.
This William Hill Cheltenham non-runner, no bet offer will be on the table for all their online and in-shop customers.
William Hill, who are sponsoring the County Hurdle on day four of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, will therefore refund full stakes on any ante-post bets placed at the meeting that don’t run – which is great news as a lot can happen between now and mid-March.
Plus, if any William Hill punters place ante-post doubles, trebles or accas – horses that don’t run will also be covered with their Cheltenham non-runner, no bet offer. It just means this horse will be declared a non-runner in that multiple, with the remaining horses in the bet still in-play.
What Does Cheltenham Non-Runner, No Bet Mean?
In short, the horse racing non-runner, no bet offer means punters will be refunded their stakes if a selection doesn’t run in the race the bet was struck in. This applies to ante-post on Cheltenham betting sites; so, with still a few months to go before the 2025 Festival, this is a great perk for William Hill customers.
They can now wager on horses with the safety net of knowing their stake will be refunded if the horse is a non-runner.
Lee Phelps from William Hill said: “Racing fans have had a good look at a lot of the big guns over a fantastic festive period and many will be keen to begin making their ante-post positions for the Cheltenham Festival.
“At this stage, however, there are still multiple options open for horses across the board, so backing anything without the reassurance of getting your money back if it doesn’t turn up is tricky.
“By going non-runner money back at this early stage we hope to give punters the confidence to build a strong position for Cheltenham and get the interest building towards what is, for many, the greatest week in horse racing.”
Why is Non-Runner, No Bet So Important In The Build-Up To The Cheltenham Festival?
Well, with still around 10 weeks till the start of the action a lot can happen. A horse might get injured and miss the 2025 Cheltenham Festival all together – just like the 2023 Champion Hurdle winner Constitution Hill did last season.
In fact, there are a whole stack of reasons why a horse might not make the Festival. A trainer or owner might have second thoughts about a horse performing well at the best jumps meeting in the world.
Or with the races super-competitive to get into – some horses will simply not make the final declarations. While, finally, in more recent years some horses have had more than one option at the Festival – so as the action draws nearer their connections need to decide which race is best for them.
An example of that in 2025, is Lossiemouth, who figures high up the betting in the Champion Hurdle. She’s also one of the Cheltenham favourites for the Mares’ Hurdle with both races on the opening day.
Cheltenham Festival Dates 2025
đź“…Dates: Tues 11th to Fri 14th March 2025
⌚First Race Time: 1:20pm
⌚Last Race Time: 5:20pm
🏇Racecourse: Cheltenham
đź“ş TV: ITV / Racing TV
2025 Cheltenham Festival Schedule, Race Times and Running Order
See below the full Cheltenham Festival schedule and new day-by-day running order – with the action each day starting at 1:20pm and ending with the last race at 5:20pm.
Tues 11th March 2025: Cheltenham Festival Day One:
- 1:20 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
- 2:00 Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase
- 2:40 Ultima Handicap Chase Premier Handicap
- 3:20 Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle
- 4:00 Champion Hurdle
- 4:40 Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
- 5:20 National Hunt Chase
Weds 12th March 2025: Cheltenham Festival Day Two
- 1:20 Turners Novices’ Hurdle
- 2:00 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
- 2:40 Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle
- 3:20 Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase
- 4:00 BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase
- 4:40 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase
- 5:20 Weatherbys Champion Bumper
Thurs 13th March 2025: Cheltenham Festival Day Three
- 1:20 Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
- 2:00 Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase
- 2:40 Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle
- 3:20 Ryanair Chase
- 4:00 Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle
- 4:40 TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase
- 5:20 Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase
Fri 14th March 2025: Cheltenham Festival Day Four
- 1:20 JCB Triumph Hurdle
- 2:00 County Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
- 2:40 Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase
- 3:20 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
- 4:00 Cheltenham Gold Cup
- 4:40 St James’s Place Festival Hunter Chase
- 5:20 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle
