All Cheltenham Horses & Festival Early Closing Entries

Jamie Clark

Senior sports editor

Updated: 13 January 2026

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There are a lot of hopeful owners and trainers behind Cheltenham horses seeking Festival wins with their animals. After all, the equine talent on show at the big meeting do all the hard work.

In this complete guide to Cheltenham runners at the Festival, we show you who holds entries in which races. Before all that, however, it is good to know how the entry process works. We explain that first.

How Do Festival Entries for Cheltenham Horses Work?

All 28 races at the Cheltenham Festival are what they call “early-closing races”. Unlike other, lesser meetings, where most entries close six days beforehand, owners and trainers must put their horses in these races as far out as two months prior.

This is because of the stature of the Cheltenham Festival. It dominates the entire National Hunt season, much like the way Flat owners and trainers approach Royal Ascot. This, after all, is the premier meeting over jumps.

From early January onwards with the Gold Cup, Queen Mother Champion Chase and Ryanair Chase up first, owners and trainers pay entry fees for prospective Cheltenham runners. There are subsequent forfeit and supplementary stages where they can decide on a definitive target.

This is because of the potential risk of injury or loss of form in Festival trials held over the winter months of January and February. There is nothing to stop connections from initially entering their runners in multiple races at the meeting either.

All sorts of factors influence plans for Cheltenham horses today. The same owner may have others in training targeting similar Festival races, so that leads to them being split up so as to secure maximum potential prize money.

They don’t have to show their hands too early. This is where Cheltenham betting offers like Non Runner No Bet (NRNB) terms on ante-post wagers come in handy.

Just because you as a punter fancy a horse for a certain race doesn’t mean it will end up there at the Festival. We won’t know final Cheltenham runners and riders until 48 hours before the respective days of the Festival races.

Until that point, it can be a bit of a guessing game. In the meantime, Cheltenham betting sites price up all the action on the biggest races ante-post.

When Do Cheltenham Festival Races Close for Entries?

Below is a list of dates when Cheltenham horses must go into early closing races in 2026:

The first early closing races for Cheltenham Festival runners are the championship races with steeplechases first followed by the major hurdle races. Following those are the novice hurdles and chases, then a break of three weeks or so.

That’s because in the intervening weeks, a number of key trials and meetings take place on the road to Cheltenham. In the UK, Festival Trials Day at the course is on the last Saturday in January. The following weekend in Ireland is the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown. After that comes Super Saturday at Newbury and trials at Warwick.

This two-day meeting in early February contains many Emerald Isle equivalents of big Cheltenham races today. We’re talking about the Irish Arkle, Irish Champion Hurdle and Dublin Chase over two miles, and Irish Gold Cup over three.

These events all shape who the Cheltenham favourites are for championship and Grade 1 novice races going into the Festival. Next to close are the mares only Grade 2 contests.

Festival handicaps then close with 12 of them as options for Cheltenham horses in 2025. These will have bigger field sizes than other races.

Cheltenham Gold Cup Runners

As one of the first set of entries announced, the Cheltenham Gold Cup betting takes shape over the festive period. First, the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day influences the market, then the Savills Chase in Ireland on 28 December.

Some 10 days to a fortnight later after these events, we know which Cheltenham Gold Cup horses take aim at the blue riband steeplechase. For the 2026 edition, just nine British-trained runners featured among 33 initial entries as follows:

1. Affordale Fury
2. Banbridge
3. Champ Kiely
4. Croke Park
5. Envoi Allen
6. Fastorslow
7. Firefox
8. Found A Fifty
9. Gaelic Warrior
10. Galopin Des Champs
11. Gerri Colombe
12. Gold Tweet
13. Grangeclare West
14. Grey Dawning
15. Haiti Couleurs
16. Handstands
17. Heart Wood
18. I Am Maximus
19. Impaire Et Passe
20. Inothewayurthinkin
21. Jango Baie
22. Konfusion
23. Lecky Watson
24. L’Homme Presse
25. Monty’s Star
26. Myretown
27. Nick Rockett
28. Resplendent Grey
29. Spillane’s Tower
30. Stellar Story
31. The Jukebox Man
32. Three Card Brag
33. Spindleberry

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Some 23 Cheltenham Gold Cup runners trained in Ireland take part in the Festival centrepiece, meanwhile. Of those Irish entries, the Willie Mullins stable (9), Gordon Elliott (6) and Henry De Bromhead yards have notable runners.

Cheltenham Horses in Other Championship Races

Now, we turn our attention to the other prestigious races at the Cheltenham Festival. As each set of entries come out, we have more on all of the championship events below.

All of these feature contests are live on ITV Racing including some of the biggest stars and Cheltenham runners today. All horse racing fans should enjoy Grade 1 action from the Festival featuring superstar racehorses.

Champion Hurdle Runners

The Champion Hurdle attracts only small but select fields these days. In 2025, there were 16 early closing entries. It’s the same again in 2026 with a 50-50 split between British and Irish runners.

There are always high-profile runners that most Cheltenham tips for the race centre on including three mares who could stay against their own sex. Five horses in total could run in another Festival contest from the initial field. These are the Champion Hurdle runners entered this year:

1. Alexei
2. Anzadam
3. Ballyburn
4. Casheldale Lad
5. Constitution Hill
6. El Fabiolo
7. Lucky Place
8. Nemean Lion
9. Poniros
10. Sir Gino
11. The New Lion
12. Wilful
13. Workahead
14. Brighterdaysahead
15. Golden Ace
16. Lossiemouth

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Queen Mother Champion Chase Runners

Some 24 Cheltenham horses feature among initial Champion Chase entries this year. That is up on previous recent seasons with the two-mile division apparently reaching a crossroads between generations. At the first forfeit stage, some will inevitably defect to the Ryanair Chase due to duplicate entries.

A likely small final field will probably contain previous Cheltenham winners at the Festival, but for now here are the initial entries:

1. Brookie
2. Calico
3. Captain Guinness
4. Energumene
5. Found A Fifty
6. Gidleigh Park
7. Il Etait Temps
8. Inthepocket
9. Irish Panther
10. Jonbon
11. JPR One
12. Kalif Du Berlais
13. L’Eau Du Sud
14. Libberty Hunter
15. Majborough
16. Marine Nationale
17. Only By Night
18. Quilixios
19. Saint Segal
20. Senecia
21. Sir Gino
22. Solness
23. Thistle Ask
24. Touch Me Not

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Mares’ Hurdle Cheltenham Runners

Some 25 initial entries for the Close Brothers / David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle came out in January, but it has a new slot in the Cheltenham Festival schedule on St Patrick’s Thursday in 2026. This means a switch from the Old Course to the even more testing New Course.

There will be some overlap with the Champion Hurdle, given the excellent record female runners have had in the other big hurdle race. Similar comments apply to the Stayers’ Hurdle too. Check back here for the Mares’ Hurdle entries when announced:

1. Baby Kate
2. Brighterdaysahead
3. Dream On Baby
4. Feet Of A Dancer
5. Golden Ace
6. Jade De Grugy
7. Jetara
8. Jubilee Alpha
9. Kargese
10. Kateira
11. La Pinsonniere
12. Lavida Adiva
13. Let It Rain
14. Listentoyourheart
15. Lossiemouth
16. Murcia
17. Nurse Susan
18. Park Princess
19. Siog Geal
20. Sotchi
21. Sunset Marquesa
22. Supreme Malinas
23. Take No Chances
24. That’ll Do Moss
25. Wodhooh

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Ryanair Chase Runners

This is one of the races where Cheltenham runners have quite a lot of crossover with other Festival contests. While there are 33 initial entries for the Ryanair Chase this year, plenty defect to the Champion Chase (10 double entered) or Gold Cup (14 have this option).

Bear that in mind when looking at Cheltenham odds for this race. The potential field includes an almost even split between UK and Irish hopefuls. It’s inevitable that final declarations will feature fewer Cheltenham Festival runners because entrants have other targets:

1. Banbridge
2. Better Days Ahead
3. Champ Kiely
4. Croke Park
5. Edwardstone
6. Energumene
7. Envoi Allen
8. Fact To File
9. Firefox
10. Found A Fifty
11. Gaelic Warrior
12. Gidleigh Park
13. Grey Dawning
14. Handstands
15. Heart Wood
16. Il Etait Temps
17. Impaire Et Passe
18. Jagwar
19. Jango Baie
20. Jonbon
21. JPR One
22. Kalif Du Berlais
23. Majborough
24. Master Chewy
25. Matata
26. Panic Attack
27. Protektorat
28. Romeo Coolio
29. Solness
30. Spillane’s Tower
31. The Jukebox Man
32. Thistle Ask
33. Twinjets

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Stayers’ Hurdle Runners

With 29 early closing entries announced in mid-January, the Stayers’ Hurdle no longer looks like the poor relation among the championship races. There will be some runners at Cheltenham today targeting this race as an afterthought following failed chasing campaigns, though.

That isn’t an edifying assessment, but it’s an honest one. For plenty of other horses, though, the three-mile long-distance race over hurdles on St Patrick’s Thursday is the big aim. Here are the Stayers’ Hurdle entries for this season:

1. Ahoy Senor
2. Ballyburn
3. Bob Olinger
4. Buddy One
5. Doddiethegreat
6. Flooring Porter
7. Franciscan Rock
8. French Ship
9. Gowel Road
10. Gwennie May Boy
11. Hewick
12. Hiddenvalley Lake
13. Home By The Lee
14. Honesty Policy
15. Iberico Lord
16. Impose Toi
17. Kabral Du Mathan
18. Mystical Power
19. North Lodge
20. Potters Charm
21. Strong Leader
22. Teahupoo
23. Theleme
24. The Yellow Clay
25. Feet Of A Dancer
26. Lavida Adiva
27. Ma Shantou
28. Nurse Susan
29. Wodhooh

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Cheltenham Runners in Novice Championship Races

There are now six Grade 1 novice hurdles or chases at the Cheltenham Festival. While these relatively inexperienced horses at either discipline have the option of running in the handicaps, top-class ones often try and prove their credentials in the following:

While you get more overlap with Cheltenham horses and potential runners in the novice hurdles, changes to the Festival programme for 2025 reduced Grade 1 options for novice chases down to just two from three. Let’s take a look at the early closing entries for all six novice championship races in turn now.

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Runners

Due to double entries with the Turners (Baring Bingham), the Cheltenham Festival curtain-raiser soon gets whittled down. Ahead of the release of the early closing names, it looks a wide-open race in 2026.

Some potential Supreme horses have caught the eye when falling at the final hurdle over Christmas when they looked like winning in style. Here is where to find the full list of entries when known:

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Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase Runners

The Arkle Chase for novices is one of the Grade 1 highlights on the opening day of the Festival. It has suffered from small fields in recent years, however. Just five ran in 2025, so here’s hoping for a better ratio of entries to final declarations in 2026.

It’s surprising so few Cheltenham runners seem willing to take on this test, because you need to stay and jump well to win it. Check back here for this season’s Arkle entries when released:

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Turners Novices’ Hurdle Runners

Normally speaking, the Baring Bingham run under its sponsored title of the Turners’ Novices’ Hurdle has the most Cheltenham horses entered up in it. This is because this race is over an intermediate trip between the Supreme and Albert Bartlett.

Early closing entries doubles up with those respective races, but February forfeits will tell us more about the likely field here. Check back later in January when initial information comes out:

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Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase Runners

The Brown Advisory, registered as the Broadway Novices’ Chase and run previously as the RSA Chase for many years, should attract a bigger field since the Golden Miller became the Jack Richards and changed from a conditions race for novices to a limited handicap for them.

There will probably also be some overlap with the Ultima Handicap Chase, National Hunt Chase and Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup, as well as the Grade 2 Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase with such Cheltenham runners, though:

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JCB Triumph Hurdle Runners

Age restrictions on the Triumph Hurdle and thus eligible Cheltenham horses for this event doesn’t impact early closing entries. We’ll know more about the 2026 edition later in January when these come out.

Since the Fred Winter, a four-year-olds only Premier Handicap Hurdle, was added to the Festival schedule, field sizes in the Triumph have become smaller with some runners defecting to that instead. Check out who holds an entry in the Gold Cup day opener below:

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Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Runners

There is always a lot of overlap for early closing entries between the Albert Bartlett and the Turners (Baring Bingham). During February forfeits, the field sizes for both will drop down.

With this last Grade 1 novice hurdle of the Festival being a real test of stamina, intended Cheltenham runners don’t always emerge until late on. See who has this option:

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Champion Bumper Runners

There is also a Grade 1 National Hunt Flat races at the Festival. This is for Cheltenham horses that haven’t jumped any obstacles under Rules. We’ll find out in February how many horses have an entry in the Champion Bumper of 2026 when it closes!

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FAQs

Jamie Clark

Senior sports editor

Jamie Clark has been covering the Cheltenham Festival for over a decade, firstly during his time as the Sports Editor of Coral bookmakers. His father and godfather ran a trackside bookie's pitch at Market Rasen for many years, so horse racing is in his blood. Very much a specialist in the sport, Jamie is our go-to expert on all things Cheltenham.

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