Cheltenham Schedule – All Cheltenham Festival Races by Day
Every now and then, the Cheltenham schedule and Festival programme has changes. The Jockey Club makes these with aim of improving jump racing’s biggest meeting in the calendar. This is our guide to everything happening during the four days of racing at the Cheltenham Festival.
Changes to the Cheltenham Race Schedule in 2025
Maintaining high-quality racing is what everyone connected with and attending this racecourse, plus punters wagering on Cheltenham betting sites wants. Horse racing is an ever evolving product, so the Cheltenham Festival schedule itself is no different.
A premier event like this could benefit from new races replacing existing ones despite tradition playing its part. The Jockey Club announced a raft of changes to the programme of jump racing at Prestbury Park and its premier meeting that commences in 2025.
Before we dive in to the revised the Cheltenham schedule, we thought it makes sense to look at what has changed. While some of the biggest horse races in the jump racing season stay as they are, you can expect more handicaps at the Festival moving forward.
Goodbye Golden Miller, Hello Jack Richards
The most notable change to the Cheltenham races schedule is the introduction of a Grade 2 novices’ limited handicap chase. This event replaces the Grade 1 Golden Miller Novices’ Chase on the third day of the Festival.
A big reason for this alteration is field size. The Golden Miller, run in its later life as the Marsh Novices’ Chase and Turners Novices’ Chase attracted eight or fewer runners in four editions subsequent to 2020.
The Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase now takes over this slot in the Cheltenham race schedule over the same course and distance. Hopefully, this two-and-a-half mile event will bring greater competition to the Festival.
Cross Country & National Hunt Chase Become Handicaps
Two additional Cheltenham races today switch from conditions races to limited handicaps. The first of these is the historic National Hunt Chase. No longer confined to amateur riders, it remains open to novices over fences only over about three-and-three-quarter miles.
The National Hunt Chase drops from Grade 2 status to a Class 2 novices’ handicap chase with a 0-145 ratings band from now on. As with the Golden Miller, the aim is a more competitive field after 10 or fewer runners in each of the three previous seasons.
After starting life as a handicap, the Cross Country Chase changed to a conditions contest in 2016. From 2025 onwards, however, it reverts back to a limited handicap. Its place in the Cheltenham schedule and race distance of almost three and three-quarter miles remains the same.
Cheltenham Festival Schedule in Full
Here is the complete race programme for the Cheltenham Festival day by day with seven events on the track. The Cheltenham Festival race cards start on the Tuesday, then follow-on with Style Wednesday, St Patrick’s Thursday and conclude on Friday with the Gold Cup.
Cheltenham Schedule Day 1 – Champion Hurdle Day
Racing fans have immediate quality on the opening day of the Festival thanks to four Grade 1s. These are the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Arkle Chase for novices over fences, Mares’ Hurdle and Champion Hurdle.
This is top-class action kicking the meeting off with plenty of Cheltenham favourites often obliging in these big races. Smart punters often try and pull off a Champion Hurdle day accumulators from the Grade 1 events.
Besides the National Hunt Chase, there are two Premier Handicaps on the card. These are the Ultima Handicap Chase and Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. Check out the full schedule for Tuesday below:
| Race Times | Race Name | Class of Race | Race Distance | Horses Open to | Total Prize Money |
| 1:20 | Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2m 87y | 4yo+ | £150,000 |
| 2:00 | Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase | Grade 1 | 1m 7f 199y | 5yo+ | £200,000 |
| 2:40 | Ultima Handicap Chase | Premier Handicap | 3m 1f | 5yo+ | £150,000 |
| 3:20 | Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2m 3f 200y | 4yo+ | £120,000 |
| 4:00 | Champion Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2m 87y | 4yo+ | £450,000 |
| 4:40 | Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | Premier Handicap | 2m 87y | 4yo only | £80,000 |
| 5:20 | Princess Royal National Hunt Chase (Novices’ Handicap) | Class 2 | 3m 5f 201y | 5yo+ 0-145 | £100,000 |
Cheltenham Race Schedule Day 2 – Style Wednesday
Formerly Ladies Day, Style Wednesday has the greatest diversity in terms of different races at the Festival. The card starts with two of four Grade 1s with a novice hurdle and novice chase. Following those is the Coral Cup Hurdle, a Premier Handicap.
After the Cross Country, the Queen Mother Champion Chase over about two miles takes centre stage. This is the big championship race of the day with Cheltenham odds to match.
The Grand Annual Chase is another Premier Handicap before a Grade 1 National Hunt Flat race in the Champion Bumper concludes Style Wednesday. Here is the card in full:
| Race Times | Race Name | Class of Race | Race Distance | Horses Open to | Total Prize Money |
| 1:20 | Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Registered as the Baring Bingham) | Grade 1 | 2m 5f | 4yo+ | £150,000 |
| 2:00 | Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Registered as the Broadway) | Grade 1 | 3m 110y | 5yo+ | £200,000 |
| 2:40 | Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle | Premier Handicap | 2m 5f | 4yo+ | £100,000 |
| 3:20 | Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase (A Limited Handicap) | Class 2 | 3m 5f 56y | 5yo+ | £75,000 |
| 4:00 | Queen Mother Champion Chase | Grade 1 | 1m 7f 199y | 5yo+ | £400,000 |
| 4:40 | Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase | Premier Handicap | 1m 7f 199y | 5yo+ | £150,000 |
| 5:20 | Weatherbys Champion Bumper | Grade 1 | 2m 87y | 4yo-6yo | £80,000 |
Cheltenham Schedule Day 3 – St Patrick’s Thursday
There are two feature races for the price of one on the penultimate day of the Festival. These are the Ryanair Chase and Stayers’ Hurdle that act as joint-top of the bill. Both have Grade 1 status on a Thursday card with lots of handicaps for Cheltenham horses to run in.
Before all of those, however, a novice hurdle for mares get the action underway. Following that is the new Grade 2 novices’ limited handicap chase, plus the Pertemps Final, a Premier Handicap hurdle, and Festival Plate Handicap Chase.
Bringing the St Patrick’s Thursday card to a close is an amateur jockeys only handicap chase named after Fulke Walwyn and Kim Muir. With so many handicaps on the card, look out for Cheltenham betting offers like Extra Place Races. Read on for information on all seven races here:
| Race Times | Race Name | Class of Race | Race Distance | Horses Open to | Total Prize Money |
| 1:20 | Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Registered as the Dawn Run) | Grade 2 | 2m 179y | 4yo+ | £105,000 |
| 2:00 | Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase | Grade 2 | 2m 4f 127y | 5yo+ | £125,000 |
| 2:40 | Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle | Premier Handicap | 2m 7f 213y | 5yo+ | £100,000 |
| 3:20 | Ryanair Chase (Registered as the Festival Trophy) | Grade 1 | 2m 4f 127y | 5yo+ | £375,000 |
| 4:00 | Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2m 7f 213y | 4yo+ | £325,000 |
| 4:40 | TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase | Premier Handicap | 2m 4f 127y | 5yo+ | £150,000 |
| 5:20 | Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase (Amateur Riders) | Class 2 | 3m 2f | 5yo+ 0-145 | £75,000 |
Cheltenham Race Schedule Day 4 – Gold Cup Day
The last day of racing at the Cheltenham Festival is all about the blue riband of steeplechases. Having any Cheltenham winners is great, but the Gold Cup is special. It is the third of three Grade 1 races on the card after the Triumph Hurdle for four-year-olds and Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.
There is one more Premier Handicap in the County Hurdle as this extraordinary racing gala draws to a close. Besides the Festival Hunter Chase and Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, the Grade 2 Mares’ Chase completes the programme. Here is the Gold Cup card in its entirety:
| Race Times | Race Name | Class of Race | Race Distance | Horses Open to | Total Prize Money |
| 1:20 | JCB Triumph Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2m 179y | 4yo only | £150,000 |
| 2:00 | County Hurdle | Premier Handicap | 2m 179y | 5y0+ | £100,000 |
| 2:40 | Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (Registered as the Liberthine) | Grade 2 | 2m 4f 127y | 5yo+ | £120,000 |
| 3:20 | Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Registered as the Spa) | Grade 1 | 2m 7f 213y | 5yo+ | £150,000 |
| 4:00 | Cheltenham Gold Cup | Grade 1 | 3m 2f 70y | 5yo+ | £625,000 |
| 4:40 | St James’s Place Festival Hunter Chase | Class 2 | 3m 2f 70y | 5yo+ | £50,000 |
| 5:20 | Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle | Class 2 | 2m 4f 56y | 4yo+ 0-145 | £75,000 |
Former Races from the Cheltenham Schedule
Since the Cheltenham Festival became a four-day fixture in 2005, three races have been and gone from the programme. They are all steeplechases of different kinds. You won’t find these events among the Cheltenham results any longer as the Festival evolves.
First to go was the Cathcart Challenge Cup, a race only open to novice and second season chasers. The creation of the Ryanair Chase meant the end of this other event over an extended two-and-a-half miles. Next up, the Centenary Novices’ Handicap Chase took place at the Festival between 2005 and 2020.
This took up the mantle of the Cathcart Challenge Cup as it was a novices only race. Most famously won by subsequent Gold Cup hero A Plus Tard, the Centenary was replaced from 2021 onwards with the Mares’ Chase.
Finally, the Golden Miller Novices’ Chase, first contested in 2011, lost its place in the programme after 2024. In came the Grade 2 Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase in its stead for 2025 onwards.
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