The 2025 Cheltenham Festival promises four days of elite National Hunt racing from March 11-14 at the prestigious Cheltenham Racecourse.
The festival features 28 races across four action-packed days, with each day showcasing a championship race.
For 2025, race timings have been adjusted to accommodate expanded television coverage, with the first race each day starting at 1:20 PM and the last at 5:20 PM.
The revised schedule represents a significant shift from previous years, with feature races moving to the fifth slot at 4:00 PM. This change comes as part of a broader initiative to enhance the festival experience and accommodate expanded television coverage.
ITV Racing will now broadcast six races each day, up from previous years, meaning 24 of the 28 races will be available on terrestrial television. Of course, you can also watch each race live on the best casino, bookmaker and gaming sites that provide the facility once you have made a small bet on the race.
The modifications come after an extensive review prompted by an 18% drop in attendance over recent years. The changes aim to provide more competitive racing and improve the overall visitor experience.
Additionally, five Festival races will see altered conditions, including three additional handicaps, demonstrating The Jockey Club’s commitment to maintaining the event’s prestigious status while adapting to modern racing demands.
Tuesday, March 11th – Champion Day
The festival opens with the traditional curtain-raiser, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, setting the stage for an exciting week of racing.
The day culminates with the prestigious Champion Hurdle, now positioned as the fifth race of the day.
As mentioned above, each race has been brought forward, with the first race of the day starting at 1.20pm. The feature race on day one, the Champion Hurdle, has been pushed back to 4pm from the previous starting time of 3.30pm.
1:20 PM – Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
A 2-mile hurdle race worth £150,000 that introduces the newest jumping talent to the festival atmosphere.
2:00 PM – My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
A £200,000 chase over 2 miles, featuring the most promising novice chasers.
2:40 PM – Ultima Handicap Chase
A competitive 3-mile-1-furlong handicap chase worth £150,000.
3:20 PM – Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
A 2-mile-4-furlong race worth £120,000, exclusively for mares.
4:00 PM – Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1)
The day’s feature race, worth £450,000, crowning the champion hurdler over 2 miles.
4:40 PM – Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
A competitive 2-mile hurdle race for juveniles, carrying an £80,000 prize.
5:20 PM – National Hunt Chase
A 3-mile-6-furlong test for novice chasers worth £100,000.
Wednesday, March 12 – Style Wednesday
The second day features the Queen Mother Champion Chase as its centrepiece, now scheduled as the fifth race.
1:20 PM – Turners Novices’ Hurdle
For 2025, this race has been converted from a Grade 1 to a Grade 2 Limited Novice Handicap Chase.
Run over two-and-a-half miles, it serves as an important test for emerging talent. The race has produced several Champion Hurdle winners, including Istabraq, Hardy Eustace, and Faugheen.
2:00 PM – Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
A prestigious Grade 1 contest run over 3 miles and 110 yards with nineteen challenging fences.
It is often considered a stepping stone to the Gold Cup, though only seven winners have achieved victory in both races over the past 50 years.
The race carries significant prize money and is run on the Old Course.
2:40 PM – Coral Cup Hurdle
A fiercely competitive Premier Handicap hurdle over 2 miles 5 furlongs with a maximum field of 26 runners.
This race typically produces surprising results, with only one winner in the past decade returning a single-figure price. It’s particularly favourable for lightly raced hurdlers.
3:20 PM – Cross Country Chase
For 2025, this unique test has been converted from a conditions race to a Limited Handicap for the first time since 2016.
The race provides a different challenge with its varied obstacle course.
4:00 PM – Queen Mother Champion Chase
The day’s centrepiece and one of the four championship races of the Festival. Run over 1 mile 7 furlongs, and 199 yards with 13 fences, it’s the season’s most prestigious race for two-mile chasers.
Past winners include legendary names like Sprinter Sacre and Altior.
4:40 PM – Grand Annual Chase
A competitive handicap chase that provides exciting racing late in the day.
5:20 PM – Champion Bumper
The day concludes with this unique National Hunt Flat race, the only race at the Festival run without jumps.
Thursday, March 13 – St. Patrick’s Thursday
The third day traditionally attracts a strong Irish contingent and features the Stayers’ Hurdle.
1:20 PM – Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
A Grade 2 contest run over 2 miles and 1 furlong, offering £105,000 in prize money. This race provides an excellent platform for emerging female talent in National Hunt racing.
2:00 PM – Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap
A competitive handicap chase over 2 miles 4 furlongs, with a prize fund of £125,000. This race was recently upgraded to enhance the quality of racing on day three.
2:40 PM – Pertemps Network Final
A Listed Premier Handicap hurdle race run over 3 miles. Worth £100,000, this race has new qualifying conditions for 2025, with winners of qualifying races now guaranteed a run if within the weights.
3:20 PM – Ryanair Chase
A prestigious Grade 1 chase worth £375,000 run over 2 miles and 5 furlongs, the Ryanair Chase has established itself as one of the most important intermediate-distance chases of the season.
4:00 PM – Stayers’ Hurdle
The day’s premier event, worth £325,000, run over 3 miles with twelve hurdles to navigate. This championship race determines the season’s leading long-distance hurdler.
4:40 PM – Trustatrader Plate
A Premier Handicap chase worth £150,000, run over 2 miles and 4 furlongs.
5:20 PM – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase
The day concludes with this £75,000 handicap chase over 3 miles and 2 furlongs, restricted to horses rated 0-145.
Friday, March 14 – Gold Cup Day
The festival reaches its climax with the prestigious Cheltenham Gold Cup, the most valuable non-handicap chase in Britain.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of each race on Gold Cup Day (Friday, March 14, 2025) at the Cheltenham Festival:
1:20 PM – JCB Triumph Hurdle
A Grade 1 race worth £150,000 for four-year-old novice hurdlers run over 2 miles and 179 yards. This race often identifies future Champion Hurdle contenders.
2:00 PM – County Handicap Hurdle
A competitive Premier Handicap worth £100,000 run over 2 miles. This race typically features a large field and provides excellent betting opportunities.
2:40 PM – Mares’ Chase
A Grade 2 contest worth £120,000 run over 2 miles and 4 furlongs, showcasing the best female chasers in training.
3:20 PM – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
A Grade 1 race worth £150,000 run over 3 miles, testing stamina and often identifying future staying stars.
4:00 PM – Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Festival’s premier race worth £625,000, run over 3 miles and 2½ furlongs.
This prestigious Grade 1 chase is the most valuable non-handicap race in Britain.
4:40 PM – St. James Place Festival Hunter Chase
A £50,000 contest over 3 miles and 2½ furlongs for amateur riders.
5:20 PM – Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle
The Festival concludes with this £75,000 handicap hurdle over 2 miles and 4½ furlongs, restricted to conditional jockeys.
Altered Handicap Races in 2025
Here are the key changes to the handicap race conditions for the 2025 Cheltenham Festival:
Turners Novices’ Chase Replacement – converted from a Grade 1 to a Grade 2 Limited Novice Handicap Chase. Maintains the same distance of two-and-a-half miles.
National Hunt Chase Modifications – becomes a Class 2 Novice Handicap Chase. Ratings band of 0-145. Professional jockeys are now allowed to participate (previously amateur-only).
Cross Country Chase Changes – converts from a conditions race to a Limited Handicap. Returns to handicap status for the first time since 2016.
Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle – winners of qualifying races are now guaranteed a run if within the weights at the declaration stage. The previous requirement of finishing in the first four of a qualifier has been modified.
General Handicap Requirements – for non-novice handicap chases, this has been increased to four qualifying runs (up from three). For non-novice handicap hurdles, this has been increased to five qualifying runs (up from four).
Will the Changes Improve the Festival?
The sweeping changes announced for the 2025 Cheltenham Festival represent a response to declining attendance and evolving spectator needs.
The combination of competitive racing modifications, enhanced television coverage, improved facilities, and value-focused initiatives demonstrates a commitment to modernisation while preserving the prestigious status of the Festival that we all know and love.
While the conversion of several races to handicaps has drawn mixed reactions from industry professionals, the overall package of improvements – from frozen ticket prices to upgraded facilities and better transportation options – addresses key pain points identified through extensive stakeholder consultation.
Ruby Walsh’s assessment that these changes aim to attract the best horses while making races more competitive suggests a positive direction for the Festival’s sporting quality.
Though not all changes will please everyone, the comprehensive approach to both on-track and off-track improvements positions the 2025 Festival to potentially reverse recent attendance declines while maintaining its position as jump racing’s premier event.
