The Cheltenham Festival is one of the biggest events in the horse racing calendar and has a long story, traced back in 1860 when the National Hunt Chase was first held at Market Harborough. This famous event takes place yearly in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, in South West England. In 2025 it will last from 11st March to 14th March.
Cheltenham Festival 2025 main races
The most awaited race of the meeting is the Unibet Champion Hurdle, which appeared for the first time in 1927, and will take place on the very first day or the Champion Day. All the races throughout the 4 days are scheduled to start at 13.20 GMT while the featured ones are from 16.00 GMT. Instead, the final races of every single day are scheduled at 17.20 GMT.
The programme of the Cheltenham Festival 2025, aside the Champion Day which will take place on the very first day, includes the Ladies Day – as it is known until 2024, on Wednesday, the Ryanair Steeple Chase and Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle on St. Patrick’s Day and, eventually, on the last day the Gold Cup Day.
The Unibet Champion Hurdle, the most anticipated race, is definitely the one that will decree the new Champion Hurdle. This is confirmed by the number of bets that are placed on this race each year compared to those on other days, a testament to its importance and the passion of fans and enthusiasts. For those who have not yet placed their bets and are looking for the best offers on the market, Kopek Des Bordes has the best odds according to Oddschecker, where you may find the best and most complete comparison and forecasts about sports betting.
The complete program
The races at the Cheltenham Festival 2025 are numerous, and each day is filled with important events. Here is the complete schedule for the four days of racing.
Tuesday March 11
- 13:20 – The Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
- 14:00 – The My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase
- 14:40 – The Ultima Handicap Chase
- 15:20 – The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle Race
- 16:00 – The Unibet Champion Hurdle
- 16:40 – The Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race
- 17:20 – The National Hunt Novices’ Chase
Wednesday March 12
- 13:20 – The Turners Novices’ Hurdle Race
- 14:00 – The Brown Advisory Novices’ Steeple Chase
- 14:40 – The Coral Cup Hurdle
- 15:20 – The Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeple Chase
- 16:00 – The BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase
- 16:40 – The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Steeple Chase Challenge Cup
- 17.20 – The Weatherbys Champion Bumper
Thursday March 12
- 13:20 The Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
- 14:00 The Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase
- 14:40 The Pertemps Network Final
- 15:20 The Ryanair Steeple Chase
- 16:00 The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle
- 16:40 The TrustATrader Plate
- 17:20 The Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup
Friday March 13
- 13:20 The JCB Triumph Hurdle
- 14:00 The William Hill County Handicap Hurdle Race
- 14:40 The Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Steeple Chase
- 15:20 The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Race
- 16:00 The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase
- 16:40 The St. James’ Place Festival Hunters Chase
- 17:20 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle
Cheltenham Leading Jockeys
Among the several jockeys who will participate in the 2025 edition of the Cheltenham Festival there’s Paul Townend, the Irish jockey who won the 2023 and 2024 editions of this festival, the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Irish Gold Cup, the 2024 Champion Hurdle, the 2022 and 2023 Queen Mother Champion Chase and other Grade I races. With his French-bred and Irish-trained Galopin Des Champs, Townend holds the first place among the leading jockeys, followed by Michael O’Sullivan, Harry Cobden, Rachael Blackmore and Patrick Mullins.
How to get to Cheltenham Racecourse
To reach the Arle Court Park and Ride, where the Cheltenham Festival will take place, there are several ways. You may reach it through the buses, which will start the journey to the Arle Court Park and Ride from 9.15 GMT to 14.30 GMT, while the return journeys will start from 16.00 GMT to 19.30 GMT. If you want to go to the Festival through other transports, there will also be shuttle bus services operating between Cheltenham Spa Railway Station, Cheltenham town centre and the racecourse’s south car park. In addition, you may arrive by train, finding the nearest railway station to the racecourse in Cheltenham Spa. In case you want to get to the Cheltenham Racecourse by car, there will be several car parks located around it, but you will need to book your parking online in order to get your spot.
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