Dates, course guide and where to watch

The Cheltenham Festival is underway and each day features a championship race: the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday, the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Wednesday, the Stayers’ Hurdle on Thursday and of course Friday’s Gold Cup.

When is the 2026 Cheltenham Festival? Start and end dates

The Cheltenham Festival began on Tuesday, March 10 and ends on Friday, March 13. The Festival was extended from three to four days in 2005. There have been tentative proposals to add a fifth day, but the idea is unpopular among racing’s core audience. Moving Gold Cup day to the Saturday has been mooted as a compromise, but for now we stick to the same format.

How many races are there?

There are 28 races across the week, seven each day.

Race schedule: Times for every race in the 2026 Festival

Wednesday

1.20: Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
Race conditions: £150,000 | 2m5f | 10 hurdles | Old Course

2.00: Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
Race conditions: £200,000 | 3m½f | 20 fences | Old Course

2.40: Coral Cup (Grade 3. handicap)
Race conditions: £100,000 | 2m5f | 10 hurdles | Old Course

3.20: Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase (Listed)
Race conditions: £75,000 | 3m6f | 32 obstacles | Old Course

4.00: Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1)
Race conditions: £400,000 | 2m | 13 fences | Old Course

4.40: Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase (Grade 3)
Race conditions: £150,000 | 2m½f | 14 fences | Old Course

5.20: Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Grade 1)
Race conditions: £80,000 | 2m½f | 14 fences | Old Course

Thursday

1.20: Ryanair Mares Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2)
Race conditions: £105,000 | 2m1f | 8 hurdles | New Course

2.00: Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap Chase (Grade 2)
Race conditions: £125,000 | 2m4f | 17 fences | New Course

2.40: Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
Race conditions: £120,000 | 2m4f | 10 hurdles | New Course

3.20: Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
Race conditions: £325,000 | 3m | 12 hurdles | New course

4.00: Ryanair Chase (Grade 1)
Race conditions: £375,000 | 2m4½f | 17 fences | New Course

4.40: Pertemps Final (Grade 3, handicap)
Race conditions: £100,000 | 3m | 12 hurdles | New course

5.20: Kim Muir Challenge Cup (Listed, handicap)
Race conditions: £75,000 | 3m2f | 21 fences | New Course

Friday

1.20: JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1)
Race conditions: £150,000 | 2m1f | 8 hurdles | New Course

2.00: William Hill County Hurdle (Grade 3, handicap)
Race conditions: £98,370 (2024) | 2m1f| 8 hurdles | New Course

2.40: Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (Grade 2)
Race conditions: £120,000 | 2m4½f | 17 fences | New Course

3.20: Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
Race conditions: £150,000 | 3m | 12 hurdles | New course

4.00: Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1)
Race conditions: £625,000 | 3m2½f | 22 fences | New Course

4.40: St James’s Place Hunter Chase (Listed)
Race conditions: £50 | 3m 2½f | 22 fences | New Course

5.20: Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle
Race conditions: £75,000 | 2m4½f | 10 hurdles | New Course

Champion Chase (Wednesday)

Marine Nationale, two-time Festival winner including this race last year, has been ruled out of Cheltenham with a sore neck.

That should leave this two-mile chase at the mercy of Majborough, who delivered an impressive performance in the Irish Arkle at the DRF. Majborough, owned by JP McManus, was well-fancied for last year’s Arkle when he a bad mistake at the second-last fence, but the addition of cheekpieces this season has helped address those jumping flaws.

Il Etait Temps got the better of Jonbon in the Tingle Creek at Sandown in December, but came unstuck in the Clarence House at Ascot in January (with Jonbon going on to win).

Jonbon would be a very popular winner for Nicky Henderson having been the bridesmaid so many times at previous Festivals. Jonbon was also second to Skelton’s L’Eau du Sud over this course and distance in the Shloer Chase in November.

Henderson has trained some Champion Chase legends, including Altior and Sprinter Sacre.