There’s no festival in UK racing that quite matches the appeal of the Cheltenham Festival. With four days of non stop, unmissable action where the best of best of the racing world collide it’s not hard to understand why it draws so many sports fans in. And draw in the crowds both on course and in homes it most certainly does, with close to two million viewers tuning into ITVs coverage alone in 2025, and a total of 218,839 spectators on course over the four days of action. Being that the first Cheltenham Festival was staged in 1911, it’s really no wonder that it’s built up such a following, and indeed that the idea of winning a race at the festival is seen as such a pinnacle of achievement in the sport or jockeys, trainers and owners alike.
I’m sure most of us have a memory of festivals past that sticks with us and exemplifies what this Cheltenham event is all about. Fan favourite, Best Mate winning three Cheltenham Gold Cups for instance, or Kauto Star and his infamous rivalry with Denman. Frankels’ cousin, Sprinter Sacre in the 2013 Queen Mother Champion Chase putting on a breathtaking performance, or perhaps Constitution Hill in the 2023 Champion Hurdle. The above are just a few memories of mine of the event, and you’ll of course have your own, across the countless top tier Cheltenham Festival races and those taking part in them.
Many of the Championship Festival races (Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Stayers Hurdle) are steeped in history, but of course the main household name race (and other of the Big Four Championship Races) just has to be the Cheltenham Gold Cup. This three mile event is the biggest race of the Festival with a win ensuring that a horse, jockey, trainer and owner go down in racing history. This really does make it the jewel in the crown of the Cheltenham Festival, with previous winners including Desert Orchid (1989) and Al Boum Photo, who had back to back wins in 2019 and 2020.
As is to be expected, Cheltenham Festival Betting markets for 2026 are now gradually picking up, and if we’re to concentrate on say the Cheltenham Gold Cup alone , the likes of Galopin Des Champs , Jango Baie, The Jukebox Man and Inothewayurthinkin are all in contention for the title. Of course Inothewayurthinkin won the race in 2025 beating odds-on Galopin Des Champs, so once again we have a big rivalry moment in this iconic race. Racing fans just can’t wait to see what happens this time around.
Whether you’re excited to have a bet on the Cheltenham Gold Cup or other Festival races, or just can’t wait to tune in to watch the action, you’ll once again be tuning into a little bit of racing history in the making. Enjoy!