Prestbury Park stages four days of top-class Jumps racing from Tuesday, 10 March to Friday, 13 March 2026 as the Cheltenham Festival returns to Gloucestershire.
There are minor changes to the running order, with the Mares’ Hurdle and the Plate Handicap Chase switching places on Champion Day and St Patrick’s Thursday. The programme still features 28 races across the week, including 13 Grade 1 contests.
The showpiece remains the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which takes centre stage on the final afternoon and crowns the leading staying chaser of the season.
What is the Cheltenham Festival?
The Cheltenham Festival is regarded as the pinnacle of National Hunt racing, bringing together the leading horses, trainers and jockeys for four days of elite competition. More than 200,000 spectators attend across the meeting, creating one of the sport’s most recognisable atmospheres.
Each day features a headline act. Champion Day opens the meeting, while the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Stayers’ Hurdle headline the middle two days before the Gold Cup closes the curtain on Friday.
What horses will run at Cheltenham Festival 2026?
The Champion Hurdle picture is taking shape, with The New Lion prominent in the early betting. This year’s race could lack some familiar names, with Sir Gino and State Man not expected to line up. Lossiemouth may target the Mares’ Hurdle, while Constitution Hill remains a key talking point as he attempts to recapture his best form.
In the Queen Mother Champion Chase market, last season’s winner Marine Nationale is near the head of the betting alongside Majborough from the Willie Mullins yard. The two-mile championship has produced several surprise outcomes in recent years, so market leaders will need to justify their positions.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup also looks open. Fact To File heads the market after his success in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup. The Jukebox Man and Jango Baie offer strong British representation and add further depth to a race that promises to be fiercely contested.
With leading contenders emerging across the championship events, the 2026 Festival is already shaping up to deliver another compelling week at Prestbury Park.
Day One – Tuesday, 10 March
The meeting opens with Champion Day, headlined by the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle. It is one of the four championship races of the week and traditionally sets the tone for the Festival.
| Time | Race |
|---|---|
| 13:20 | Supreme Novices Hurdle |
| 14:00 | Arkle Novices Chase |
| 14:40 | Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle |
| 15:20 | Ultima Handicap Chase |
| 16:00 | Champion Hurdle |
| 16:40 | Plate Handicap Chase |
| 17:20 | National Hunt Chase |
Day Two – Wednesday, 11 March
Day Two is known as Ladies Day and features a packed card, including the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
| Time | Race |
|---|---|
| 13:20 | Turners Novices Hurdle |
| 14:00 | Brown Advisory Novices Chase |
| 14:40 | Coral Cup |
| 15:20 | Cross Country Chase |
| 16:00 | Champion Chase |
| 16:40 | Grand Annual |
| 17:20 | Champion Bumper |
Day Three – Thursday, 12 March
The third day celebrates Irish involvement in the sport and includes the Stayers’ Hurdle among the highlights.
| Time | Race |
|---|---|
| 13:20 | Mares Novices Hurdle |
| 14:00 | Jack Richards Novices Limited Handicap Chase |
| 14:40 | Mares Hurdle |
| 15:20 | Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle |
| 16:00 | Ryanair Chase |
| 16:40 | Pertemps Network Final |
| 17:20 | Kim Muir |
Day Four – Friday, 13 March
The Festival concludes with Gold Cup Day, centred around the blue riband event of National Hunt racing, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Four days, 28 races and some of the sport’s biggest prizes combine to make it the standout week of the jumps calendar.
| Time | Race |
|---|---|
| 13:20 | Triumph Hurdle |
| 14:00 | County Hurdle |
| 14:40 | Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase |
| 15:20 | Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle |
| 16:00 | Cheltenham Gold Cup |
| 16:40 | Festival Hunters Chase |
| 17:20 | Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle |
Cheltenham Festival Prize Money
A record prize fund was available at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, continuing the upward trend seen in 2024.
Across the four days, a total of £4,930,000 was on offer in 2025, underlining the Festival’s status as the most lucrative meeting in the National Hunt calendar.
What is the prize money for winning at Cheltenham?
Prize money varies depending on the race, with the four championship contests offering the biggest rewards. The Cheltenham Gold Cup carries the highest purse of the week, while the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and Stayers’ Hurdle also provide significant returns for winning connections.
Handicap races and novice contests offer smaller, though still substantial, prize pots.
Cheltenham Racecourse Guide
There are three courses at Cheltenham:
- Old Course
- New Course
- Cross Country Course
The Old and New Courses are left-handed, undulating tracks that both finish with the demanding climb up the famous Cheltenham Hill.
The Cross Country Course winds through the centre of Prestbury Park and features a mix of natural and man-made obstacles. It includes left and right turns and presents a very different test compared to the conventional chase tracks.
What is the Cheltenham Roar?
The Cheltenham Roar is a tradition that marks the start of the Festival.
Just before the opening race, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on Tuesday afternoon, the crowd unleash a huge cheer as the starter lets the runners go. It signals the beginning of four days of top-class racing.
What is the Prestbury Cup?
The Prestbury Cup is the annual contest between British and Irish trainers at the Festival.
Each winner trained in Britain or Ireland contributes to their country’s total across the week. After six consecutive Irish victories, British trainers will be aiming to regain the trophy at the 2026 meeting.
Cheltenham Festival Changes for 2026
Several adjustments have been confirmed for 2026: For the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, several scheduling and structural changes have been introduced. The Mares’ Hurdle will move from its traditional Tuesday slot to Thursday, while the TrustATrader Plate will now be staged on the opening day. In addition, field sizes for a number of handicap races have been reduced in an effort to improve competitiveness and race quality. The Coral Cup and County Hurdle will now be capped at 24 runners to enhance competitiveness.
With record prize money, course changes and intense Anglo-Irish rivalry, the 2026 Festival is set to be another landmark week at Prestbury Park.