Best Cheltenham Betting Offers & Sites 2025
Latest Cheltenham Betting Offers for April 2025
- All
- Enhanced Odds
- Live Streaming
- £50 Free Bet
- £30 Free Bet
- Acca Bonus
- £20 Free Bet
- Free Bet if 2nd
- £40 Free Bet
- £10 Free Bet
- BOG
- Extra Place Races
- NRNB
- £25 Free Bet
- 2nd to Favourite
- Price Boosts
- Cash Out
- £35 Free Bet
- More Filters
18+ <a href="http://begambleaware.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">begambleaware.org</a>. Spread betting losses can exceed deposit. Place a qualifying £10 fixed odds bet at odds of 1/2 or greater. Qualifying bet cannot be placed in-play or cashed out early. Free bet stakes not included in any winnings from the free fixed odds bets. Free bets expire in 28 days if unused.
New customers online only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Only valid with code B10G40 on registration. £/€10 min qualifying bet at 1/1 (2.0) odds or greater across sports or racing (if EW then min £10 Win + £/€10 Place). Receive £/€20 Tote Credit, £/€20 Free Sports Bet and 50 Free Spins on Big Bass Bonanza within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. 7-day expiry on free bets & Tote Credit. Your first bet will be your qualifying bet. One per customer. UK & ROI customers only. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. <a href="https://www.gambleaware.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gambleaware.org</a>. Full T&Cs apply.
18+ New Customers in UK/IE only. Sign up using the promo code <strong>BS10 </strong> and make a minimum deposit of £10. Place a minimum £10 cash bet at odds of Evens (2.0) or greater and receive a £10 Free Bet. Cashed Out or void bets will not qualify for a welcome bonus. Free Bet credits will be subject to an expiry period of 7 days from date of issue. Free bet stakes not included in return. <a class="c-link" href="http://gambleaware.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://GambleAware.org" data-sk="tooltip_parent">GambleAware.org</a>, T&Cs apply.
New UK 18+ customers only. Register with WELCOME50. First bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get Free Bets: £20 In-Play, £20 Acca & 50 x £0.20 (£10) Free Spins on Fishin’ Frenzy within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply.
New customers only, aged 18+. Min deposit £10. Get £25 in Free Bets plus 10 Free Spins when you make a first bet of £50 or more. Your qualifying bet must be placed at odds of 1/1 (2.0) or greater. Free Bets must be placed at odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater on named sports. Free Spins are valued at 10p and expire in 7 days. <a class="c-link" href="https://promotions.fitzdares.com/bet-50-get-25/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://promotions.fitzdares.com/bet-50-get-25/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Additional T&Cs apply</a>. Please bet responsibly.
New UK Customers (Excluding NI) only. Min Deposit £10. Min £10 stake required for initial £5 free bet. Min odds ½. Max £25 in free bets. Subsequent free bets equal 50% average of each 3 £5 max qualifying bets. 13 settled bets required to receive full £25 free bet. Qualifying bets must be placed on sportsbook within 30 days of opening account. Cashed out bets will not qualify towards your average stake. One free bet offer per customer, household or IP address only. Free bet expires after 7 days. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 18+. T&Cs apply.
Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.
New customer only. Get a Free Bet up to £50 based on 50% of your first day's losses plus £20 Casino Bonus! UK 18+. T&Cs apply.
New customer offer only. Must have a minimum of 3 bets of £10 at odds of evens (2.0) or bigger on first day. First day losses equals all settled stakes less all returns. Free bets must be used in their entirety and stakes are deducted from returns. If this promotion is withdrawn it will not impact any qualifying bet you have placed during promotional period
We’ve enhanced our UK Sportsbook Welcome Offer. Get 50% Back as a Free Bet up to £35 (normally £25) plus 10 Free Spins! A minimum of 3 bets at odds of evens (2.00) or greater is required to qualify for the max free bet, which is based on 50% back of first day losses. Even if your account is up, a single £10 Bet at the minimum odds, secures a £5 Free Bet & 10 Free Spins. UK 18+T&C’s
List of Bookmakers & Best Cheltenham Betting Sites
Why Trust Cheltenham Betting Offers?
- Transparent, honest reviews of the best bookies for Cheltenham deals
- All the latest Cheltenham promotions put under the microscope
- Explore the best Cheltenham betting markets available today
Best Cheltenham Betting Offers in More Detail
Let’s take a look at the best bookies for Cheltenham Festival betting offers. With so many Cheltenham free bets up for grabs, let’s take a deep-dive into what they have to offer.
Paddy Power
The welcome offer at Paddy Power will get you off to a winning start for the Festival. Sign up and bet just £5 and they will give you £30 in free bets, which is six times your original investment. Enter the relevant bonus code and deposit using either a debit card or Apple Pay.
Daily Extra Place Races are available at the Stayers’ Hurdle sponsor. There are also boosted odds to grab for a variety of Paddy Power Cheltenham offers including Power Prices on racing specials and Festival accumulators.
Paddy’s Rewards Club gives you enhanced prices and Cheltenham free bets, meanwhile. This Irish bookie has some great topical offers available throughout the year, so you can expect to find them pulling out the big guns when the Festival comes around.
- Live streaming on racing
- Expert tips available
- Cheltenham Festival ante-post betting available well in advance
Ladbrokes
Another of the more established sites for Cheltenham betting offers are Ladbrokes. The Ladbrokes welcome offer is both cheap to try out and lacks risk.
When you sign up and bet £5 at odds of just 1.5 or higher, they will give you £20 in free bets. They are split into 4 x £5 bet tokens, giving you a useful array of options for Festival races.
There’s a number of deals for existing racing fans. You can enjoy extra places, BOG, enhanced odds and guaranteed Placepots. Expect more promos to present themselves nearer to the Cheltenham festival starting.
- Super range of enhanced specials every day
- Analysis from trainer Dan Skelton
- Bookmark your favourite horses for future bets
William Hill
The oldest name on the British bookmaking scene offer one of the biggest welcome deals around. When you open an account and bet £10 at odds of just 1.50 or greater, using the bonus code R30, you will receive £30 in free bets.
That’s a 3x return on your investment and three lots of £10 available for you to bet on the Festival. There are lots of William Hill Cheltenham offers open to everyone too.
They have a Non-Runner Money Back deal available for Cheltenham Festival ante-post betting and enhanced odds deals for the event. Bet on any race at the big meeting from 1 January and get a run for your money or stake back in full as cash.
Cheltenham offers for existing customers include Pick Your Places which allows you to set extra places and Lengthen Your Odds, where you can receive an odds boost by including distance betting in wagers on every UK race.
- More top racing prices in 2024 any other bookie
- Watch Festival action live for free on Betting TV
- Great range of racing promos and extras
bet365
One of the best Cheltenham sign up offers comes from bet365. Sign up and wager £10 and they’ll give you £30 in bet credit.
Not only is that offer generous, but it is also largely free of difficult terms and conditions. One thing to watch out for is that deposits from PayPal, Paysafecard and other prepaid debit card and credit cards, will not qualify for this offer.
We found that NRNB was available on flagship race bets at Cheltenham such as the Ryanair Chase. The range of regular bet365 Cheltenham offers for racing bettors is hard to beat.
There’s a Bet Boost on selected runners in all races, BOG, the ability to choose your place terms with Each Way Extra and Racing Value, which gives you early prices and pays out on disqualified horses.
- My Horses feature lets you build and track your favourites
- Win £25,000 with free 6 Horses Challenge prediction game
- Bet on favourites and jockeys performance at the Festival each day
Betfred
Known as ‘The Bonus King’, this famous betting brand lives up to their billing with their welcome offer.
Sign up, bet £10 and enter the promo code BETFRED50 and they will give you £50 in free bets, of which £20 are for accumulators and £30 for use with sports market singles, which both include Festival races.
Existing users are spoilt for Betfred Cheltenham betting offers this year. There are extra place races, odds boosts, Lucky bet bonuses, BOG, a racing rewards scheme, a tricast bonus and a free bet if the horse you back finishes second or even third in some races. We’re excited for what the Bonus King will serve up for us come Festival week.
- Amazing range of racing bonuses
- Daily racing tips available
- Racing audio commentary and live streaming
Coral
This brand is synonymous with the Cheltenham Festival, as they are the longstanding sponsor of the Coral Cup. New players can get £20 in free bets with the latest Coral Cheltenham betting offers, providing they place an opening bet of just £5 with low minimum odds of 1/2.
Existing bettors can win £25,000 with their free-to-play Racing Super Series game. There’s also bet boosts, BOG, guaranteed placepot prize pools and your stake refunded if your horse loses by a neck or less.
We’re expecting plenty of extra Cheltenham Gold Cup betting offers and general Festival offers nearer the time from Coral.
- Place bets in-running after the off
- Track your favourite horses with My Stable feature
- Tips from Sean Bowen and Joe Tizzard
Betfair
If you’re a fan of accumulators, then Betfair Cheltenham offers are a good choice. Sign up, bet £10 and you will get £50 in free bets to use on accas, which can include racing. Existing users can also get a free bet when they place a racing multiple.
In the run up to Cheltenham you get a free bet every weekend on any racing acca. There’s a good range of OddsBoost offers and jockey specials for racing throughout the year, with plenty more extra deals expected for the Festival.
- Superb range of multiples offers
- Tips from experts including Paul Nicholls
- Place lay bets on Cheltenham on Betfair Exchange
Unibet
Unibet are the Champion Hurdle sponsors and have a dedicated racing welcome offer. Sign up and place a £20 wager on racing betting markets and they’ll give you £20 in free bets to use exclusively on the sport.
The minimum price on the qualifying wager can be really low at 1.4, so even some of the shortest odds on favourites are possibilities. Existing customers will also feel the benefit of how seriously Unibet takes racing.
With Best Industry Price they take a race each day and give a best betting industry price for every runner. There’s more price promises with BOG, odds boosts and acca boots, while you can also enjoy extra place races. Best of all, the Unibet Cheltenham betting offer is made for racing fans.
The Tote
Tote is the home of pools betting. When you sign up with them and bet £10 on one of their racing pools markets, you will receive £30 in Tote Credit. This breaks down as £20 for racing and £10 for sports betting purposes.
With the Tote Guarantee existing bettors can expect value. Place a win bet and it will at least pay SP and if the Tote dividend is bigger, they pay out at that price.
There’s also the Stayers Club. Place six bets in a week and you’ll earn free bets, which will come in very useful at Cheltenham.
- Place pools bets and fixed odds wagers
- Range of different pools markets available
- Season-long Tote Ten to Follow game
Sky Bet
Sky Bet are the sponsors of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, which is the very first of the Festival races that takes place each year. Their Sky Bet Cheltenham offer undoubtedly has the smallest minimum stakes around.
You have to sign up and bet just 0.05p to receive £40 in free bets, which you receive as x4 free bet tokens.
There are extra places available for existing online customers throughout the year and we found this already available for Cheltenham’s races. Meanwhile, the Sky Bet Club will see you earn a weekly reward when you bet £30.
Spreadex
As thee number one choice for spread betting in the UK, Spreadex have one of the best Cheltenham betting offers for new sign ups. Register and bet £25 fixed odds bet at a price of 1.5 or greater and they will give you £50 in bonuses.
You’ll receive 5 x £5 free fixed odds bets, 2 x £5 Total Goals bets, 2 x £5 Winning Favourites bets, a £1 free Race Index spread bet, plus some free spins. This gives you plenty of scope to try out different product, including Cheltenham Gold Cup betting offers and those for other events in racing at Cheltenham.
Existing users can also enjoy double odds on Lucky bets, First Past the Post payouts on demoted horses and 2nd to a Rag Insurance, where you’ll get your stake returned as a free bet if the horse you back finishes second to one priced at 33/1 or bigger. We feel there’s lots to like about Spreadex Cheltenham offers right now.
- Place spread bets on racing
- Fixed odds also available
- Live streaming from around the world
Planet Sport Bet
If you’re looking for a simple welcome deal for Cheltenham, then Planet Sport Bet might have the offer for you. Sign up using the promo code BS10 and bet £10 and they’ll give you a £10 free bet. It’s not the biggest, but it’s a solid offering, with a 7-day expiry period.
Existing online customers can take advantage of daily racing specials, acca boosts and free bet deals. Keep on the lookout once Cheltenham is underway, as this brand often have topical promotions on offer.
- Tips and racing news
- Live coverage of all UK and Irish racing
- Bet on the go with great mobile app
BoyleSports
This Irish bookie will give you a £25 free bet bundle when you sign up. You start the ball rolling with a £10 qualifying bet and you then make further qualifying bets to receive the full amount.
It’s one of the more complicated offers out there and are also eligibility restrictions for quite a few different deposit methods. Yet when it comes to Cheltenham betting offers for existing bettors, BoyleSports also have you covered.
You get your stake back if your horse finishes second to an SP favourite, BOG is in place and there are extra places on races. They are also the bookie of choice for acca fans.
Acca Loyalty gives you a free acca for every five that you place, while Acca Rewards gives you the choice of insurance or an odds boost. When it comes to BoyleSports Cheltenham offers, they have great deals for punters who like multiples.
- Big list of racing specials every day
- In-running betting available
- Racecards full of detail, stats and analysis
Fitzdares
This classy bookmaker’s welcome offer appeals beyond racing fans. When you sign up and wager £50 you get £25 in free bets, but they are split as £10 to bet on football, £10 for greyhounds, £5 on virtual sports and some free spins.
There are, however, some very useful offers for existing online customers. You can enjoy a 25% bonus on Lucky bets and you receive 10% cashback on any racing losses.
You will get a free bet if your horse finishes second to a 20/1+ winner and there are also regular free bets to claim every Monday.
- Exclusive members club allows you to bet via app, phone or text
- Races streamed live from around the world
- Fitzdares Times features the likes of Cornelius Lysaght
How We Rank Cheltenham Festival Betting Offers
Best Cheltenham Sign Up Offers for New Customers
Sign up offers for Cheltenham come in different shapes and sizes. Read on to discover the various types of welcome deals that are available for the Festival, with our detailed guide.
Bet & Get Deals
Most new customer Cheltenham offers take this form. You place a qualifying bet and in return you get some free bets.
So, for example, with Spreadex’s welcome offer, when you bet £10 you get £40 in free bets. There are some big bonuses available that will multiply your initial stake by a large amount.
Bigger is not necessarily better, of course. It’s important to check the terms and conditions to ensure that the wagering requirements are not unrealistic.
Cheltenham Money-Back Offers
Another popular form of Cheltenham betting offers for new sign-ups are money-back deals. They are alternatively referred to as a no-risk bet.
You sign up and place your first bet. If it loses you get your stake back in the form of a free bet, up to a certain upper limit.
So, say for example you bet £20 on a horse in the Ryanair Chase and it lost. Your bet stakes would be returned in the form of a £20 free bet.
The no-risk element of this offer means that punters have the freedom to place more daring bets than they would often go for. With protection in place, they can take a chance on large odds bets.
Price Boosts
With this sort of offer new online customers get the chance to sign up and place their first bet on a certain horse in a big race, at hugely inflated odds.
It’s normally found for the biggest races such as the Gold Cup. A horse at odds of odds of Evens might get a boost to 25/1, with there being a strict limit in place, in regard to the bet stakes.
The days of days of sign up offers giving huge price boosts for prominent Festival races are largely gone now.
Cheltenham Betting Offers for Existing Customers
We are just as interested in Cheltenham existing customer offers, as we are the eye-catching promos available for new sign-ups. Here are some of the best promotions that existing customers can use to bet on Festival races.
2nd to SP Favourite
With so many competitive markets set to take place at the Festival, this is one of the Cheltenham betting offers that gives a little extra edge back to the punter.
If the horse that you back ends up finishing second behind the Starting Price favourite, then you will get your stake refunded.
That stake is normally returned in the form of a free bet and up to a certain maximum limit, such as £20.
Accumulator Cheltenham Festival Offers
If you enjoy throwing together a few odds on favourites and fancied horses together in an acca, then there are plenty of promotions that will help you to be successful.
With acca insurance, you receive your stake back as a free bet up to a certain stated limit, if only one of your selections lets you down.
Then there are acca boosts which add an extra percentage of winnings to a successful accumulator. The more selections you pick, the bigger the percentage.
Fans of Lucky 15s, 31s and 63s can also profit from promotions which give you some kind of bonus if only one selection wins, or if all of them are successful.
Best Odds Guaranteed
One of the Cheltenham betting offers that you should always look out for is Best Odds Guaranteed. When a bookie has BOG it means that you can place a bet with some extra assurance.
If the SP ends up being bigger than the price you got, then the bookmaker will pay out at the bigger odds.
Best Odds Guaranteed kicks in at different times of the day, depending on the betting site in question. Below is a table that shows just when online customers can enjoy this benefit.
| Bookie | BOG Applies from |
| 888sport | 8am |
| bet365 | 8am |
| Betfred | 8am |
| BoyleSports | 8am |
| Coral | 8am |
| Ladbrokes | 8am |
| Paddy Power | 8am |
| Unibet | 8am |
| William Hill | 8am |
| BetVictor | 9am |
| Fitzdares | 9am |
| Sky Bet | 9am |
| Virgin Bet | 10am |
| QuinnBet | 10am |
| BetGoodwin | 10am |
Bet Boosts
This type of offer sees the odds extended on a horse, beyond the normal industry level. Generally that will mean there are be boosts available for selected runners, as is the case at bet365.
Yet there are also offers available where you can actually select the horse that you wish to boost the odds of, with William Hill boasting of such a deal.
Extra Place Races
Extra places being applied to races is very common at Cheltenham and is also available throughout the year on racing markets.
A race where the first four finishers normally place, becomes the first five. If the first five normally place, it becomes the first six.
There are a lot of races at Cheltenham with big fields where you can expect extra places, as the table below shows.
| Cheltenham Extra Place Races | Day of Festival | Extra Place Race Terms |
| Ultima Handicap Chase | Tuesday | 1-2-3-4-5 |
| Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | Tuesday | 1-2-3-4-5 |
| Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle | Wednesday | 1-2-3-4-5-6 |
| Grand Annual Chase | Wednesday | 1-2-3-4-5 |
| Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle | Thursday | 1-2-3-4-5-6 |
| TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase | Thursday | 1-2-3-4-5 |
| Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase | Thursday | 1-2-3-4-5 |
| County Hurdle | Friday | 1-2-3-4-5-6 |
| Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle | Friday | 1-2-3-4-5-6 |
Free Bet Clubs
Many bookies operate Free Bet Clubs, which could give you a stream of free bets to enjoy at Cheltenham.
You have to make a number of qualifying bets within a certain timeframe, such as a week, at minimum odds or higher.
Your reward is a free bet. During the Festival, when there are so many historic longstanding races to bet on, these qualifying outright singles will soon add up and earn you a nice bonus.
Money-Back Specials
There are various Cheltenham betting offers where you can receive money back in the form of free bets, or even cash.
Cashback offers will refund a certain percentage of any losses that you might run up with your bets for horse racing.
Then there are the offers where you get your stake back as a free bet up to a certain limit, if certain conditions are met, such as your horse finishing second to one at big odds.
Look out for topical offers of this nature during the Festival, especially when there’s a flagship race such as the Gold Cup.
Non-Runner No Bet
If you’re looking to do some early Cheltenham Festival ante-post betting, try to make sure that this offer is in place.
When punters bet before the declaration stage, they do so at the risk of losing their stake if their pick turns out to be a non-runner. That’s not the case with NRNB.
Bookies will return your stake if you bet on a non-runner and site like William Hill have Non-Runner No Bet in place on Cheltenham markets as early as January.
Price Promises
Rival bookmakers are all looking to offer the best odds for their online customers at Cheltenham, especially for the major championship race events.
With price promises certain bookies guarantee to offer the industry leading odds on the first or a selected race, for each day of the Festival.
Bookies such as William Hill, bet365 or Sky Bet offer this promo, so shop around to try and get the best available odds for each race.
Fallers Insurance
There’s nothing more frustrating than for your horse to be running well during a flagship race, only to suffer an unfortunate fall.
With fallers insurance, the only thing that you need to worry about if that happens is whether the horse and jockey are ok. Your stake returns to you as a free bet, up to a certain maximum amount, such as £20.
How to Claim Cheltenham Betting Offers
By now you may be itching to sign up with a bookie and enjoy their Cheltenham bet offers. Let’s take you through the process with a step-by-step guide, using Betfred as an example.
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Visit the Bookie
Go to the website of your chosen bookie. There will be a button to launch the sign up process, which is normally located in the top right of the screen. At Betfred the button says ‘Join’ and it will be the same or similar. Click on the button.
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Register Your Account
The registration process will begin. Add all of your personal details and set a password. At Betfred and many other bookies, you have to add a bonus code in order to sign up for the welcome offer.
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Add Some Funds
Now head to the banking section to add some funds. Choose a deposit method, the amount that you want to add and confirm the transaction. Be aware that with some welcome deals you might have to add a certain minimum amount to qualify. Sometimes there can also be restrictions involving payment methods. Deposits via cards that are pre-paid and eWallets are often not eligible. A debit card is normally a safe choice.
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Place Your Bets
Now comes the fun part. Cheltenham Festival ante-post betting will be available some months in advance, certainly for a championship race. Nearer the time, you will have the full schedule to bet on. Find the bet you want, click on the odds, choose a stake and confirm. Remember to meet the terms and conditions when placing a qualifying bet for a welcome offer.
Key Terms & Conditions Explained
Cheltenham bookies offers come with terms and conditions attached. Below is a guide to some of the terms that you are likely to come across, so that you understand exactly what they mean when placing bets for horse racing.
- Wagering Requirements – When you win money from bonus bets you sometimes have to bet those winnings a certain amount of times, before you can withdraw them. So if you see that the wagering requirements are x3 for example, it means that the winnings need to be bet three times before a withdrawal can be made.
- Timeframe – Normally the conditions of promotions have to be met within a certain timeframe. So if you receive a free bet to use, it might come with a 7-day expiry date attached. Failure to meet the conditions within the timeframe could see your bonus offer cancelled.
- Qualifying Bet – In order to qualify for a free bet or bonus it is sometimes necessary to first place a bet first, using your own money. There are conditions to this bet, such as the size of the stake and odds. Once this bet has been settled, you receive your bonus.
- Payment Method Exclusions – There are often types of payment exclusions listed in terms and conditions. Certain payment types are not seen as a legitimate method of qualifying deposit, with eWallets such as Neteller and Skrill being common ones that have eligibility restrictions. Traditional methods such as a debit card, are generally fine.
- Minimum Odds – When you place your first bet to qualify for an offer and then use your free bet, it is common for there to be minimum odds as a condition. You might not be able to back odds on favourites, with odds of Evens being a common setting point for minimum odds.
- Minimum Deposit – Cheltenham betting sign up offers generally state that you must deposit a certain stated minimum amount, in order to qualify for the bonus. So you might have to deposit and bet at least £10, to trigger the offer. If you deposit less, you will not qualify.
- Maximum Stake – There are promotions where there is a maximum limit to the stake that you can place. The bookie might match you first deposit and bet 100%, but only up to a maximum limit of £20.
Horse Racing Markets on Betting Sites with Cheltenham Offers
There are many competitive markets available during Cheltenham. Here are some of the betting markets that you can expect to see while the Festival is on.
- Win Only – You are betting on a horse to win a single race. This is the horse racing market that will receive the most money during Cheltenham.
- Place – If you want to play it a bit safer with your bets for horse racing, go for a place. You are betting on a horse to finish within the first few places in a race. The place terms depend on the number of horses involved in the race.
- Each-Way Bets – This combines a win and a place bet. If you put on a £10 bet on racing EW, your total stake will be £20. One £10 bet goes on the horse to win and another £10 goes on the horse to place.
- Top 2 / 3 / 4 Finish – You can also bet on a horse to finish within specific places in a race, outside of the generic place terms for the race
- Betting Without Market – A horse is taken out of the market and you are betting on which horse will win without them. The betting without market normally sees the favourite excluded. So if the favourite wins, but the horse you have backed in this market finishes second, your bet will be a winner.
- Match Betting – You bet on which one of two named horses will be more successful in the race. Neither horse necessarily has to win the race for your bet to be a winner. It is merely a straight contest between the two horses, with the other horses being irrelevant.
- Distance Betting – With the winning distances market you are betting on the accumulated margins of victory from all the races at Cheltenham, on a specific day. You can also bet on the winning distance for a specific race and a specific horse.
- Forecast – When there are odds on favourites in Festival races, punters often like to place a forecast bet. You have to pick out the horses that will finish first and second in the exact order. With a reverse forecast you bet on two horses to finish in first and second positions, in either order.
- Tricast – A step up from a forecast is a tricast. You have to name the horses that will finish in the first three positions, in the correct order. You can also place combination tricasts, where the order doesn’t matter.
Cheltenham Festival Special Markets
There are some special betting markets available at Cheltenham. These outright singles markets focus on the Festival as a whole, rather than individual races.
- Top Festival Trainer – This market allows you to bet on which trainer will train the most winners over the four days of the Festival. Willie Mullins is a six-time winner in this market, enjoying victory in consecutive years between 2019 and 2024.
- Top Festival Owner – You can also bet on which owner will enjoy the most success at Cheltenham. J.P. McManus was the leading owner in 2024. It was his fourth win of this award, with the owner having enjoyed more Festival wins than any other owner in history.
- Top Festival Jockey – Another outright singles market at Cheltenham is betting on who will be the Champion Jockey. Paul Townend is the man to beat. He won this honour for the fourth time in 2024, in what was the third successive year that he was crowned as the top jockey.
- Prestbury Cup – There is a great rivalry between British and Irish horse racing professionals that plays out at Cheltenham each year. The Prestbury Cup goes to the nation that provides the Festival with the most winners. It has been won by Ireland in five consecutive years.
Tote Betting on the Cheltenham Festival
The Tote features their own unique range of betting markets. Instead of fixed odds, all the money bet goes into a collective pool and split between successful bettors on a dividend basis.
Very often these payouts are bigger than on the corresponding outright singles for fixed odds. Here are some of the pools markets that you will be able to find during Cheltenham.
- Tote Win – Bet on which horse will win a race. Payouts on outsiders can be especially large when compared to fixed odds.
- Tote Place – For a safer proposition, bet on a horse to place. Or combine with a Tote win for an each way wager.
- Tote Exacta – An exacta tasks you with picking out the first two horses in a race, in the right order. There is also the option of placing combinations where two picks can finish in either order, or choosing three or more selections.
- Tote Trifecta – A trifecta ups the ante by asking you to select the first three finishers in a race, in the right order. Again, combination options are available.
- Tote Swingers – With this bet you pick out two horses and they both have to finish in the first three places. They can finish in any position with the front three, so first and second, first and third, and second and third are all winning bets.
- Tote Quadpot – Pick out four horses that will all place in their respective races. The quadpot starts with the third race and continues through the fourth and fifth, concluding with the sixth. It’s perfect for Cheltenham’s packed schedule and will contain a championship race each day.
- Tote Placepot – The placepot tasks you with picking out horses that will place in each of the first six races of the day, at a meeting. Naturally the payouts are more generous than the quadpot.
- Tote Jackpot – This is like a placepot, but with the crucial difference that you must pick out every winner from the first six races of a meeting. With the jackpot, placepot and quadpot, combination options are available.
- Tote Scoop 6 – Scoop 6 takes place on a Saturday. There are six races across different meetings and you have to pick the winner of each. Each bet costs £2 and winners receive payouts totalling five and even six-figures.
FAQs
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