Cheltenham Schedule for the 2025 Festival
Jump racing fans can expect a Cheltenham schedule during the annual four-day Festival packed full of exciting action featuring the best National Hunt horses. Each and every March, this mega meeting serves up more than its fair share of drama with champions crowned over hurdles and fences.
They call Cheltenham the Olympics of horse racing and that assessment is on the mark. The races taking place there come over different distances and disciplines. With the usual mix of chase races and hurdles action, the Cheltenham Festival has something for everyone.
There are even some of the niches from the National Hunt code on display. This leads to some great Cheltenham betting offers available on the Festival. The race programme includes a Hunter Chase, Cross Country race and a Bumper. Get the lowdown on everything happening day by day below.
Cheltenham Festival Schedule 2025
You can view the full Cheltenham schedule from the Festival on this very page. So that it’s easy to understand the daily picture, each card from the meeting is in a different tab. That helps you to focus on individual days.
From Champion Hurdle Tuesday, through Style Wednesday and St Patrick’s Thursday to Gold Cup day on the Friday, check out the complete Cheltenham Festival race programme here:
Cheltenham Race Schedule Day 1 – Champion Hurdle Day
Tuesday at the Cheltenham Festival is all about the biggest hurdle race of the jump racing season. The Champion Hurdle dates back to 1927, so we’re talking a century of storied history here.
It is also the last of four Grade 1 races on the Cheltenham schedule for the opening day. The traditional curtain-raiser for the Festival, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is first up on Champion Hurdle day. Expect most Cheltenham free bets to be available from this day.
Following on from that is the Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase and Mares’ Hurdle. The other races are all handicaps with the Ultima Handicap Chase and National Hunt Chase for novices over fences, plus the Fred Winter for four-year-old hurdlers.
| Race Times | Race Name | Class of Race | Race Distance | Prize Money | Age of Horses |
| 1:20 | Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2m 87y | £150,000 | 4yo+ |
| 2:00 | Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase | Grade 1 | 1m 7f 199y | £200,000 | 5yo+ |
| 2:40 | Ultima Handicap Chase | Premier Handicap | 3m 1f | £150,000 | 5yo+ |
| 3:20 | Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2m 3f 200y | £120,000 | 4yo+ |
| 4:00 | Champion Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2m 87y | £450,000 | 4yo+ |
| 4:40 | Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | Premier Handicap | 2m 87y | £80,000 | 4yo only |
| 5:20 | Princess Royal National Hunt Chase (Novices’ Handicap) (0-145) | Class 2 | 3m 5f 201y | £100,000 | 5yo+ |
Cheltenham Schedule Day 2 – Style Wednesday
The rebranding of Ladies Day at the Cheltenham Festival as Style Wednesday in recent years puts a greater emphasis on fashion off the track. As on Champion Hurdle day beforehand, there are four Grade 1 races for those attending and watching to enjoy.
Style Wednesday’s card builds to the feature Queen Mother Champion Chase with a mix of different contests. First up, the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle and Broadway Novices’ Chase start this part of the Cheltenham Festival schedule off hot.
After that, the Coral Cup over hurdles and Cross Country Chase see attention switch to handicaps. The big race then follows before the oldest of all Cheltenham races, the Grand Annual Chase. A Grade 1 event in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper rounds off Style Wednesday.
| Race Times | Race Name | Class of Race | Race Distance | Prize Money | Age of Horses |
| 1:20 | Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Registered as the Baring Bingham) | Grade 1 | 2m 5f | £150,000 | 4yo+ |
| 2:00 | Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Registered as the Broadway) | Grade 1 | 3m 110y | £200,000 | 5yo+ |
| 2:40 | Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle | Premier Handicap | 2m 5f | £100,000 | 4yo+ |
| 3:20 | Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase (A Limited Handicap) | Class 2 | 3m 5f 56y | £75,000 | 5yo+ |
| 4:00 | Queen Mother Champion Chase | Grade 1 | 1m 7f 199y | £400,000 | 5yo+ |
| 4:40 | Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase | Premier Handicap | 1m 7f 199y | £150,000 | 5yo+ |
| 5:20 | Weatherbys Champion Bumper | Grade 1 | 2m 87y | £80,000 | 4yo-6yo |
Cheltenham Races Schedule Day 3 – St Patrick’s Thursday
Acknowledging the plethora of racegoers coming over from Ireland to the Cheltenham Festival is a very smart marketing tactic. Don’t misunderstand St Patrick’s Thursday, though, it’s not all about the craic in the Guinness Village trackside.
Joint-top of the bill on the Cheltenham schedule on this penultimate day of the Festival are the Ryanair Chase and Stayers’ Hurdle. Both have Grade 1 status, but there are a couple of Grade 2s to go with them in the Dawn Run Novices’ Hurdle and new Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.
There are three further handicaps on St Patrick’s Thursday. These are the Pertemps Final over hurdles, and Festival Plate and Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup for amateur riders over fences.
| Race Times | Race Name | Class of Race | Race Distance | Prize Money | Age of Horses |
| 1:20 | Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Registered as the Dawn Run) | Grade 2 | 2m 179y | £105,000 | 4yo+ |
| 2:00 | Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase | Grade 2 | 2m 4f 127y | £125,000 | 5yo+ |
| 2:40 | Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle | Premier Handicap | 2m 7f 213y | £100,000 | 5yo+ |
| 3:20 | Ryanair Chase (Registered as the Festival Trophy) | Grade 1 | 2m 4f 127y | £375,000 | 5yo+ |
| 4:00 | Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2m 7f 213y | £325,000 | 4yo+ |
| 4:40 | TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase | Premier Handicap | 2m 4f 127y | £150,000 | 5yo+ |
| 5:20 | Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase (Amateur Riders) (0-145) | Class 2 | 3m 2f | £75,000 | 5yo+ |
Cheltenham Festival Schedule Day 4 – Gold Cup Day
They save the best until last at this meeting with the Cheltenham Gold Cup headlining Friday’s card. Dating back to 1924, the blue riband of steeplechases is the defining Festival race with a roll of honour to match.
The Cheltenham race schedule for Gold Cup day also includes two other Grade 1 races in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle and Triumph Hurdle for four-year-olds. Also on the same card as the Festival centrepiece is a Grade 2 Mares’ Chase.
With history predating the Champion Hurdle, the County Hurdle is the big betting handicap of Gold Cup day, meanwhile. The Festival Hunter Chase and Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle close out the card.
| Race Times | Race Name | Class of Race | Race Distance | Prize Money | Age of Horses |
| 1:20 | JCB Triumph Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2m 179y | £150,000 | 4yo only |
| 2:00 | County Hurdle | Premier Handicap | 2m 179y | £100,000 | 5yo+ |
| 2:40 | Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (Registered as the Liberthine) | Grade 2 | 2m 4f 127y | £120,000 | 5yo+ |
| 3:20 | Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Registered as the Spa) | Grade 1 | 2m 7f 213y | £150,000 | 5yo+ |
| 4:00 | Cheltenham Gold Cup | Grade 1 | 3m 2f 70y | £625,000 | 5yo+ |
| 4:40 | St James’s Place Festival Hunter Chase | Class 2 | 3m 2f 70y | £50,000 | 5yo+ |
| 5:20 | Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (0-145) | Class 2 | 2m 4f 56y | £75,000 | 4yo+ |
What Cheltenham Schedule Changes Have They Made for 2025?
If you believe Festival has a fixed programme of races, then think again. Cheltenham Racecourse and The Jockey Club keep this marquee meeting under constant review as horse racing always needs to evolve as a product.
Sometimes, change happens off the course, but a new Cheltenham Festival schedule and order of running for 2025 came out. These are worth a closer look, and where better to do so than here?
- Mares’ Hurdle now race 4 on Tuesday.
- Champion Hurdle now race 5 on Tuesday.
- National Hunt Chase now a 0-145 handicap with professional jockeys able to ride in it.
- Cross County Chase reverts to a (limited) handicap, but now race 4 on Wednesday.
- Queen Mother Champion Chase now race 5 on Wednesday.
- Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle now race 1 on Thursday.
- Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase replaces Golden Miller Novices’ Chase on Cheltenham schedule in race 2 slot on Thursday.
- Pertemps Final now race 3 on Thursday.
- Ryanair Chase now race 4 on Thursday.
- Stayers’ Hurdle now race 5 on Thursday.
- Festival Plate now race 6 on Thursday.
- Mares’ Chase now race 3 on Friday.
- Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle now race 4 on Friday.
- Cheltenham Gold Cup now race 5 on Friday.
- Festival Hunter Chase now race 6 on Friday.
These changes to the Cheltenham races schedule mainly relate to the second-half of the Festival. Most of it is a simple tinkering of the order of running, but three additional handicaps converting or replacing conditions races should create even more competitive betting odds.
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