The home of the National Hunt game, and the stage for the magnificent four-day Cheltenham Festival in March, this Gloucestershire track is one of the jewels in the crown of British racing. Close to the top of the list in terms of facilities and race day experience, a trip to Cheltenham features prominently on the bucket list of many a racing fan.
The track operates in line with the core National Hunt campaign, with its season running from October through to April. Early highlights include the November Meeting featuring the Paddy Power Gold Cup, and the International Meeting of December which includes the International Hurdle and the December Gold Cup.
Putting everything else in the shade though is the four-day Cheltenham Festival of early March, featuring no fewer than 14 Grade 1 contests, including the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Stayers’ Hurdle and the Gold Cup, amongst plenty of other fine races.
Upcoming Fixtures at Cheltenham
- Friday 23rd October 2026 - Jump / Turf
- Saturday 24th October 2026 - Jump / Turf
- Friday 13th November 2026 - Jump / Turf
- Saturday 14th November 2026 - Jump / Turf
- Sunday 15th November 2026 - Jump / Turf
- Friday 11th December 2026 - Jump / Turf
- Saturday 12th December 2026 - Jump / Turf
Recent Fixtures
- Friday 1st May 2026 - Jump / Turf
- Thursday 16th April 2026 - Jump / Turf
- Wednesday 15th April 2026 - Jump / Turf
- Friday 13th March 2026 - Jump / Turf
- Thursday 12th March 2026 - Jump / Turf
- Wednesday 11th March 2026 - Jump / Turf
- Tuesday 10th March 2026 - Jump / Turf
- Saturday 24th January 2026 - Jump / Turf
- Thursday 1st January 2026 - Jump / Turf
- Saturday 13th December 2025 - Jump / Turf
- Friday 12th December 2025 - Jump / Turf
- Sunday 16th November 2025 - Jump / Turf
- Saturday 15th November 2025 - Jump / Turf
- Friday 14th November 2025 - Jump / Turf
- Saturday 25th October 2025 - Jump / Turf
- Friday 24th October 2025 - Jump / Turf
- Friday 2nd May 2025 - Jump / Turf
- Thursday 17th April 2025 - Jump / Turf
- Wednesday 16th April 2025 - Jump / Turf
- Friday 14th March 2025 - Jump / Turf
- Thursday 13th March 2025 - Jump / Turf
- Wednesday 12th March 2025 - Jump / Turf
- Tuesday 11th March 2025 - Jump / Turf
- Saturday 25th January 2025 - Jump / Turf
- Wednesday 1st January 2025 - Jump / Turf
Cheltenham Major Events
Cheltenham Racecourse occupies a place unlike any other in British racing. Revered as the home of National Hunt racing, Prestbury Park stages some of the finest jump meetings anywhere in the world, attracting the sport’s biggest names from Britain, Ireland and beyond.
Every fixture carries significance, whether it’s unveiling future stars, providing crucial Festival clues or crowning champions. While March naturally dominates the headlines, Cheltenham’s season is packed with prestigious race days from the very first meeting of the new year right through to Christmas.
New Year’s Day Meeting (January)
Few racecourses begin the year with quite as much quality as Cheltenham. The New Year’s Day Meeting offers a fitting start to the National Hunt calendar, bringing together established Graded performers, exciting novices and seasoned handicappers.
The Relkeel Hurdle regularly attracts proven performers with spring ambitions. Add in the competitive Fairlawne Handicap Chase and the meeting provides something for every racing enthusiast, from serious punters to those simply enjoying a New Year’s Day tradition.
- Features the Relkeel Hurdle among other competitive races
- Strong mix of graded contests and valuable handicaps
- One of Britain’s premier New Year’s Day sporting occasions
Trials Day (January)
If there is one meeting outside the Festival that trainers circle in red, it’s Trials Day. Held towards the end of January, this fixture offers the final major opportunity for horses to prove themselves around Cheltenham before returning in March.
The Cotswold Chase is one of the leading Gold Cup trials, while the Cleeve Hurdle has established itself as the key stepping stone towards the Stayers’ Hurdle. The International Hurdle, Classic Novices’ Hurdle and Finesse Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle all add further Grade 2 quality, while the Premier Handicap Chase provides one of the day’s toughest betting puzzles.
- Widely regarded as the final major trial before the Cheltenham Festival
- Features the Cotswold Chase, Cleeve Hurdle and International Hurdle
- Offers vital clues for several championship races in March
Cheltenham Festival (March)
Everything in jump racing builds towards these four extraordinary days. The Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of the National Hunt season, where legends are made, dreams are realised and the sport’s greatest prizes are contested.
For owners, trainers and jockeys, success at the Festival is often the defining achievement of a career. Horses are prepared specifically for these four days, with campaigns planned months in advance to ensure they arrive in peak condition. Every championship race carries enormous prestige, but it is the atmosphere that truly sets Cheltenham apart.
Champion Day (Tuesday)
The Festival bursts into life with one of the most iconic moments in sport, as thousands of racegoers unleash the famous Cheltenham Roar before the opening race. The standard is immediately set incredibly high, with championship races and elite novice contests sharing the spotlight.
- Opens with the legendary Cheltenham Roar
- Headlined by the Champion Hurdle
- Also features the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Arkle and Mares’ Hurdle
Style Wednesday
Wednesday combines championship quality with some of the Festival’s most competitive handicaps. The Queen Mother Champion Chase is the standout event, regularly producing breathtaking displays from the fastest two-mile chasers in training.
Away from the feature race, the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase crowns the season’s leading staying novice chaser, while fiercely competitive handicaps and specialist races ensure another outstanding day’s sport from start to finish.
- Features the Queen Mother Champion Chase
- Includes the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase and Coral Cup
- Blends championship races with highly competitive handicaps
St Patrick’s Thursday
The Festival’s third day has developed a character all of its own, thanks largely to the huge Irish contingent that fills Prestbury Park each year. The atmosphere is electric as travelling supporters cheer on runners from across the Irish Sea in search of more Festival glory.
The sporting highlight is the Stayers’ Hurdle, the championship contest for staying hurdlers, while the Ryanair Chase has grown into one of the week’s most prestigious Grade 1 races. Supporting contests such as the Pertemps Final and Kim Muir Challenge Cup provide further depth to a superb afternoon.
- Home to the Stayers’ Hurdle and Ryanair Chase
- Famous for its vibrant Irish atmosphere
- Another card packed with Grade 1 action and major handicaps
Gold Cup Day (Friday)
The Festival builds towards Friday afternoon. Gold Cup Day is the pinnacle of the National Hunt season, with the Cheltenham Gold Cup standing proudly as the sport’s most coveted prize. Every great staying chaser is ultimately judged by what they achieve in this race.
The supporting programme is worthy of any major meeting in its own right. The Triumph Hurdle showcases the leading juvenile hurdlers, while the County Hurdle and Hunters’ Chase remain hugely popular contests. Yet when the Gold Cup field lines up, everything else fades into the background as another chapter is written in jump racing history.
- Centred around the world-famous Cheltenham Gold Cup
- Also includes the Triumph Hurdle, County Hurdle and Hunters’ Chase
- Brings the curtain down on the most important week in National Hunt racing
Showcase Meeting (October)
After a summer without racing at Prestbury Park, the Showcase Meeting officially launches another National Hunt campaign. Trainers use the fixture to introduce promising youngsters and assess more experienced campaigners before the bigger winter prizes begin to appear on the horizon.
- Opens Cheltenham’s new jumps season
- Two-day meeting featuring competitive early-season racing
- First opportunity to see many future Festival contenders
The November Meeting (November)
By November, the quality steps up another level. Often regarded as the point where the jumps season truly gathers momentum, this three-day fixture attracts Festival hopefuls, established stars and deep handicap fields that generate significant betting interest.
- Three-day meeting featuring quality racing throughout the weekend
- Numerous runners return for the Cheltenham Festival in March
- One of the racecourse’s biggest meetings outside the Festival
Christmas Meeting (December)
Cheltenham signs off the calendar year with a festive weekend that perfectly blends high-class sport and holiday entertainment. Strong fields, excellent prize money and packed grandstands ensure the season heads into the New Year with plenty of momentum.
- Two-day Christmas fixture held in late December
- One of Britain’s leading festive National Hunt meetings
- Provides the final major Cheltenham clues before January’s trials
