Content on this site will contain reference to products or services from one or more of our advertisers or partners. We may receive compensation when you view ads or click on links to those products or services.
(New customers online only. Register between 9/4/26 and 12/4/26 and bet a min £/€5 at odds of 1/1 (2.0) or greater across sports or racing within 7 days of registration to qualify. Receive £/€10 Tote Credit, £/€10 Free Sports Bet within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool or sports bet added to bet slip. Voided/non-runner bets will not qualify; subsequent bet will be qualifying bet. 7-day expiry. 18+. One per customer. Selected customers only. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org
New UK customers. Place a £10 real money bet at min. 2.0 odds within 5 days of first deposit. Receive 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 Single, 2 Accas (min. 3 selections), 1 Bet Builder (min. 3 selections). Excludes cashout, E/W, Multis & Virtuals. Credited after bet settlement. 7-day expiry. T&Cs apply.
18+. New players only. Opt-in required. Min deposit £20. Offer is 100% match bonus up to £50 on your first deposit. Bonus funds can be used on a real money sports bet with minimal odds of 3/4 (1.75 decimal) or higher, any sport except virtuals, boosted odds, handicap, & draw no bet markets. Bonus funds are separate to cash funds and subject to 5x wagering requirement (bonus). Only bonus funds count toward wagering contribution. Bonus funds must be used within 30 days. Affordability checks apply. Terms apply. Please Gamble Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org.
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. Registration Required
18+ New Customers. Opt in, deposit and bet £10 on any football (odds 1/1+) within 3 days of sign up. Get 3x£10 Free Bets for set football markets. Bonuses expire in 14 days. Scroll down for T&Cs. GambleAware.org. Please gamble responsibly.
New Players Only. Free bet - one-time stake of £10, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Free bets and Bonuses are valid for 7 days. Limited to 1 sport & 5 casino brand/s within the network. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Full Terms apply
Use code COMMFREE to trade with 0% commission for 60 days. New UK, IE & Malta users only. Min. £10/£10 first deposit only using Debit Card or Instant Banking. Full T&Cs apply
New UK customers. Min £10 first deposit. Place a bet of £5 at min odds of 2.0 and get £30 in Free Bets within 48 hours. Restrictions apply. Full T&Cs apply, 18+. BeGambleAware.org.
Place a min £10 bet on Sportsbook on odds of min EVS (2.0), get 5x £10 in Free Bet Builders, Accumulators or multiples to use on any sport. Rewards valid for 30 days. Only deposits via Pay by Bank, Apple Pay or Debit Card will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly.
#ad. 18+. Play Responsibly www.gambleaware.org. 18+. first deposit only | £10 min deposit | qualifying bet: min £10, on any ACCA or Bet Builder (2+ selections) with min odds 6/4 (2.5) on selected sports | £10 Free Bet: 2+ leg ACCA or Bet Builder (2+ selections), min odds 6/4 (2.5) | 7-day expiry | T&Cs apply
New players only. Bet £10 min. odds 1/1 (2.00) to get 4 x £5 Free Bets: 1 x £5 Football Bet Builder, 1 x £5 Football Acca, 1x £5 Horse Racing Acca & 1 x £5 Tennis In-Play. Valid 7 days. Exclusions and T&Cs apply.
18+ New UK Customers Only. Bet £10+ on any sportsbook markets at odds of evens (2.00) or greater. No cash out. Get 50% back of your first day’s losses (from first bet settlement until 23:59) as a Free Bet up to £25, valid for 7 days. Min. 3 bets on different events required, with 2 bets being at least 50% of your largest stake. Place at least 1 bet of £10+ at odds 2.00+ to receive a £5 Free Bet even if your account is up or losses are under £5. T&Cs Apply. GambleAware.org
New customers only. Place a £10 bet on Racing, at min. odds 1.2 (1.5) - get £50 in free bets to use on Racing. Free bet rewards valid for 30 days. Only deposits via Pay by Bank, Debit Cards & Apple Pay will qualify for this offer. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly.
He may have been 10, but Golden Miller was arguably at the top of his game when seeking a sixth win in the showpiece National Hunt race.
Sadly, the weather had different ideas, and the entire meeting was abandoned as the racecourse was under a blanket of snow, which took weeks to melt.
2. Istabraq Denied
The 2001 Cheltenham Festival was also written off in its entirety, but this time, the weather was not to blame.
A countywide outbreak of foot and mouth disease initially saw the Festival put back a full month until April, but a further local case just five miles from the Gloucestershire course led to it being abandoned completely.
The Festival cancellation cost the betting industry an estimated £100m and the local economy £10m. More importantly, for racing fans, Istabraq was robbed of his opportunity to win an unprecedented fourth Champion Hurdle.
3. Ireland Draw a Blank in 1989
Ireland had enjoyed some amazing moments at the Cheltenham Festival during the mid-1990s – Cottage Rake won three Gold Cups in a row between 1948 and 1950, and Hatton’s Grace took the same number of Champion Hurdles between 1949 and 1951 for the Emerald Isle.
1968-1977 was a golden era for the country when their horses landed seven of the ten Gold Cups on offer, culminating in the unforgettable Cheltenham Festival of 1977 when there were a record seven Irish winners.
But a deep recession in the 1980s meant the best Irish bloodstock was quickly sold off, and by 1987, Ireland was reduced to just one winner during the meeting. Then 12 months later, the unthinkable – zero winners for the visiting contingent.
Admittedly, there was some serious bad luck involved with this barren visit, with many fancied runners falling or being brought down, but make no mistake, another whitewash anytime in the next 25 years must be considered massively improbable, verging on impossible.
4. Sad Demise
No one likes seeing a horse fall, so when a champion in waiting is killed during a championship race carrying a champion jockey and a monstrous national gamble, the sport itself comes under intense scrutiny.
This was the dreadful plight that befell Valiramix under jockey Tony McCoy in the 2002 Champion Hurdle, who broke a leg when cantering all over his rivals approaching the second last in the fabled two-mile contest.
There were no in-running prices at the time, but if there were, the 3/1 shot was likely to have been trading at 1/4 at the time of his sad and sickening demise.
5. Ruby Tuesday
But the biggest disaster in recent years from a punter perspective has to be Ruby Walsh being unshipped from Annie Power at the final flight of the Mares Hurdle during the 2015 Cheltenham Festival.
This was a day of high drama, with the day being labelled ‘Ruby Tuesday’ before a race had been run. Firstly, Douvan had scooted home for the rider (and trainer Willie Mullins) in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, followed by Un De Sceaux in the Arkle, and then Faugheen completed a treble for the duo in the Champion Hurdle.
The Cheltenham bookies were running for cover with Annie Power, the 1/2 favourite, set to complete the Lucky 15 and Yankees of punters on both sides of the Irish sea.
Sweeping four lengths clear and in total command, the mare fell at the last, saving the bookies millions and, in turn, costing punters the same amount.
