Cheltenham Racecourse is the crown jewel in UK jump racing, famed worldwide for the four-day Cheltenham Festival that is held annually in March.
However, Cheltenham hosts several other top-quality meetings over the winter months, including The Showcase Meeting, The November Meeting, Festival Trials Day, and their Hunter Chase evening.
We take a closer look at all that Cheltenham has to offer over the winter months, covering all eight of their upcoming meetings.
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Cheltenham Tips for Today
Sunday sees the third and final day of the November Meeting take place, with the Shloer Chase and Greatwood Hurdle amongst the action - check out the views of our experts below!
Alan Kelly’s Nap of the Day
Alan Kelly sides with Edwardstone in the feature Shloer Chase on Sunday.
Check out his page for in-depth reasoning plus additional Cheltenham tips, including two at double figure prices.
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2:55pm Cheltenham
Edwardstone looks good value against the fav Jonbon
Cheltenham
November 19, 2023
2:55 pm GMT
Charlie McCann’s Nap of the Day
Charlie McCann goes with The Kemble Brewery to make a winning hurdling debut.
And Charlie also has a further two tips at Cheltenham on Sunday - check out his page for full details.
1:10pm Cheltenham
The Kemble Brewery can make a winning start over hurdles
Cheltenham
November 19, 2023
1:10 pm GMT
Cheltenham Lucky 15
We’ve got a Cheltenham Lucky 15 for the action at Prestbury Park on Sunday.
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Cheltenham Sunday Lucky 15
We've got four fancies in a multiple bet on Sunday at Cheltenham
A £1 Lucky 15 would return £1390
Tellherthename
Made a very pleasing start to life over hurdles, losing out by a nose at Ascot behind a Nicky Henderson trained runner.
They were well clear of the rest that day, it looked a nice race and with the experience of that, he’s fancied to go one better this time.
Railway Hurricane
Two rock solid efforts on his last two starts, one at home in Ireland and one here at the October meeting.
The Cheltenham run was good, on ground that was maybe not as soft as he likes, so with the conditions in his favour here, he’s taken to go close in this contest.
Cloudy Glen
A quirky old favourite who’s hard to catch right, but today could be the day. This stamina test will suit, the ground is softening all the time, which suits.
First time out may be the best time to catch him, he could run a huge race and is incredibly well handicapped on old form.
L’eau Du Sud
Listed hurdle winner in France, has gone well in all three British starts since moving to Dan Skelton, and comes here after having a wind op in the summer.
Looks as though he’s been laid out for this, is 1lb lower than when third in the Morebattle at Kelso last time we saw him in March, has big field experience and enough hurdling experience despite being just five. You need to be very well handicapped to win this, and he’s one that could be.
Tom Bellamy - Professional Jockey & Brand Ambassador
On Sunday in the Grade Two Shloer Chase at 2:55pm we see the return of Edwardstone. I schooled upside him on Monday morning, he looks like an absolute picture.
He will have had plenty of work done, though I know Alan King has been thinking some of his runners have needed their first run, so we’ll see if that’s the case with him, but I have seen him doing plenty.
This is the first step on the ladder for his season - he won’t be all guns blazing but will be there fit enough to do himself justice in the race.
Read more from Tom, including on his rides at Cheltenham, by visiting the Tom Bellamy blog page.
Cheltenham Racecourse Betting Tips
Our top tipsters are no strangers to picking winners at Cheltenham, so make sure to check out Alan Kelly’s racing tips and Charlie McCann’s free tips for fully researched Cheltenham tips over the coming months.
Below, we’ve also highlighted two important betting angles to remember when looking to place a bet at Cheltenham.
Stamina is vital
Whether on over hurdles or fences, you need a horse that has the stamina to see out its race and that travels strongly throughout so they can be best placed when turning for home.
Jumping is the name of the game
The fences at Cheltenham are some of the most challenging in the UK, providing a tough test for horses. Look for horses that have won around other tough jumping courses like Newcastle and Hexham
Top Cheltenham Jockeys
As you would expect, Paul Townend has a strong strike rate at Cheltenham, operating at about 30% for the last three seasons.
Other jockeys to watch out for may be lesser known, though - Alan Johns has a 33% strike rate and is showing a profit to level stakes in chase races, while Bradley Gibbs is the man to follow in the hunter chases, with an excellent 40% strike rate.
Top Cheltenham Trainers
Willie Mullins is, of course, the trainer that many punters follow at Cheltenham, but his strike rate isn’t as good as you would expect - diluted due to the number of horses he runs at the track over the season.
If you’re looking for some betting value, keep an eye on Nigel Twiston-Davies runners over hurdles - they’re operating at over a 20% strike rate.
Cheltenham Free Bets & Betting Offers
As you would expect, there is no shortage of betting offers and promotions on offer when Cheltenham rolls around.
And the bookmakers take things to another level during the Cheltenham Festival - traditionally one of the busiest weeks of the year for the betting industry.
Paddy Power is a high-profile sponsor of several races at Cheltenham over the season, so they are always well worth checking out for Cheltenham betting odds and Cheltenham free bet offers.
The Cheltenham Festival always sees huge Tote pools as punters look to land a tasty Jackpot or Placepot, so make sure to get involved via The Tote, who have an excellent welcome bonus for all new customers.
Cheltenham Racecourse Layout & Info
Cheltenham has three separate racecourses - the Old Course, the New Course, and the Cross Country Course.
The Old and New Courses run alongside each other, with the Cross Country Course in the middle.
The Old Course is used for The Showcase Meeting, The November Meeting, and the first two days of the Cheltenham Festival.
The New Course is used for the Christmas Meeting, New Year’s Day, Festival Trials Day, the final two days of the Cheltenham Festival, and the April and May meetings.
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The New Course is known for its tricky downhill fence and longer run-in for chase races than the Old Course. Another feature of the New Course is that hurdle races over two miles tend to have the majority of the hurdles in the early stages, with only two jumped in the final seven furlongs.
Below, we take a closer look at each race meeting due to be held at Cheltenham over the coming months.
The Showcase Meeting (Friday, October 27 - Saturday, October 28)
The curtain raiser for the new season at Cheltenham, The Showcase Meeting, is eagerly anticipated by all involved in jump racing. With 14 races over the two days, there’s plenty of action for punters to enjoy, including the Grade 2 Sharp Novices’ Hurdle.
The November Meeting (Friday, November 17 - Sunday, November 19)
As we head into winter, The November Meeting at Cheltenham is a real highlight with three days of exciting action, including the Paddy Power Gold Cup and the Greatwood Hurdle.
The Christmas Meeting (Friday, December 15 - Saturday, December 16)
Christmas comes early for jump racing fans, with The Christmas Meeting in mid-December, featuring several key trial races for the Cheltenham Festival.
New Year’s Day Racing (Monday, January 1)
The perfect start to the New Year sees a highly competitive and popular card at Cheltenham that includes two Grade 2 races - the Relkeel Hurdle and the Dipper Novices’ Chase.
Festival Trials Day (Saturday, January 27)
Festival Trials Day is the final chance for horses to test themselves around Cheltenham before the Festival, and every race on the card is a trial race for the Cheltenham Festival, offering plenty of betting clues.
The Cheltenham Festival (Tuesday, March 12 - Friday, March 15)
The big one - the pinnacle of jump racing in the UK - the Cheltenham Festival.
Four days of frenetic action, including the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champions Chase, the Stayers’ Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The April Meeting (Wednesday, April 17 - Thursday, April 18)
With Spring very much in the air, The April Meeting at Cheltenham is popular with racing fans of all ages. The feature race of the two-day meeting is the Grade 2 Silver Trophy Handicap Chase, which was won on three occasions by Tony McCoy and Ruby Walsh.
Hunter Chase Race Night (Friday, May 3)
Cheltenham’s traditional season finale is their Hunter Chase evening, which is restricted to amateur trainers and jockeys with seven Hunter Chases scheduled.
Cheltenham Top Featured Races
As the premier jump racing track in the UK, Cheltenham hosts several top-quality races throughout the season, including, of course, during the Cheltenham Festival.
Below are the feature races held at Cheltenham Racecourse annually.
| Race | Grade | Distance | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dipper Novices’ Chase | Grade 2 | 2 miles 5 furlongs | Chase | January |
| Relkeel Hurdle | Grade 2 | 2 miles 4 furlongs | Hurdle | January |
| Finesse Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle | Grade 2 | 2 miles 1 furlong | Hurdle | January |
| Cotswold Chase | Grade 2 | 3 miles 1 furlong | Chase | January |
| Cleeve Hurdle | Grade 2 | 3 miles | Hurdle | January |
| Classic Novices’ Hurdle | Grade 2 | 2 miles 4 furlongs | Hurdle | January |
| Supreme Novices’ Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2 miles | Hurdle | March |
| Arkle Challenge Trophy | Grade 1 | 2 miles | Chase | March |
| Champion Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2 miles | Hurdle | March |
| National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup | Grade 2 | 3 miles 6 furlongs | Chase | March |
| Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle | Grade 2 | 2 miles 4 furlongs | Hurdle | March |
| Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2 miles 5 furlongs | Hurdle | March |
| Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase | Grade 1 | 3 miles | Chase | March |
| Queen Mother Champion Chase | Grade 1 | 2 miles | Chase | March |
| Champion Bumper | Grade 1 | 2 miles | NH Flat | March |
| Turners Novices’ Chase | Grade 1 | 2 miles 4 furlongs | Chase | March |
| Ryanair Chase | Grade 1 | 2 miles 5 furlongs | Chase | March |
| Stayers’ Hurdle | Grade 1 | 3 miles | Hurdle | March |
| Triumph Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2 miles | Hurdle | March |
| Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle | Grade 1 | 3 miles | Hurdle | March |
| Cheltenham Gold Cup | Grade 1 | 3 miles 2 furlongs | Chase | March |
| Silver Trophy Handicap Chase | Grade 2 | 2 miles 5 furlongs | Chase | April |
| Sharp Novices’ Hurdle | Grade 2 | 2 miles | Hurdle | October |
| Hyde Novices’ Hurdle | Grade 2 | 2 miles 5 furlongs | Hurdle | November |
| Prestbury Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle | Grade 2 | 2 miles | Hurdle | November |
| November Novices’ Chase | Grade 2 | 2 miles | Chase | November |
| Bristol Novices’ Hurdle | Grade 2 | 3 miles | Hurdle | December |
| International Hurdle | Grade 2 | 2 miles 1 furlong | Hurdle | December |
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