Cheltenham Festival 2026 Live Betting Guide - Day 1 Tips, Free Bets and Betting Offers

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The Cheltenham Festival is here and there's a standout betting offer available for the Arkle Chase courtesy of Paddy Power! 🏇

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New customer offer. Max stake £1. Lulamba to Win the Arkle (2:00) on Day 1 of Cheltenham. Winnings paid in cash at normal odds and are topped up to the enhanced price in Free Bet Builders, Accumulators or multiples to use on any sport. Free bets are valid 30 days. Only deposits via Pay by Bank, Cards & Apple Pay will qualify. T&C's apply. Please gamble responsibly. Kopek Des Bordes to Win the Arkle (2:00) on Day 1 of Cheltenham. Winnings paid in cash at normal odds and are topped up to the enhanced price in Free Bet Builders, Accumulators or multiples to use on any sport. Free bets are valid 30 days. Only deposits via Pay by Bank, Cards & Apple Pay will qualify. T&C's apply. Please gamble responsibly.

Here are today's races at the Cheltenham Festival:

1:20pm – Supreme Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1)

2:00pm – Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase (Grade 1)

2:40pm – Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

3:20pm – Ultima Handicap Chase

4:00pm – Champion Hurdle (Grade 1)

4:40pm – Plate Handicap Chase

5:20pm – National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices' Handicap Chase

Seven races make up the opening day of the Festival, with the Champion Hurdle at 4:00pm the feature event.

Ground conditions have eased slightly for Champion Hurdle day after watering on the eve of the Festival.

Around 3–5mm was applied to parts of the track, with 0.5mm of overnight rain, leaving the going Good to Soft, with a dry day forecast for Tuesday.

The Cheltenham Festival is finally here, and throughout the morning, we'll have the key talking points, latest updates and everything else you need to get set for racing to begin at 1:20pm.

The day kicks off with the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, while today's feature race is the Champion Hurdle, off at 4:00pm.

We've got betting tips, the latest odds, some fantastic Cheltenham free bets and all the key going and non runner updates you need before placing your bets.

Stay tuned - it's going to be a magnificent day of racing!