The Cheltenham Betting Guide

With an estimated £600 million wagered on the Festival each year, the leading bookmakers are fighting for your business each year Cheltenham rolls around, and that means there’ll be betting options galore from the first race until the last.

How We Rate Cheltenham Betting Sites

To help you get the best deals, we choose the leading Cheltenham gambling sites using the following criteria:

Betting Options. The top-rated Cheltenham betting sites always make sure that every betting option, from outrights and place bets to accumulators and tote jackpots are covered. Not only that, but when you visit our suggested Cheltenham bookmakers, you’ll get access to these options from as little as £0.10.

Free Bets and Bonuses. Cheltenham is one of the best times of the year to pick up some added value. Our top picks will have everything from Cheltenham free bets for new customers to enhanced odds and cash-back for existing bettors.

Non-Runner Rebates – Major horseracing events are notorious for non-runners, but we don’t think you should be penalised for this. If you’ve chosen a horse that can’t make it to the start line, we’ve made sure that our recommended Cheltenham betting sites will give you your stake back, no questions asked.

Tips and Extras – Cheltenham is a festival of online betting, so to be named one of our recommended bookmakers, a site must offer a selection of expert Cheltenham betting tips through a combination of statistical analysis, news articles and insider reports. We love stats, so we also want to see some insightful visualisations to help us decide where to put our money.

Cheltenham Betting Tips: How to Find the Right Advice

When it comes to Cheltenham betting tips, everyone and their dog will have a “dead cert”. Unfortunately, despite people’s best intentions, picking out a winner is neither easy nor scientific enough to “guarantee” you a win.

Even with all the information in the world, horseracing, especially over jumps, can be unpredictable. Of course, there are ways you can swing the odds in your favour. However, if you’re going to listen to anyone’s advice, make sure you ask these important questions first:

Does the tipster cite several outcomes? If the person dishing out the advice only picks one horse and says it can win regardless, they’re not worth listening to. Everything from the conditions to weight penalties and previous form needs to be taken into account when making a pick, and this often means a variety of horses could win. Any expert will know this.

Can you see any evidence of stats being used? Horseracing is as much about statistics as it is horses and jockeys. If a tipster hasn’t mentioned things like previous results, weight, age and wins/runs ratio, they’re clearly not looking at the important details.

Are the horses from a reputable stable? When it comes to horseracing, there are certain stables that have a reputation for excellence and it’s this excellence you should be aware of. Any time you’re reading through the latest Cheltenham betting tips, make sure you look out for trainers such as Nigel Twiston DaviesNicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls.

Cheltenham Festival 2021 Highlights

The 2021 Cheltenham Festival is raring to go from March 16th and will thunder across the finishing line on March 19th. This festival always has the same roster of themed days – Champion Day (16th), Ladies Day (17th), St Patrick’s Thursday (18th) and the Gold Cup Day (19th).

Races start at 13:20 and continue throughout the afternoon each day, with the last getting ready to leave the gates at 16:50. Highlights of this year’s festival include:

  • Tuesday, March 16 @ 15:05 – The Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy – A two-mile sprint that is better suited to speed merchants rather than stayers. 
  • Wednesday, March 17 @ 15:05 – The Betway Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase – This highlight of Day 2 is another race made for sprinters.
  • Thursday, March 18 @ 15:05 – The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle – A race over three miles and well-suited to horses with plenty of stamina reserves.
  • Friday, March 19 @ 15:05 – The WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase – The crowning glory of this four-day festival and a race that is not to be missed!

The History of the Cheltenham Festival

First run in Market Harborough in 1860 under the banner of the Grand National Hunt, the Cheltenham Festival as we now know it took place at various courses around the country. However, improvements to Cheltenham’s Prestbury Park by Messrs. Pratt and Company saw the National Hunt Committee make the Gloucestershire racecourse the event’s home.

After establishing Cheltenham as the home of the National Hunt event, races such as the Stayers’ Hurdle, the Gold Cup, and the Queen Mother Champion Chase were eventually added to the roster. Today, the Cheltenham Festival welcomes around 230,000 spectators each year and millions of TV viewers around the world.

We can’t guarantee you a big win in the Gold Cup, but follow our recommendations for the top Cheltenham bookmakers online and, whichever site you choose, you’ll be on to a winner.