Cheltenham Festival Betting

Explore our Cheltenham Festival betting odds and learn more about one of the most prestigious events in horse racing with BetMGM.

What is the Cheltenham Festival?

Held over four days once a year, this highly prestigious competition pits some of the finest names in horse racing against one another across almost 30 different races – most notably the Champion Hurdle, BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The Cheltenham Festival is considered the pinnacle of horse racing with each race steeped in tradition and drama. Come mid-March, every horse, jockey, trainer and breeder will look to entertain and put on a show on the grandest stage.

Every year is a spectacle that attracts the attention of the thousands in attendance and the millions watching from around the world. Cheltenham 2025 will be no different, following last year’s record-breaking event.

Here, the greats make history and become legends of the sport. Galopin Des Champs and Paul Townend did it last year by winning the Gold Cup for the second time in a row – who rises to the occasion this time round? That’s for you to predict with BetMGM.

History of Cheltenham Festival

The festival traces its history back to the 1800s, with Cheltenham hosting flat race meetings on Nottingham Hill as early as 1818.

For the next decade, horse racing soared in popularity and thousands began to descend upon Cleeve Hill to experience the annual two-day meeting, which included a three-mile Gold Cup race.

The Cheltenham we know today first took place in the 1860s when the National Hunt Chase was held at Market Harborough. Originally named the Grand National Hunt Meeting, the event took place across several locations before finding its current home at Prestbury Park in Cheltenham in 1911.

The festival was traditionally held over three days but was changed in 2005 with the addition of a fourth to allow for one championship race on each day, culminating with the Gold Cup on Friday.

The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most important events in the National Hunt racing calendar, with prize money second only to the Grand National.

Historic moments at the Cheltenham Festival include:

• 1860 – The Grand National Hunt Meeting takes place at the Market Harborough
• 1911 – The Cheltenham Festival is established at Prestbury Park
• 1924 – The prestigious Cheltenham Gold Cup is introduced with Red Splash its first-ever winner
• 1927 – Blaris wins the inaugural Champion Hurdle
• 1932 – Golden Miller begins a spectacular sequence of five Gold Cup victories in a row
• 1949 – Hatton’s Grace wins the Champion hurdle three consecutive times
• 1950 – Cottage Rake completes a successful hat-trick in the Gold Cup
• 1954 – Four Ten is the first locally-trained winner, trained in Prestbury by John Roberts
• 1959 – The Queen Mother Champion Chase is established
• 1966 – Arkle becomes a legend with a hat-trick of Gold Cup victories
• 1983 – Caroline Beasley becomes the first female jockey to win at the festival, partnering Eliogarty to victory in the Foxhunters’ Chase
• 1985 – Badsworth Boy completes a hat-trick in the Queen Mother Champion Chase
• 1990 – Norton’s Coin wins the Gold Cup at odds of 100/1, the biggest outsider to win it to date
• 2000 – Istabraq becomes the fifth horse to win three Champion Hurdle races in a row
• 2004 – Best Mate earns Cheltenham great status with three consecutive Gold Cup wins
• 2005 – The Cheltenham Festival is extended from three days to four
• 2019 – The festival confirms a record opening day crowd with 67,934 people in attendance
• 2020 – The magnificent Al Boum Photo wins the Gold Cup for a second consecutive year
• 2023 – Galopin Des Champs becomes the 29th Irish-trained horse to win the Gold Cup before going on to retain it a year later

Major races at Cheltenham Festival

There are almost 30 races in total at each Cheltenham Festival, headlined by the Champion Hurdle on day one, the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase on day two and the Gold Cup on day four.

The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race and is one of the most prestigious hurdling events in the National Hunt calendar. The race takes place on the Old Course at Cheltenham with each horse jumping eight hurdles over two miles of track.

The past five Cheltenham Champion Hurdle winners and their jockeys are:

• 2024 – State Man (Paul Townend)
• 2023 – Constitution Hill (Nico de Boinville)
• 2022 – Honeysuckle (Rachael Blackmore)
• 2021 – Honeysuckle (Rachael Blackmore)
• 2020 – Epatante (Barry Geraghty)

The BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt race open to horses aged five or older; no race embodies the spirit of Style Wednesday as much as this celebration of speed, style and sophistication.

The past five BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase winners and their jockeys are:

• 2024 – Captain Guinness (Rachael Blackmore)
• 2023 – Energumene (Paul Townend)
• 2022 – Energumene (Paul Townend)
• 2021 – Put The Kettle On (Aidan Coleman)
• 2020 – Politologue (Harry Skelton)

In the Cheltenham Gold Cup, each competitor travels 3m 2½f with an uphill finish. The race's toughness is matched only by the level of excitement it brings as the horses reach the final stretch. Only the best of the best can claim victory.

The past five Cheltenham Gold Cup winners and their jockeys are:

• 2024 – Galopin Des Champs (Paul Townend)
• 2023 – Galopin Des Champs (Paul Townend)
• 2022 – A Plus Tard (Rachael Blackmore)
• 2021 – Minella Indo (Jack Kennedy)
• 2020 – Al Boum Photo (Paul Townend)

Types of bets to place during the Cheltenham Festival

Cheltenham betting at BetMGM presents you with a number of unique options across all races over the four days.

Popular Cheltenham bets include:

• Win Bet – Betting on a specific horse to finish first
• Place Bet – Betting on a specific horse to finish in first or second place
• Show Bet – Betting on a horse to finish in the top three
• Each-Way Bet – Combination of a Win Bet and a Place Bet
• Exacta Bet – Betting on the exact order of the first two horses to finish
• Quinella Bet – Betting on the first two finishers regardless of order
• Trifecta Bet – Betting on the exact order of the first three finishers
• Superfecta Bet – Betting on the exact order of the first four finishers
• Accumulator Bet – Combination of multiple bets in the same betslip

Check out our Cheltenham Festival betting tips throughout the action for more information on the races taking place, the runners, the favourites and who we are backing to win the biggest races.

It’s showtime!