Gold Cup Day

The JCB Triumph Hurdle is the four-year-old juvenile hurdling championship of the Festival — a race exclusively for horses who were foaled in 2022 (for the 2026 renewal) and who have therefore had no more than one full season over hurdles before arriving at Cheltenham. The race has an outstanding record for throwing up future stars of the sport, with Triumph winners going on to contest and win Champion Hurdles and Stayers' Hurdles in subsequent seasons.

The Triumph Hurdle has a flavour all of its own. Four-year-olds racing on the Festival stage for the first time bring an element of unpredictability that older, more experienced horses do not possess — both in terms of their raw talent, which can be exceptional, and their potential inexperience, which can manifest in running errors or disappointing performances under the enormous pressure of Festival day.

The key preparation routes for the Triumph Hurdle are the Triumph Trial at Cheltenham (the Prestbury Park Juvenile Hurdle), the Grade 1 juvenile hurdles at Leopardstown over Christmas, and the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton. Horses who have won Grade 1 juvenile hurdles in Ireland often arrive as heavy favourites, and the Mullins and Elliott yards have a tremendous record in this race.

Betting Approach: The Triumph Hurdle market is usually led by an Irish-trained juvenile of exceptional quality who has destroyed its rivals during the season. If such a horse exists, it is usually worth taking the market price rather than trying to find value against it. In open renewals, focus on horses who have won at least one Grade 1 juvenile hurdle and who have the pedigree to handle Cheltenham's testing track.

• Grade 1 juvenile hurdle form from Ireland is the gold standard qualifier
• Horses bred on Flat speed lines who jump fluently are the ideal profile
• The Adonis Hurdle at Kempton is the key British trial — recent winners are always competitive
• Irish juvenile hurdlers who excelled at Leopardstown over Christmas often dominate the betting
• Consider the each-way option at 12/1 or bigger in a wide-open renewal

The County Handicap Hurdle is one of the Festival's most famous and most popular betting races — a sprint handicap over two miles and one furlong that produces one of the most exciting finishes of the entire Festival as 20-plus hurdlers thunder up the Cheltenham hill in a tight, passionate cavalcade. The race has been producing dramatic finishes and big-priced winners since it was first run in 1834, making it one of the oldest races in the Festival programme.

The County Hurdle is a speed-specialist's race, favouring horses who can travel close to the pace in a strongly-run contest and produce a sustained final effort up the hill. The combination of the fast pace, the big field and the testing final hill means that horses who lack the pace to be competitive from the outset are effectively eliminated from contention.

The County Hurdle betting market is notoriously difficult to predict with precision, partly because the race is run at pace that exposes any weakness in a horse's jumping and partly because the large field creates the potential for traffic problems that can end a fancied horse's chance before the final straight. An element of luck is always involved in finding a clear passage through in the County Hurdle.

Betting Approach: Each-way betting is highly recommended in the County Hurdle. With 20+ runners and typically five places paid, there is excellent value to be found among horses at 12/1 and upwards who have the pace profile to be competitive and the course form to handle Cheltenham's demands. Look for horses who ran a solid race at the Festival the previous year, or who have posted strong recent form in fast-run two-mile handicap hurdles.

• Speed horses who can race prominently from the start are ideally suited
• Previous Festival form is a significant advantage in the County Hurdle
• Lighter weights under 10st 7lb are a positive in a sprint handicap over this trip
• Irish-trained speed horses from the Mullins and Elliott yards have a strong record
• Each-way at 16/1–25/1 is the recommended approach in a competitive renewal

The Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle is the three-mile novice hurdle championship of the Festival — the staying novice equivalent of the Ballymore over a longer distance. Run immediately before the Gold Cup on the same three-mile Old Course circuit, the Albert Bartlett is a race that tests a young horse's stamina to the very limit and identifies the potential staying chasers of the future.

The Albert Bartlett has produced some remarkable horses who went on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup — Briar Hill, Don Cossack and Sizing John all used this race as a stepping stone to Gold Cup glory, and the race is now firmly established as a key pointer for the staying division over several subsequent seasons.

The race is typically dominated by big, powerful Irish-bred horses with strong staying pedigrees and the jumping ability to maintain rhythm over 12 flights of hurdles at a Gold Cup pace. British-trained challengers who have posted strong form over three miles at trials during the season can represent outstanding value against the Irish market leaders.

Betting Approach: The Albert Bartlett often has a clearer form guide than other three-mile races because the principals typically meet in their Irish or British prep races. The Challow Hurdle at Newbury and the Neville Hotels Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown are both excellent guides. Look for a horse who has won a Grade 1 staying novice hurdle by a comfortable margin — if they stay well and jump cleanly, the Gold Cup trip in future years beckons.

• Staying pedigree — horses by stamina influences like Presenting or Flemensfirth excel
• Grade 1 novice staying hurdle form is the key qualifier
• Challow Hurdle and Neville Hotels Novice Hurdle are the key prep races
• This race often produces future Gold Cup winners — track the first three home in subsequent seasons
• Ground preferences: soft-ground stayers often thrive here if conditions are testing

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the defining race of the National Hunt season — the race that every trainer, jockey, owner and stable hand in jump racing wants to win above all others. First run in 1924, the Gold Cup is staged over three miles, two furlongs and 70 yards on the Old Course, incorporating 22 fences including the notorious third-last, where countless Gold Cup dreams have ended in heartbreak, and the final fence before the gruelling uphill run to the line.

The Gold Cup demands the complete racehorse. A winner must combine the jumping technique of a champion chaser, the stamina of a true stayer, the pace to be competitive in a fast-run Grade 1 contest, and the courage to produce a maximum effort when the race is on the line after more than six minutes of intense physical and mental effort. It is the hardest race in jump racing to win — and that is precisely what makes it so irresistible.

The ante-post market for the Gold Cup opens in the spring following the previous season's race, and the biggest moves typically occur after the autumn Grade 1 chases — the Betfair Chase at Haydock, the JNwine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal, and the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas. A horse who runs well in the Cheltenham Gold Cup prep race — the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup Trial at Prestbury Park in January — is invariably taken seriously in the betting.

The history of the Gold Cup is populated with legendary names that define the sport. Golden Miller — five consecutive wins from 1932 to 1936. Arkle — three consecutive wins from 1964 to 1966. Dawn Run — the only horse to win both the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup. Desert Orchid — the grey legend who thrilled a generation. Kauto Star — the dual winner who returned to reclaim his crown in 2012. Best Mate — three consecutive wins from 2002 to 2004. In 2026, a new chapter will be written in this extraordinary history.

Betting Approach: The Gold Cup ante-post market is the most heavily traded market in jump racing, and it is essential to engage with it early to get the best prices. Horses who are clear market leaders from January onwards tend to trade at efficient prices, but value can often be found among the second and third horses in the ante-post market who have a genuine chance of winning at a more generous price. Consider the each-way returns carefully — with fields of 10-15 runners, bookmakers typically pay three places, and a place-only bet on a 10/1 shot at one quarter the odds can represent excellent value.

• The Betfair Chase, Savills Chase and Gold Cup Trial are the three key prep races
• RSA Chase winners in previous years frequently progress to Gold Cup contention
• Age profile: horses aged 7–10 have the best Gold Cup record — be cautious about very young or very old horses
• Ground conditions at Cheltenham in March are crucial — check each horse's form in soft and heavy going
• Irish-trained horses have dominated the Gold Cup in recent years — the Mullins, Elliott and de Bromhead stables lead the market most years
• The third-last fence is a critical jumping test — horses with a history of jumping errors under pressure should be treated with caution
• Jockey booking is informative — premium jockeys choosing a ride in the Gold Cup signals stable confidence
• Don't ignore British-trained runners at bigger prices — Henderson and Nicholls horses can still compete for the prize

The Foxhunter Challenge Cup is the Hunters' Chase equivalent of the Gold Cup — run over exactly the same course and distance as the sport's most famous race, but restricted to horses who have been hunted during the current season and ridden by amateur jockeys. The Foxhunter is a race with a long and proud tradition, attracting some of the finest hunters and point-to-pointers from Britain and Ireland.

Following the Gold Cup, the Foxhunter provides a wonderfully contrasting spectacle — the amateur jockeys and hunters threading their way around the same Old Course that has just witnessed the ultimate test of professional jump racing. Point-to-point specialists who have excelled over the winter season are the typical winners, often at generous prices.

Betting Approach: Irish point-to-point specialists who have won their prep races convincingly tend to dominate the Foxhunter. Look for horses with multiple wins in open point-to-points during the season, ridden by experienced amateur jockeys with strong records at the Festival. The race can be a tricky betting proposition given the amateur rider factor, but a confident market move in the days before the race is always worth heeding.

• Irish point-to-point form is the primary guide to the Foxhunter
• Amateur jockey experience over the Cheltenham course is a significant advantage
• Previous Cheltenham Festival experience, even in hunters' chases, is a positive

The Grand Annual Chase is one of the most unique races of the entire Festival — a two-mile handicap chase with a very low weight limit that produces a field of quick, handy two-mile chasers who race at extraordinary pace around the Old Course. The race is one of the oldest in the Festival programme and has maintained its identity as a fast-run, competitive test of two-mile chasing ability.

The low weight limit in the Grand Annual means it attracts horses who are relatively lightly weighted and who have been campaigned specifically to arrive at the Festival with their official mark looking generous. It is one of the Festival races where the form guide can be most carefully deconstructed by a knowledgeable punter looking for value.

Betting Approach: The Grand Annual is an excellent each-way betting race. With a moderate top weight and a competitive field, every horse has a chance on the weights, and the key differentiator is pace and jumping ability over two miles of Cheltenham's demanding Old Course. Target horses who have run well in quality two-mile handicap chases during the season and who have the speed to match the pace in the Grand Annual's typically frenetic early stages.

• Two-mile handicap chase form at a high level is the key qualifier
• Horses who have won over the Old Course's two-mile trip before carry a significant advantage
• Low-weighted, fast-jumping, younger chasers have the ideal profile for this race
• Each-way at 10/1 or bigger is a valid approach in a competitive renewal

The Martin Pipe Corinthian Club Handicap Hurdle is the final race of the Cheltenham Festival — named in honour of Martin Pipe, the most successful jump racing trainer in British history, who transformed the sport during his remarkable career. The race is restricted to conditional jockeys (apprentice riders in National Hunt), giving young riders a chance to showcase their talents on the greatest stage in jump racing.

The Martin Pipe is a two-miles-four-furlong handicap hurdle that often produces a thrilling and sentimental conclusion to the Festival, with young jockeys putting everything into their rides and the Cheltenham crowd giving each horse a passionate welcome as the Festival draws towards its close. The result of the Martin Pipe is always awaited with genuine interest by racing fans who are watching the future stars of the saddle take their first major steps.

Betting Approach: The Martin Pipe provides a fitting conclusion to the Festival's betting. Look for horses whose conditional jockey has already ridden at the Festival in the current week — experience on the course during the week is a significant advantage. Willie Mullins has a strong record in this race and his conditional riders benefit from exceptional preparation and horse quality.

• Conditional jockeys with prior Festival experience, even from earlier in the week, are a strong positive
• Well-handicapped horses from top yards who have been trained to peak at this meeting are ideal
• Recent form in two-mile-plus handicap hurdles is the key form guide
• Mullins and Elliott conditional riders have an outstanding record in this race