Cheltenham Festival 202412 – 15 March 2024

2024 Cheltenham Festival Horse Racing Festival Horse Racing Dates and Full Schedule

The Cheltenham Festival 2024 is fast approaching as this iconic horse racing event will be held from March 12 to 15, 2024. This festival attracts horse racing enthusiasts from around the world and it is estimated that around 200,000 fans will be coming to the event over the four days. This is in addition to the huge number of fans who get to enjoy the racing action through television or Internet live streams. The Cheltenham races 2024 event comprises almost 30 races and more than 500 horses competing in these events will take a share of the £6 million prize money on offer.

Apart from the convergence of the fans, this event also witnesses some of the top horses, jockeys, and trainers competing for the top honour. Even though the event is over in just four days, it manages to provide an exhilarating experience for all involved. The racing action is split up into four days with each day receiving a number of chase and hurdle events. No single day can be highlighted, as each of the Cheltenham Festival races happens to possess one highlight event. Unlike in some of the festivals that feature one or two top races, most of the races at the Cheltenham Festival belong to the Grade 1.

Cheltenham 2024, Tuesday 12th March, Champion Day – Day 1 Races

Day One Race Schedule

Time Race Distance Type
13:30 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle 2m 87y Hurdle
14:10 The Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Steeple Chase 1m 7f Chase
14:50 The Ultima Handicap Chase 3m abt 1f Chase
15:30 The Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy 2m 87y Hurdle
16:10 The Mares’ Hurdle (for the David Nicholson Trophy) 2m 3f 200y Hurdle
16:50 The National Hunt Challenge Cup Chase 4m Chase
17:30 The Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase 3m 7f 147y Chase

The first day of the Cheltenham Festival is all about six races. The most important event of the day happens to be the Champion Hurdle – a Grade 1 race which is set over 2 miles. It takes place at 15:20. While this is undoubtedly the best event of the day, it is also supplemented by other top races like the Supreme Novice’s Hurdle at 13:30. This race is also conducted just over 2 miles. The Cheltenham Festival race times for the Arkle Challenge Trophy is 14:10. Once again, this race is also around 2 miles in distance.

Apart from the Grade 1 races, there are also a few races that drop down but still manage to offer exciting racing action. Among those are the Novices’ Handicap Chase and National Hunt Chase. While these events may not be as great as the Champion Hurdle, they are more than capable of providing top racing action in comparison to most of the races around the world.

Interestingly, the National Hunt Chase happens to be the oldest event of the Cheltenham race schedule. At the same time, it is also the longest event of the festival and it makes it extremely hard to predict without the assistance of tips. Since these horses are novices and the riders are amateurs, only one of the favourites has gone on to win the event in recent times. The event starts at 17:30 and is the last event of the day.

Cheltenham 2024, Wednesday 13th March, Ladies Day – Day 2 Races

Day Two Race Schedule

Time Race Distance Type
13:30 The Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle Race 2m 5f Hurdle
14:10 The RSA Insurance Novices’ Steeple Chase 3m 80y Chase
14:50 The Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle 2m 5f Hurdle
15:30 The Betway Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase 1m 7f 99y Chase
16:10 The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase 3m 6f 37y Chase
16:50 The Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race 2m 87y Hurdle
17:30 The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (A Standard Open NH Flat Race) 2m 87y Bumper

The second day of the Cheltenham races fixtures is just as important as the first day. Undoubtedly, the pinnacle of the second day or the Ladies Day happens to be the Queen Mother Champion Chase. This Grade 1 event is run over a distance of 2 miles with the runners having to jump over 12 fences. It is easily the highlight of the ladies day and it begins at 15:30. The highly competitive nature of this event makes it extremely difficult to call a winner. The Cheltenham racecourse will also witness this race being followed up by the Coral Cup, which will be over 2 miles and five furlongs. Several runners usually take part in the event which is also difficult to predict due to its thrilling nature. This event takes place at 14:50 and is run over a distance of just over 2 miles.

The Neptune Investment Hurdle at 13:30 and the Royal Sun Alliance Chase at 14:10 are the races that will provide enormous entertainment value, as both are highly competitive and will feature superstars from the world of hurdling. Over the years, the RSA Chase has often produced the high-quality winners with Denman being the most prominent after the success in 2007. This RSA Chase is one of the longest events today. The racing action closes with the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at 17:30.

Cheltenham 2024, Thursday 14th March, St Patrick’s Day – Day 3 Races

Day Three Race Schedule

Time Race Distance Type
13:30 The JLT Novices’ Chase 2m 3f 166y Chase
14:10 The Pertemps Network Final (A Handicap Hurdle Race) 2m 7f 213y Hurdle
14:50 The Ryanair Chase 2m 7f 213y Chase
15:30 The Sun Racing Stayers’ Hurdle 3m Hurdle
16:10 The Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate (A Handicap Steeple Chase) 2m 4f 127y Chase
16:50 Trull House Stud Mares Novices’ Hurdle 2m 179y Hurdle
17:30 The Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase (0-145) 3m 2f Chase

St Patrick’s Day is one of the key dates for Cheltenham Festival 2024 as it marks the third day of the races. The feature race today happens to be the Stayers’ Hurdle at 15:30. This race is used to crown the top horse of the hurdles division. This is not the only ultra-competitive race today, as such title could also go to Ryanair Chase. This event takes place at 14:50 and it comes just after the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle. The first race of the day will be the JLT Novices’ Handicap, which is scheduled to take place at 13:30.

The Cheltenham Festival race times are dominated by these events up until the evening, and the day closes up with the Kim Muir Challenge Cup at 17:30. This also happens to be the longest race of the day at 3 miles and 2 furlongs. Just prior to this event, fans get to witness a selection of the top mares going up against each other in the Mares Novices’ Hurdle at 16:50. It is difficult to disregard any race on St Patrick’s Day, as all have the potential to be a thriller. Most of the races will feature a larger field and the races will go to the distance. There is an even amount of chase and hurdle events today.

Cheltenham 2024, Friday 15th March, Cheltenham Gold Cup Day – Day 4 Races

Day Four Race Schedule

Time Race Distance Type
13:30 The JCB Triumph Hurdle 2m 139f Hurdle
14:10 The Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle Race 2m 179f Hurdle
14:50 The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Race 2m 7f 213y Hurdle
15:30 The Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup 3m 2f 70y Chase
16:10 The St. James’s Place Foxhunter Steeple Chase Challenge Cup 3m 2f 70y Chase
16:50 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase 2m 62y Hurdle
17:30 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f 56y Hurdle

The undisputed top dog with regard to the Cheltenham Festival happens to take place on the final day – Gold Cup day. As the name suggests, the Cheltenham races tickets 2024 will focus on a single event – Cheltenham Gold Cup. This is the premier event which is over 3 miles and 2 furlongs long. It is scheduled to take place at 15:30 and the winner gets to go home with a magnificent price.

The day’s action begins with the Triumph Hurdle that will take place at 13:30. This hurdle event is just over 2 miles in length. Often, this race features a large field that makes the race go to the very edge.

A difficult handicap on the final day could be the Country Hurdle and this race often attracts plenty of interest from punters. Once this is done and dusted, the event starts getting more attention as the Gold Cup approaches. Regarded as one of the greatest horse racing events, the Gold Cup not only witnesses some of the top horses from around the world, it also gets the highest number of Cheltenham 2024 tips. The race demands every aspect – from speed to technique – to be perfect. The day, and indeed the Cheltenham Festival, concludes with the Grand Annual Chase at 17:30. It is preceded by the Conditional Jockeys Hurdle, which happens to be one of the top jumping stages for horses, at 16:50.

Thus, one of the top events in the world concludes and also paves way for the Grand National.