Cheltenham Festival 2024: Dates, times, racecourse guide and more

The four-day Cheltenham Festival pitches the best of British jump-racing against rivals from across the Irish Sea.

The Irish have dominated in the past few years and are expected to do so again, with about 55,000 Irish racing fans descending on Gloucestershire. The Cheltenham racecourse itself welcomes about 70,000 spectators every day.

In the build-up to this week’s festival there was disappointment for trainer Nicky Henderson after Constitution Hill, the defending champion, was ruled out of Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle, won by State Man.

On Wednesday, Rachael Blackmore on Captain Guinness won the day’s big race, the Champion Chase, before Willie Mullins secured his 100th Festival win with Jasmin De Vaux. Thursday saw the British trainers fight back, and Sir Alex Ferguson celebrate two winners as an owner with Monmiral for Paul Nicholls and Protektorat for Dan Skelton.

For a full guide to the final day of the festival, see our tips and best bets for day four, including Gold Cup tips.

When is the 2024 Cheltenham Festival? Start and end dates

The Cheltenham Festival started on Tuesday, March 12 and concludes on Friday, March 14. The Gold Cup is on the final afternoon – view our full guide to the runners and riders for Friday’s Cheltenham showpiece. 

How many days is the Cheltenham Festival?

The Cheltenham Festival is a four-day race meeting. 

How to watch the Cheltenham Festival

ITV have the free-to-air broadcast rights and will show the first five races of each day of the meeting. For comprehensive coverage you will need a subscription to Racing TV, which can be accessed through Sky and Virgin Media, or streamed online.

How many races are there?

There are 28 races run over the four days. Each day has one ‘feature’ race: Champion Hurdle (Tuesday), Queen Mother Champion Chase (Wednesday), Stayers’ Hurdle (Thursday) and the Cheltenham Gold Cup (Friday).

Looking for the latest Cheltenham betting offers? Our comprehensive list contains all leading bookmakers

Race schedule: Times for every race at the 2024 Festival

Friday, March 15

• 1.30: JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) (New Course)
• 2.10: County Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) (New Course)
• 2.50: Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
• 3.30: Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase (Grade 1)
• 4.10: St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase
• 4.50: Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (Grade 2)
• 5.30: Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle

Cheltenham racecourse: A short guide

Aside from Aintree, Cheltenham is the most storied jumps racecourse in Britain. Located in the west of England, the track has played host to very best jumps horses from Britain and Ireland since the meeting was first held there in 1904. 

There are two courses at the track, each posing different tests. The Old Course, used over the first days of the festival, is a shorter, tighter track with less of emphasis on stamina. As such, speedier horses and those comfortable with front-running are often better suited to its demands. 

The Champion Hurdle and the Queen Mother Champion Chase are both run on the Old Course.

The New Course is the opposite. With more gentle sweeping turns and a long climb from the bottom of Cheltenham’s home-straight hill to the top, the New Course suits strong stayers over a variety of trips. 

The Stayers’ Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup are both run on the New Course.

How to get tickets and how much do they cost?

Tickets to the festival are available directly from The Jockey Club website and come in three categories. Club tickets cost £107.00 for the first three days of the meeting and are sold out for the final day. 

Tattersalls tickets come in at £74.00 for each of the first three days and £89.00 on the final day. Best Mate enclosure tickets come in at £52.00 over the first three days and £70.00 on the final day. 

Cheltenham Festival parking

Parking is available to book in advance from £20 per car per day or £30 for minibuses (up to 15 seats), £75 for limousine parking and £75 for coach parking (16 seats and above).

For further parking formation visit visitcheltenham.com/whats-on/cheltenham-festival/parking.