Category: Cheltenham Festival

🏆 The 2026 Cheltenham Festival took place 10-13 March 2026. The meeting has now concluded. For the latest horse racing odds and analysis, see the Champion Hurdle page.

The 2026 Cheltenham Festival runs from Tuesday, March 10 to Friday, March 13 at Prestbury Park. Racing starts at 13:20 each day and the final race is scheduled for 17:20. In the United Kingdom, viewers can watch the first five races of each day live on ITV1 and ITVX, while Racing TV will show every race from the Festival.

Key	Details
Event	Cheltenham Festival 2026
Dates	Tuesday, March 10 to Friday, March 13, 2026
Venue	Prestbury Park, Cheltenham Racecourse
Number of Races	28
Races Per Day	7
First Race Time	13:20
Final Race Time	17:20
Championship Race Time	16:00 each day
TV Coverage (UK)	ITV1
Free Live Stream	ITVX
Full Coverage	Racing TV
Preview Show	ITV4, 09:00 to 10:00

The Cheltenham Festival returns with four days of racing at Prestbury Park, bringing together many of the leading horses, trainers and jockeys in National Hunt racing.

The meeting features 28 races across the week, with seven races scheduled on each day. Every contest can be watched on television or streamed online for fans unable to attend the Festival in person.

Trainer Willie Mullins is once again expected to have a strong team across the meeting. He will also be targeting success in the Cheltenham Gold Cup after missing out on a third consecutive win with Galopin des Champs last year.

Cheltenham Festival dates and race times

The 2026 Cheltenham Festival runs from Tuesday, March 10 to Friday, March 13.

Racing begins at 13:20 each day, while the final race is scheduled for 17:20.

A championship race takes place at 16:00 on each day of the meeting. The week opens with the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday and concludes with the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday. For pre-race odds and tips on the Champion Hurdle, see our Champion Hurdle odds page.

TV coverage in the UK

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the first five races of each day live on ITV1.

ITV’s coverage begins at 12:45 GMT and runs through to 17:00. The races shown on ITV can also be streamed through the ITVX platform.

Festival preview show

Each morning of the meeting features a preview programme that looks ahead to the day’s racing.

The show runs from 09:00 to 10:00 and is broadcast on ITV4. It is also available to watch online through ITVX.

Watching every race

The final two races on each day will not appear on ITV’s coverage.

Supporters who want to watch every race can do so through Racing TV. The subscription channel provides full coverage of the Cheltenham Festival and is available through Sky, Virgin Media and its online streaming service.

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🏆 Result: Lossiemouth (7/5 favourite) won the 2026 Champion Hurdle, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend. She won by six and a half lengths from Brighterdaysahead, with The New Lion third. Constitution Hill – the subject of this pre-race preview – finished out of the places. See also: Constitution Hill’s Southwell run ahead of Cheltenham.

Constitution Hill heads the market for the Champion Hurdle at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival after a dazzling Flat debut success at Southwell Racecourse.

There were raised eyebrows when Nicky Henderson opted to send his stable star to Southwell for a £40,000 1m4f novice contest, but the move paid off in emphatic fashion. Ridden by Oisin Murphy, Constitution Hill stormed clear to win by nine lengths in a performance that reignited excitement ahead of March.

After falling in three of his previous four National Hunt starts, doubts had begun to creep in about whether his best days were behind him. That may still prove to be the case over hurdles, but his Southwell display was a powerful reminder of the raw ability that once made him untouchable.

Previously trading at around 4/1 for the Champion Hurdle, he has now been cut to joint favouritism alongside Brighterdaysahead and The New Lion, with Lossiemouth close behind.

His jumping remains the key question mark, and a Flat run just weeks before a championship hurdle is unconventional preparation. However, Henderson’s bold approach could yet prove inspired if Constitution Hill can reproduce that level back at Prestbury Park.

Horse	Odds
Brighterdaysahead	5/2
Constitution Hill	5/2
The New Lion	5/2
Lossiemouth	10/3
Golden Ace	6/1
Poniros	12/1
Ballyburn	14/1

🏆 Result: Constitution Hill won the Southwell race, finishing clear of the field by nine lengths under Oisin Murphy. The Flat experiment paid off – his performance reignited Champion Hurdle speculation ahead of March. See our Champion Hurdle odds page for Cheltenham analysis.

bet365 enhanced Constitution Hill’s odds to finish in the top three to a best priced EVENS (was 1/3) ahead of his much anticipated Flat debut at Southwell Racecourse on Friday evening.

The two-time Cheltenham Festival winner will step into the starting stalls for the first time in his career in the £40,000 SBK Road to Cheltenham Novice Stakes, the feature event on Southwell’s Friday Night Live card. Trained by Nicky Henderson, the nine-year-old takes on a competitive field as connections look to rebuild confidence after a turbulent spell over hurdles.

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Constitution Hill began his career with 10 straight victories, announcing himself as a generational talent. He captured the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2022 before producing a breathtaking display to win the Champion Hurdle in 2023. A serious respiratory infection ruled him out of defending his title in 2024, interrupting his momentum at the peak of his powers.

He returned to win twice, including the Christmas Hurdle, but jumping errors have crept in. He has fallen three times in his last four starts over hurdles, most recently at the second flight in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle. Those mistakes prompted a change of plan.

Henderson opted for the Tapeta surface at Southwell to allow the son of Blue Bresil to rediscover his rhythm without the added test of jumping. The extended 1m4f trip was designed as a confidence-building exercise before a possible return to hurdling later in the spring.

Five-time Champion Jockey Oisin Murphy takes the ride, replacing regular partner Nico de Boinville. The race carries £21,600 to the winner and has drawn interest from both sides of the Irish Sea. Willie Mullins sends Daddy Long Legs, ridden by Ryan Moore, while Square Necker is also prominent in the market.

This outing could shape plans for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, where Constitution Hill has shortened to 4/1 in the Champion Hurdle betting as he bids to regain his crown in March. A smooth and assured performance at Southwell would go a long way towards restoring belief that the former champion can return to the very top.