We are just one week out from Cheltenham Festival 2026, so here's everything you need to know about claiming the best offers and promotions ahead of Day One!
It's nearly time for the very best horses, jockeys and trainers in Britain and Ireland to head to Gloucestershire for four days of drama and excitement, so let's take a closer look at all the best Cheltenham free bets.
There has already been plenty of controversy ahead of this year's festival, with news that Constitution Hill will not run in the Unibet Champion Hurdle, after impressing on his flats debut at Southwell.
However, across the four-days of top-class jumps racing there are other huge names in action, with Kopek Des Bordes, Lossiemouth, Fact To File and Majborough ready to compete.
Here at oddschecker, we've already seen thousands of punters getting involved in the NRNB ante-post markets, so let's help you get even more value before the festival starts by showing you how to claim the best offers and promotions!
BOYLE Sports Destination Cheltenham: Bet £10, Get £50 + Win up to £10k Weekly
BOYLE Sports, one of the UK's top bookmakers, has gone early with its promotion for Cheltenham as they did in 2025. New customers can bet £10 to get £50 in free bets, plus win up to £10,000 each week! Customers will also be able to build their bank for the Festival by betting throughout February and March - find out more below:
- Sign up with BOYLE Sports: CLICK HERE to create your new BOYLE Sports account
- Place your daily bets: Place a £/€10+ qualifying bet on the designated sport each day (check full T&Cs below) to start building rewards
- Build Your Cheltenham Free Bet Bank: Bet on 4 or more days in a week to earn a £/€5 Cheltenham Free Bet. Bet on more days to unlock extra Free Bets the following week
- Bet All 7 Days to Win Big: Complete all 7 days in a week and you’ll win a share of the £/€10,000 weekly jackpot, paid as cash
BOYLE Sports
- Consistent and regular promotions
- Flush and fast app available on both iOS and Android
- Licensed by the UK Gambling Commission
Matchbook Cheltenham Promotion: Get up to £100 in Free Bets
New Matchbook customers can now claim up to £100 ahead of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. All you need to do is register a new account using the promo code and bet £50. Find out more below:
- CLICK HERE to claim the Matchbook Cheltenham promo
- Use the promo code GET100
- Place and settle 5 x £10 Bets bets on Horse Racing markets, across 5 events at minimum odds of Evens (2.0)
- Get 5 x £10 Free Bets for Horse Racing markets only
- Plus, any commission paid on settled bets between registration and 08/03/2026 23:59 PM GMT, will be paid back to the user as free bets, up to the value of £50
Matchbook
Sky Bet Cheltenham Promotion: Bet 5p, Get £40 in Free Bets
Sky Bet has you covered for Cheltenham Festival 2026 with a low-risk deal, as you will receive £40 in free bets after placing a qualifying stake of just 5p! To qualify for the bonus, check out these steps:
- CLICK HERE to sign up and create your new Sky Bet account
- Deposit a minimum of £5 using Cards or Apple Pay
- Place a minimum of £0.05 as your first bet on a single or each way bet on any Sky Bet market at odds of 1/1 or greater
- Once your qualifying bet has settled, you will receive 4 x £10 free bet tokens to use on any Cheltenham Festival market
Skybet
- 24/7 live chat support
- Some of the best price boosts in the market
- Intuitive user experience
William Hill Cheltenham Promotion: Bet £10, Get £40 in Free Bets
Deposit and bet just £10 to unlock £40 in free bets for Cheltenham Festival 2026, thanks to the William Hill sign up offer! See how to claim the reward here:
- CLICK HERE or on the offer button below to register for a William Hill account and enter the promo code ‘G40’
- Deposit a minimum of £10 in your account
- Place a bet with a minimum stake of £10 at odds of 1/2 or greater on any market
- Once this bet settles, you will receive £40 in free bets credited as 4 x £10 denominations which can be used on any Cheltenham Festival market
William Hill
- Solid in-play betting service
- Cash-in option to help increase profitability
- Excellent reputation within the UK betting-industry
Paddy Power Cheltenham Promotion: Bet £5, Get £30 in Free Bets
Sign up with Paddy Power ahead of Cheltenham Festival 2026 to receive a £30 bonus to use on any market! Make sure to enter promo code YSKAST when creating your new account:
- CLICK HERE to open your new Paddy Power account using promo code YSKAST
- Deposit a minimum of £5 via cards or Apple Pay
- Place a qualifying bet (minimum stake £5) on any market, at odds of at least 1.50 (1/2)
- Once your bet settles, you’ll receive a total of £30 in bet builder bets, which can be used on any Cheltenham Festival market
Paddy Power
- Trusted parent company
- Industry leader in promotions/marketing
- Competitive pricing
Cheltenham Festival 2026: Full Race Schedule
Day 1: Tuesday 10 March 2026 – Champion Day
| Times | Race | Distance | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.20pm | The Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) | 2m 87y | Hurdle |
| 2.00pm | The Arkle Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) | 1m 7f 199y | Chase |
| 2.40pm | The Hallgarten and Novum Wines Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) | 2m 87y | Hurdle |
| 3.20pm | The Ultima Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) | 3m 1f | Chase |
| 4.00pm | The Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) | 2m 87y | Hurdle |
| 4.40pm | The TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) | 2m 4f 44y | Chase |
| 5.20pm | The Princess Royal National Hunt Novices’ Handicap Chase | 3m 5f 201y | Chase |
Day 2: Wednesday 11 March 2026 – Ladies Day
| Times | Race | Distance | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13.20pm | The Turners Novices’ Hurdle Race (Grade 1) | 2m abt 5f | Hurdle |
| 14.00pm | The Brown Advisory Novices’ Steeple Chase | 3m | Chase |
| 14.40pm | The BetMGM Cup Handicap Hurdle | 2m abt 5f | Hurdle |
| 15.20pm | The Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeple Chase | 3m abt 5 ½f | Chase |
| 16.00pm | The BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase (Grade 1) | Abt 2m | Chase |
| 16.40pm | The Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Steeple (Premier Handicap) | 2m | Chase |
| 17.20pm | The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Grade 1) | 2m | Bumper |
Day 3: Thursday 12 March 2026 – St Patrick’s Thursday
| Times | Race | Distance | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.20pm | The Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) | 2m 179y | Hurdle |
| 2.00pm | The Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap (Grade 2) | 2m 4f | Chase |
| 2.40pm | The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1) | 2m 4f 56y | Hurdle |
| 3.20pm | The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1) | 2m 7f 213y | Hurdle |
| 4.00pm | The Ryanair Chase (Grade 1) | 2m 4f 127y | Chase |
| 4.40pm | The Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) | 2m 7f 113y | Hurdle |
| 5.20pm | The Rosconn Group Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase | 3m 2f | Chase |
Day 4: Friday 13 March 2026 – Gold Cup Day
| Times | Race | Distance | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13.20pm | The JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) | 2m 179y | Hurdle |
| 14.00pm | The William Hill County Handicap Hurdle Race (Premier Handicap) | 2m 179y | Hurdle |
| 14.40pm | The Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Steeple Chase (Chase 2) | 2m 4f 127y | Chase |
| 15.20pm | The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Race (Grade 1) | 2m 7f 213y | Hurdle |
| 16.00pm | The Boodies Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase (Grade 1) | 3m 2f 70y | Chase |
| 16.40pm | The St. James’s Place Festival Hunters Chase | 3m 2f 70y | Chase |
| 17.20pm | Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle | 2m 4f 56y | Hurdle |
How to watch Cheltenham Festival 2026
You can keep up with all the latest Cheltenham Festival action live on ITV and Racing TV. The first six races of each day will be shown on ITV1, with the last one being on Racing TV. Fans can also stream all races for free on ITVX.
