Preparations for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival are now approaching the final furlong as trainers, jockeys and punters begin to look forward to one of the most exciting weeks of the horse racing calendar.
With more than a month to go to the first race, there remains plenty of uncertainty over the make-up of the racecards, but there will be plenty of eagle eyes as to who is performing best in the build-up to the festival and which horses are returning to a course where they have enjoyed success in the past.
When is the Cheltenham Festival in 2026?
The latest staging of the Cheltenham Festival will take place between Tuesday, March 10 and Friday, March 13.
How to watch the Cheltenham Festival in 2026
ITV and Racing TV will be continuing to broadcast the Cheltenham Festival in 2026.
Racing TV will provide coverage of each of the seven races on all four days. Viewers and punters can subscribe to this channel through Sky, their smart TVs and mobile devices to access their app.
Meanwhile, ITV broadcast six of the seven races on each day.
What are the headline races at the Cheltenham Festival on each day?
On each day, the first race will commence at 1.20pm, with the final race starting at 5.20pm.
The Champion Hurdle, which starts at 4pm, will headline Tuesday's racecard, while Wednesday's Ladies Day will see the Queen Mother Champion Chase (4pm) take centre stage.
On the third day of the festival, the Stayers Hurdle (3.20pm) – ran over three miles – and Ryanair Chase (4pm) will attract the most attention, with the headline act of the festival taking place on Friday when the prestigious Gold Cup is run.
Last year's Gold Cup was won by 15/2 shot Iknowwhaturthinkin as Galopin Des Champs was denied a third triumph in a row.
When will racecards be declared for the Cheltenham Festival in 2026?
While many bookmakers are already showing odds for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, the racecards will not be officially declared until nearer the event.
On February 3, a total of 28 possible entries remained for the Gold Cup, 19 of which are trained in Ireland. However, that number will be whittled down over the coming weeks.
Qualification is still taking place for some of the races. For example, four more races will be held throughout February to determine the starters for the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle, which is to be staged on the Thursday of the festival.
Provisional entries will start to appear at the start of March, while the Cheltenham Festival adopts a 48-hour rule for the final runners to be declared for each specific race.
Darren is a writer and tipster across a wide array of sports including football, golf, darts and boxing. He counts Keegan Bradley's US PGA Championship win in 2011 as his greatest-ever bet. Darren is also a Chelsea and Hednesford Town fan, as well as a keen golfer and darts player.
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