The Cheltenham Festival, the pinnacle event of National Hunt racing, takes place at Prestbury Park every March.

The best horses in the world of jumps racing take their place in one of 28 races across four days, with no fewer than 14 Grade 1 races.

What	Cheltenham Festival 2023
Where	Prestbury Park, Cheltenham
When	Tuesday, 14th March to Friday, 17th March 2023
How to watch	bet365 live Sports Streaming, ITV, Racing TV
Odds	Cheltenham Gold Cup: Galopin Des Champs 11/8, Stattler 7/1, A Plus Tard 8/1, Bravemansgame 9/1, Ahoy Senor 12/1

Cheltenham Festival 2023 Start Date

The action at Cheltenham gets underway on Tuesday, 14th March, with gates opening at 10:30 and the opening race due off at 1:30.

The first race will be the Grade 1 Supreme Novices' Hurdle Race, run over 2m and won in 2022 by Nicky Henderson's Constitution Hill, 1/3 favourite this year to win the day on feature – the Champion Hurdle at 3.30. 

Cheltenham Festival Gold Cup Date

The biggest race of the Festival takes place on the final day, with the Cheltenham Gold Cup run on Friday, 17th March at 3.30.

This year will see the 94th edition of the Grade 1 contest, which was first run in 1924, with 3 miles 2 ½ furlongs to cover and 22 fences to jump.

Trainer Henry De Bromhead will go for a third straight victory in the race, after success with Minella Indo in 2021 and A Plus Tard in 2022.

How to watch the Cheltenham Festival live

All the action from Cheltenham can be followed via the bet365 live Sports Streaming Service. 

The four days of the Cheltenham Festival will be shown live to a huge TV audience on both ITV and Racing TV.

ITV will show the first five races on all four days of the Festival, with Racing TV showing all seven National Hunt races on each day.

Related Cheltenham Festival News

Cheltenham Festival: Horses and trainers to follow

Cheltenham Festival: Dates, TV schedule & odds

Cheltenham Racecourse Guide

Cheltenham Festival: Day One details

The opening race on day one of the Cheltenham Festival will start at 1:30 with the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, with eight hurdles for the novices to clear.

The second race of the day is due off at 2:10, with the Arkle Challenge Trophy run over 2m and with 13 fences to be jumped.

Tuesday's third race at Prestbury Park is the Ultima Handicap Steeple Chase over 3m and 1f, before the race of the day at 3:30.

The Champion Hurdle has a £253,000 first prize up for grabs, with Honeysuckle having won this contest in the last two years, though she won't be defending the crown this time. 

Race four is the 16th running of the Grade 1 Mares' Hurdle Race, due off at 4:10 over 2m and 4f, and is open to mares of four-years-old or older.

The penultimate race of day one is the Juvenile Handicap Hurdle race at 4:50, before the National Hunt Steeple Chase Challenge Cup contest at 5.30.

Cheltenham Festival: Day Two details

Day two begins again at 1:30 with a competitive Grade 1 contest, the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle, run over 2m and 4f and almost £76,000 handed to the winning connections.

The second race of the day is due off at 2:10, the Brown Advisory Novices' Steeple Chase, with 20 fences for the runners to contend with.

It's back over hurdles at 2:50, with the Grade 3 Coral Cup Hurdle run over 2m and 5f, before the highlight of the day at 3:30.

The Queen Mother Champion Chase is the feature race of day two and has been run since 1959, with last year's winner Energumene, priced at 11/8, set to clash with rival Edwardstone.

The 3m 6f Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeple Chase is due to get underway at 4:10, a race won by the famous Tiger Roll in 2018, 2019 & 2021 before he was agonisingly denied by Delta Work on his final run last March.

The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Steeple Chase Challenge Cup is at 4:50, before day two concludes with the Weatherbys Champion Bumper NH Flat Race at 5:30.

Cheltenham Festival: Day Three details

It's another 1:30 start on the Thursday, with the opening race on day three being the Turners Novices' Chase.

The 2m 4f race is a Grade 1 contest for horses of five years and older, with runners and riders having to navigate over 17 fences.

There is a Listed race at 2:10, the Pertemps Network Final, which is a handicap hurdle race run over a trip of 3m.

The first edition of this race was back in 1974, with Jonjo O'Neill the most successful trainer with four race victories.

Race three on Thursday is the Ryanair Steeple Chase, with the Grade 1 contest due off at 2:50.

Trainer Willie Mullins is looking for a fourth straight victory in this 2m4½f race and a sixth success overall, though Allaho, who claimed victory in 2021 and 2022 has been ruled out of the Festival.

Latest odds for the race can be found here.

The Stayers' Hurdle is another Grade 1 contest on day three of the Festival, run on the New Course at Prestbury Park.

This is one of the oldest races on the Festival schedule, having started in 1912, and there are 12 fences to jump over a 3m trip.

The next race is at 4:10, the Craft Irish Whiskey Co. Plate is a Grade 3 race and is followed by the Mares Novices' Hurdle at 4:50.

Day three's action concludes with the final race at 5:30, with the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup for amateur riders.

Cheltenham Festival: Day Four details

The Cheltenham Festival concludes on Friday with another seven races to look forward to, as the action begins with the JCB Triumph Hurdle at 1:30. 

The Grade 1 field is made up of four-year-old runners, who will take on the 2m1f test with eight hurdles to jump.

Race two is due off at 2:10, with the McCoy Contractors County Handicap Hurdle before the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at 2:50.

The likes of Monkfish and Minella Indo have won this race in the past and the 3m race should be another exciting renewal in 2023.

The outstanding race of the Festival takes place at 3:30, with over £350,000 up for grabs for the winning connections of the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The 3m2½f contest has been run since 1924, with Golden Miller holding the record for the most wins – five in total between 1932 and 1936.

The last three races of the Festival take place at 4:10, 4:50 and 5:30 – starting with the St James's Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase.

The penultimate race of the Festival is the Mares' Chase, run over 2m, the newest addition to the Festival roster.

The 2023 Cheltenham Festival concludes with the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle, won by the Joseph O'Brien-trained Banbridge in 2022.