Festival Trials Day: Date, races, runners, history & more

Festival Trials Day is considered the final major warm-up act for the Cheltenham Festival as potential contenders for the March showpiece outline their credentials at the home of jump racing.

Four Grade 2 races and a Premier handicap are packed into a quality day of action which can provide great insight as to who might flourish at the prestigious Cheltenham Festival.

Festival Trials Day date

The 2025 Festival Trials Day will take place on Saturday 25th January.

Festival Trials Day venue

Festival Trials Day is held at Cheltenham Racecourse.

It is the final raceday at the Prestbury Park venue before the Cheltenham Festival.

Festival Trials Day races

Festival Trials Day consists of a seven-race card, where each race is a trial for the Cheltenham Festival.

• 12:40 - JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle
• 13:15 - Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase
• 13:50 - Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase
• 14:25 - Cotswold Chase
• 15:00 - Unibet Hurdle
• 15:35 - Cleeve Hurdle
• 16:10 - Classic Novices’ Hurdle

Festival Trials Day history

A fixture that has existed for decades, the name "Trials Day" only emerged in 2006 as Cheltenham organisers rebranded the card.

The origins of the Cotswold Chase, one of the main races of Trials Day, dates back to 1980 and its second winner - Little Owl - triumphed in the Cheltenham Gold Cup two months after his success in the event.

1983 saw the inaugural running of the Cleeve Hurdle and two years later the FInesse Juvenile Novices' Hurdle was introduced, which is now known as the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle.

The Cleeve Hurdle was promoted to a Grade 1 from a Listed race in 1991 and the card was extended from six races to seven in 1993.

Master Oats and Looks Like Trouble demonstrated the value of how a strong run in the Cotswold Chase can benefit a Gold Cup challenge as the pair completed the double in 1995 and 2000. Three Cotswold Chase winners have gone on to win the Grand National, with the latest being Many Clouds in 2015.

2005 saw the Cleeve Hurdle trip increased, the Classic Novices' Hurdle introduced and the temporary inclusion of the Clarence House Chase, which now features on the Trials Day card if the race is unable to take place at Ascot.