# Cheltenham Gold Cup 2027: Racetimes, TV Coverage & Raceday Guide _The Cheltenham Gold Cup: the Blue Riband of National Hunt racing. Race times, ITV coverage, course notes and how to follow the runners for jump racing's championship event._ *Source: [https://stablebet.co.uk/racing-news/cheltenham-gold-cup/](https://stablebet.co.uk/racing-news/cheltenham-gold-cup/) · last updated 2026-04-18* # Cheltenham Gold Cup 2027 The **Cheltenham Gold Cup** is National Hunt racing's undisputed championship, the Blue Riband of jump racing and the defining test of a staying chaser. Three miles, two-and-a-half furlongs over 22 fences on Cheltenham's undulating, left-handed New Course, and a climb up Cheltenham's final hill that has broken more hearts than any other obstacle in racing. Run on **Gold Cup Friday**, the closing day of the Cheltenham Festival each March, it's the most prestigious race of the week and one of the most anticipated events on the entire British sporting calendar. A typical Gold Cup field attracts 12-16 of the best staying chasers from Britain and Ireland, Paul Nicholls, Willie Mullins, Henry de Bromhead, Gordon Elliott and Nicky Henderson all targeting the same 5-minute race. For the **2027 edition**, the scheduled raceday is **TBA**. Declared runners, going update and off-time are published on the morning of the race. This page updates automatically as each detail is confirmed. ## At a glance - **Course**: Cheltenham (New Course, left-handed, undulating, 1m 4f round) - **Distance**: 3 miles 2½ furlongs - **Obstacles**: 22 fences - **Grade**: Grade 1 (championship chase) - **Prize fund**: ~£650,000 total, winner takes ~£370,000 - **Broadcast**: ITV1 (free-to-air UK) - **First run**: 1924 Read on for the full 2027 race details, the history of the Gold Cup, how to watch, and what Gold Cup Friday at Cheltenham looks like. ## 2027 race details # 2027 race details The 2027 Cheltenham Gold Cup is scheduled for **TBA** at Cheltenham, the closing afternoon of the four-day Cheltenham Festival. | Detail | Value | |---|---| | **Race date** | TBA | | **Off time** | TBA | | **Going** | TBA | | **Field size** | TBA | | **Distance** | 3m 2½f | | **Obstacles** | 22 fences | | **Prize fund** | ~£650,000 | ### Trials and build-up The road to the Gold Cup runs through three tiers of trial races: - **King George VI Chase** (Kempton, 26 December): the premier winter staging post. Not every King George winner wins the Gold Cup, but most Gold Cup winners have at least contested it. - **Savills Chase** (Leopardstown, 28 December): the Irish equivalent; Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott's stable-stars typically use this over the King George. - **Irish Gold Cup** (Leopardstown, early February) and **Cotswold Chase** (Cheltenham, late January): the final prep races before the Festival itself. Five-day entries for the Gold Cup close in early March. Final declarations (48-hour) are published on the Wednesday of Cheltenham Festival week. This page reflects the confirmed declared runners once they're posted, check back on Gold Cup morning for the final field. ### Ante-post markets Gold Cup ante-post books open in the summer after the Cheltenham Festival for the following year. Early prices react to King George and Savills Chase results in December. Short-priced favourites have a good recent record, Galopin Des Champs (2023, 2024), Al Boum Photo (2019, 2020), Sizing John (2017), and Native River (2018) all won at single-figure odds. Each-way value improves with the big-field editions that 14+ runners give you. ## History and notable winners # History and notable winners The Cheltenham Gold Cup was first run in **1924** as the championship race of the still-young Cheltenham Festival. It has run every year since (bar 1931, 1937 and the 1943-44 wartime gaps, and the 2001 foot-and-mouth cancellation), making it the oldest continuously run Grade 1 chase in Britain. ### The legends **Golden Miller** (1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936) won the Gold Cup five times, still the record, untouched for ninety years. He also won the Grand National in 1934, the only horse ever to complete the Aintree-Cheltenham double in the same season. **Arkle** (1964, 1965, 1966) is the consensus "greatest chaser of all time", three Gold Cups, carrying weights and beating fields in a way that rewrote the handicapping book. His Timeform rating of 212 remains the highest ever awarded to a chaser. **Best Mate** (2002, 2003, 2004) won three in a row in the modern era, Henrietta Knight's stable star who defined Cheltenham for a decade. His career at a time when the Festival was becoming a global event made him the most photographed racehorse in Britain. **Kauto Star** (2007, 2009) pulled off the unique feat of regaining the Gold Cup, runner-up in 2008 and 2011, winner of the King George five times. He and **Denman** (2008) staged the most famous Gold Cup rivalry of the modern era under the same trainer, Paul Nicholls. **Al Boum Photo** (2019, 2020) gave Willie Mullins his long-awaited first Gold Cup wins, two-in-a-row at a time when the Irish dominance of the Festival was becoming impossible to deny. **Galopin Des Champs** (2023, 2024): Mullins again, is the current-era flagbearer, winning back-to-back Gold Cups at age 7 and 8 and establishing himself as the defining staying chaser of the decade. ### What wins the Gold Cup The Cheltenham New Course at 3m 2½f rewards: - **Stamina AND pace**: the Gold Cup is not a grind-them-down race; the pace is genuine from the off - **Class**: top-weight 11-10 is the championship weight; you need Grade 1 form to even be competitive - **Good-ground tolerance** or bottomless-ground specialist: the Festival is soft or good-to-soft most years - **Jumping fluency** under pressure: the fences are fair but the pace is relentless and tired horses make mistakes three out ### Recent roll of honour *This section updates after each year's running, see [/racing-news/](/racing-news/) for the most recent race result article.* ## TV coverage and how to watch # TV coverage and how to watch The 2027 Cheltenham Gold Cup is live on **ITV1** (free-to-air in the UK). ### UK terrestrial: ITV1 / ITVX ITV Racing's Gold Cup Friday coverage is the network's flagship National Hunt broadcast of the year. Coverage typically runs **from approximately 1:00pm** on Gold Cup Friday, carrying all seven races from Cheltenham plus extensive build-up programming. The Gold Cup itself is traditionally race 4 or 5 on the Friday card, off around **3:30pm**; the exact off-time for 2027 is **TBA** once confirmed. ITVX carries the coverage live and on demand after the event, free to UK viewers. The Gold Cup-day broadcast regularly attracts over 1 million UK viewers. ### Racing TV **Racing TV** carries the full Cheltenham Festival card every afternoon (all four days, ~28 races total) with dedicated parade-ring cameras, extended post-race analysis, and the longest pre-and-post-race windows of any Festival broadcaster. Subscription or Festival day-pass required. The Festival Pass is the popular option. ### Sky Sports Racing Sky Sports Racing does **not** hold rights to Cheltenham Festival. Cheltenham is on Racing TV and ITV for the full four days. Sky Sports Racing will show the complementary Festival-week fixtures (typically Stratford, Bangor and smaller evening meetings). ### International - **Ireland**: RTÉ Sport and Racing TV carry the Festival live; Irish bookmakers' apps also stream. - **US**: NBC Sports often carries the Gold Cup and flagship Festival races; Racing TV's American feed for the full card. - **Australia**: Sky Thoroughbred Central carries the Festival highlights; confirm with your provider. ### Replays ITVX (free) and Racing TV (subscriber archive) keep the race available on-demand. The Racing Post, ITV Racing and official Cheltenham YouTube channels post the race video within hours of the result. ### Off-time reminders Gold Cup Friday runs on tight TV discipline because of the seven-race card and the end-of-Festival schedule. Expect the advertised **TBA** to move by no more than 1–2 minutes unless a stewards' delay or weather break intervenes. ## Raceday at Cheltenham (Gold Cup Friday) # Raceday at Cheltenham (Gold Cup Friday) ### Getting there Cheltenham Racecourse is at **Prestbury Park, Evesham Road, Cheltenham, GL50 4SH**, on the northern edge of Cheltenham, 90 minutes by train from London Paddington. The nearest station is **Cheltenham Spa** with a free shuttle-bus service to the racecourse during Festival week. Drivers: Junction 10 or 11 of the M5, follow Festival-week AA signage. On-course and off-course car parks (Cleeve Hill, showground) with shuttle buses. Allow **significant extra time** on Gold Cup Friday. Festival traffic is heavy and parking fills by late morning. ### The enclosures Three main tickets for the Festival: - **Club Enclosure**: best viewing from the Princess Royal Stand, access to parade ring and winner's enclosure. Dress code applies; sells out first. - **Tattersalls**: main public enclosure with excellent paddock and rails access. The heart of the Festival crowd. - **Best Mate Enclosure**: budget option on the far side of the course, with big-screen viewing and a more relaxed feel. Gold Cup Friday tickets sell out within hours of on-sale each autumn, book through cheltenham.thejockeyclub.co.uk as soon as the sale opens. ### On the day - **Gates open** around 10:00am. - **First race** is at 1:30pm. - **The Gold Cup** is race 4 or 5 on the card, typically off around **TBA**. - Parade ring is mobbed 30 minutes before each Festival race: if you want a spot for the Gold Cup, stake your claim early. - **The Roar**: the traditional opening cheer when the tapes go up on race 1 (the Triumph Hurdle on Gold Cup Friday) is one of the most famous moments in sport. Don't miss it. ### Dress code Club Enclosure: smart business dress (collared shirt, jacket for men; smart-casual for women). Tattersalls and Best Mate: no strict dress code but the Festival crowd is well-dressed. **Layered warm waterproof clothing is essential**. Cheltenham in March can be anything from mild spring sun to horizontal sleet within an hour. Sturdy footwear is non-negotiable. ### Food and drink Extensive food and drink offering across the Festival: champagne bars, gastropubs, the famous Guinness Village, street-food traders, and multiple hospitality marquees. Prices are Festival-level, premium. The Guinness Village is the social centre of Tattersalls. ### Betting Tote facilities and on-course bookmakers throughout. Festival-day cash demand is high, bring plenty and/or rely on the app-based alternatives. Our [bookmaker comparison guide](/bookmakers/) covers online options if you'd rather place from your phone. ## Sources & verification Race details, dates, prize money and trends in this piece were cross-checked against: - [Wikipedia: Cheltenham Gold Cup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheltenham_Gold_Cup) - [Cheltenham Racecourse: official site](https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/) - [Racing Post: Cheltenham Festival hub](https://www.racingpost.com/news/festivals/cheltenham-festival/) [Source: cross-referenced as of the lastUpdated date in this article's meta.yaml.]