Founder & Editor · Last reviewed 2026-08-24
How to watch the Cheltenham Festival, in one line
ITV Racing shows the Cheltenham Festival live, free-to-air, across all four days. Coverage opens as the parade ring fills before the first race, runs through the championship feature in the mid-afternoon, and closes out after the last race of the card.
Racing starts at 1:20pm each day and finishes at 5:20pm, with seven races run at roughly 40-minute intervals. The four championship races, the reason most people tune in, each go off at either 3:20pm or 4:00pm depending on the day (the full breakdown is in the schedule below). Gates open at 10:30am for anyone at the course itself.
If you cannot get to a television, ITVX carries the same feed for free with a UK account, and the full seven-race card (not just the races ITV's linear channel selects) is available through Racing TV on subscription or through a bookmaker's live-streaming service once you have a funded account with a small stake placed.
The four championship days
- Tuesday, Champion Day: the Champion Hurdle, the meeting's opening Grade 1
- Wednesday, Ladies' Day: the Queen Mother Champion Chase
- Thursday, St Patrick's Thursday: the Stayers' Hurdle, followed by the Ryanair Chase
- Friday, Gold Cup Day: the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the biggest race of the jumps season
Each day's build-up, the paddock analysis and the post-race interviews are covered live; what changes day to day is only the exact off-time of the feature, covered section by section below.
Where to Bet
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ITV Racing schedule, all four days
ITV Racing schedule, all four days
ITV Racing carries the Cheltenham Festival's main card live, free-to-air, every day of the meeting. Coverage builds through the early afternoon and continues past the last race with results, replays and reaction.
| Day | Feature race | Off-time | Coverage window (indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, Champion Day | Champion Hurdle | 4:00pm | 1:20pm – 5:20pm |
| Wednesday, Ladies' Day | Queen Mother Champion Chase | 4:00pm | 1:20pm – 5:20pm |
| Thursday, St Patrick's Thursday | Stayers' Hurdle, then Ryanair Chase | 3:20pm, then 4:00pm | 1:20pm – 5:20pm |
| Friday, Gold Cup Day | Cheltenham Gold Cup | 4:00pm | 1:20pm – 5:20pm |
[The Jockey Club's official Festival schedule confirms these times for the meeting; exact broadcast start and any last-minute changes are set by ITV in the week of the meeting, and this guide is refreshed if they move.]
What ITV's coverage includes
- All seven races each day, championship Grade 1s and the supporting card alike
- Paddock and parade-ring analysis before every race, covering the going, market moves and each runner's chance
- Live coverage of the featured race, with build-up from an hour or more out on the biggest days
- Winner's enclosure interviews with the winning jockey, trainer and connections straight after each championship race
- Results, replays and studio reaction through to close of coverage
Thursday's two features, and why the times matter
St Patrick's Thursday is the one day with two Grade 1s inside the same afternoon: the Stayers' Hurdle at 3:20pm and the Ryanair Chase forty minutes later at 4:00pm. It is the tightest stretch of championship racing across the four days, back to back with no room to look away, and it is worth building your afternoon around both off-times rather than just the headline feature.
Coverage outside the UK
ITV's coverage is a UK broadcast. International viewers typically follow the Festival through Racing TV International, a local racing channel that holds British racing rights in their territory, or a UK bookmaker's streaming service where local rules allow it.
For the Cheltenham Festival tips, including the four championship races and how our numbers rate the market, see our full preview.
Race times for every Festival day
Race times for every Festival day
Every day of the Cheltenham Festival runs to the same template: first race 1:20pm, seven races at roughly 40-minute intervals, last race 5:20pm. What changes day to day is which race carries the Grade 1 championship, and where in the card it falls.
| Day | Championship race | Off-time |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, Champion Day | Champion Hurdle | 4:00pm |
| Wednesday, Ladies' Day | Queen Mother Champion Chase | 4:00pm |
| Thursday, St Patrick's Thursday | Stayers' Hurdle | 3:20pm |
| Thursday, St Patrick's Thursday | Ryanair Chase | 4:00pm |
| Friday, Gold Cup Day | Cheltenham Gold Cup | 4:00pm |
Gates open at 10:30am each day for anyone attending in person, giving plenty of time before the first race for the parade ring and the early markets to settle.
What else is on Champion Day
Tuesday's card runs the Champion Hurdle alongside four other named races across the afternoon: the Arkle Trophy, the championship two-mile novice chase that has launched several eventual Champion Chase winners; the Close Brothers Novices' Hurdle, a Grade 1 for novice hurdlers that regularly features unbeaten Irish raiders; the Ultima Handicap Chase, the day's big-field staying handicap; and the Mares' Hurdle, now a championship race in its own right for the mares' division.
What else is on Gold Cup Day
Friday's supporting card includes the Triumph Hurdle for four-year-olds, the County Hurdle handicap, the Randox Grand National Trial, the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle over three miles, the Foxhunter Chase for amateur riders, and the Grand Annual Chase, the oldest National Hunt chase still run, dating to 1834.
Wednesday and Thursday run a full supporting card either side of their Grade 1 feature too, confirmed closer to the meeting once the final declarations are in.
[Times above are the Jockey Club's official Festival schedule. Please note timings are subject to change; we refresh this guide if they move.]
How to stream the Festival
How to stream the Cheltenham Festival (UK)
Free streaming: ITVX
ITVX is the simplest free option, carrying the same live feed as the linear ITV broadcast for every day of the Festival, at no cost with a registered UK account. It works in a browser, on mobile (iOS and Android) and through smart TV and streaming-stick apps.
- Cost: Free, with ads. An ad-free ITVX Premium tier is available on subscription.
- Coverage: Matches the linear broadcast: the main card each day.
- Catch-up: Each day's coverage stays available on demand after the broadcast.
- Account required: Yes, free to create, UK-based.
Paid streaming: Racing TV
Racing TV shows every race, not just the ones ITV selects for its linear schedule, which matters on days with a packed supporting card. It is the option for anyone who wants the full seven-race afternoon rather than just the championship feature.
- Cost: Subscription through the Racing TV Player.
- Coverage: All seven races each day, plus the rest of UK and Irish racing across the season.
- Apps available for mobile and connected TVs.
Bookmaker streams (free with a placed bet)
Most major UK bookmakers stream Cheltenham Festival racing to logged-in customers who have a funded account and a small stake placed on the card, typically from £1. Coverage usually runs slightly behind the live TV broadcast, by anywhere from a few seconds to around half a minute.
Watching outside the UK
ITVX is geo-restricted to UK viewers. International audiences typically follow the Festival through a local racing channel holding British racing rights in their territory, or through Racing TV's international service where it operates. A UK bookmaker stream is only usable from within the UK under normal account terms.
Mobile apps and race-time alerts
For following along without a screen in front of you:
- ITV Racing app (free): results, replays and alerts ahead of each race
- Sporting Life app (free): racecards, tips and race-time notifications
- Racing TV app (subscription): full-card live streaming on the move
- Bookmaker apps: betting plus live streaming once a stake is placed
Push notifications on most of these apps can be set to fire five or ten minutes before each race, useful on Thursday especially with the Stayers' Hurdle and Ryanair Chase only forty minutes apart.
Where to bet on the Cheltenham Festival
Where to bet on the Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham is the biggest week of the jumps season for UK bookmakers, and most major firms run Festival-specific offers: extra places on the bigger handicaps (the Ultima and the County Hurdle among them), Best Odds Guaranteed on the four championship races, and Non-Runner-No-Bet cover on the Grade 1s.
On-course betting
Cheltenham's Tattersalls ring is one of the largest and busiest betting rings anywhere in British racing. Star Sports runs an active on-course pitch at the Festival, alongside a long tail of smaller, family-run specialist bookmakers who have worked the same pitches for generations.
Star Sports, new customer offer
On-course at Cheltenham Festival every year, plus daily Festival content through the meeting.
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See our Star Sports review for the full picture.
Antepost and the Festival offers comparison
Ante-post markets on the four championship races open months before the Festival. For the current state of the market see our Cheltenham antepost hub, and for the cross-bookmaker view of extra places, Best Odds Guaranteed and Non-Runner-No-Bet cover see our Cheltenham Festival betting offers page.
For our full preview of the four championship races, see the Cheltenham Festival tips. If you want to see how our own numbers have actually fared before following any of them, the Stablebet model's published track record shows every rated race reconciled at SP, wins and losses alike.
Responsible note
Four days of championship jumps racing draws a lot of betting activity in a short window. Bet only money you can afford to lose, set deposit limits, and take regular breaks. BeGambleAware.org.
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