StableBet Editorial Team
UK horse racing experts · Last reviewed 2026-04-04
The Cheltenham Festival begins on a Tuesday in March, and it begins with a bang. Champion Day sets the tone for four days of the finest jump racing on the planet, and it does so with a programme that would be the headline event at any other racecourse on any other week of the year.
The Champion Hurdle is the race that defines the day. First run in 1927, it sits at the very top of the two-mile hurdling tree — a test of brilliance, speed, and jumping accuracy that has produced some of the sport's most memorable performances. But Champion Day is far more than one race. Six Grade One contests fill the card, and any one of them would be considered a landmark event in isolation.
For racegoers, Champion Day tends to be slightly less frantic than Gold Cup day, and the crowd — while enormous — is more racingminded. The people who come on the Tuesday are here for the horses. Many of them will be watching the Champion Hurdle favourite they've followed all season finally arrive at the moment of reckoning. Others will be hoping to find value in a market that has had months to settle.
Whether you are attending or watching from home, understanding what Champion Day offers — race by race, hour by hour — makes the experience considerably richer. This guide covers the full card, the history, and the betting angles that give you the best chance of making something of it.
For the full context of the festival itself, see our Cheltenham Festival guide. For race-by-race betting breakdown, our Cheltenham betting guide covers the key trends across the whole meeting.
The Champion Day Card
The Champion Hurdle
The centrepiece of Champion Day and the pre-eminent two-mile hurdle race in the world. Run over two miles and half a furlong, the Champion Hurdle rewards horses with exceptional jumping technique combined with the flat speed to quicken when it matters.
The race has been dominated in recent years by exceptional champion hurdlers who serve multiple-year reigns. Think about the way Istabraq won three successive editions between 1998 and 2000, the way Buveur d'Air took back-to-back wins in 2017 and 2018, or the way Honeysuckle was unbeaten for years before her own Champion Hurdle victories. When a bona fide champion hurdler arrives at Cheltenham, backing against them requires strong evidence.
The Champion Hurdle field is typically eight to sixteen runners. The pace is usually honest, the class tells in the final climb to the line, and the winner tends to be one of the top two in the market.
The Arkle Trophy
Named after the legendary Arkle — arguably the greatest horse to have competed at Cheltenham — the Arkle is the supreme test for novice chasers at the two-mile trip. Horses who arrive with perfect novice credentials from Ireland or Britain line up for what is effectively the championship of the novice chase division.
Recent Arkle winners have frequently gone on to dominate the two-mile chasing division for several seasons. Sprinter Sacre and Altior both won the Arkle before establishing themselves as the best two-mile chasers of their respective generations. The Arkle, more than any other race, identifies next year's Champion Chase contender.
The Close Brothers Novices' Hurdle
A Grade One for novice hurdlers over two miles and half a furlong, this race often attracts the Festival debutant who has been kept back from earlier in the season for maximum freshness. Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott have dominated the race in recent years, with Irish novices routinely arriving at Cheltenham unbeaten and departing having justified that record.
The Ultima Handicap Chase
The Ultima is the handicap highlight of Champion Day — a three-mile-one-furlong contest that attracts a field of exposed handicappers and the occasional novice taking on their elders. The pace is relentless and the race regularly produces dramatic finishes. Ante-post markets open months in advance, and the Ultima is a race that many punters dedicate serious time to studying.
The Mares' Hurdle and Supporting Card
Champion Day also includes the Mares' Hurdle, which has grown in stature as a championship race in its own right — a consequence of the sport's increased focus on the mares' division. Honeysuckle's wins here before she graduated to the Champion Hurdle are a perfect example of how this race provides a stepping stone to the top level.
The full card on Champion Day typically runs to seven races, with supporting events filling the gaps around the Grade One contests. On any other day of the year, these supporting races would themselves be significant. Here, they are essentially the warm-up acts between champions.
The Champion Day Atmosphere
Istabraq's Three-Peat (1998–2000)
Aidan O'Brien trained Istabraq to three consecutive Champion Hurdles, and the horse's connection with the Irish public turned him into a folk hero. Owned by J.P. McManus, Istabraq arrived at each successive Festival as the undisputed champion, and each time he delivered. The ease with which he dominated his rivals made Champion Day feel, in those three years, like a coronation rather than a contest.
A fourth Champion Hurdle in 2001 looked certain until foot-and-mouth disease cancelled the Festival entirely. Istabraq never got his chance. The race that wasn't run remains one of racing's great what-ifs.
Binocular's Year (2010)
Not every Champion Hurdle belongs to the dominant champion. Binocular's 2010 victory under AP McCoy was a perfect illustration of how a horse can win at the Festival without being the standout star of the season. Owned by JP McManus and trained by Nicky Henderson, Binocular scrambled home by a head after a race that seemed almost designed to test the nerves. McCoy's celebration told the story.
Annie Power's Chaos (2015)
Annie Power fell at the last in the World Hurdle the previous year when the market had made her an overwhelming favourite. In 2015 she arrived at the Champion Hurdle with the weight of expectation bearing down on her. She duly won — and in doing so reportedly cost bookmakers a significant sum through rolled-up accumulators. The sigh of relief from the betting industry was almost audible.
Honeysuckle's Unbeaten Run
Rachael Blackmore's partnership with Honeysuckle became one of the defining narratives of jump racing in the 2020s. After winning the Mares' Hurdle in 2020 and 2021, Honeysuckle was stepped up to take on the Champion Hurdle proper. She won back-to-back Champion Hurdles in 2021 and 2022, culminating a record that saw her unbeaten in sixteen consecutive starts. Her retirement after the 2023 Cheltenham was met with deep affection from racing's wider audience.
The Arkle's Great Champions
The Arkle Trophy's history is its own book. Sprinter Sacre in 2012 announced himself to the world with a performance that silenced even the bookmakers. Altior in 2016 was similarly authoritative. Each generation produces an Arkle winner who goes on to define two-mile chasing for years. The race is a talent identifier without equal.
Attending Champion Day
Getting There
Champion Day draws a crowd of approximately 55,000, which is slightly smaller than Gold Cup day but still creates significant pressure on transport networks. The advice is simple: arrive early, and do not rely on a car.
The dedicated raceday bus services from Cheltenham town centre run from around 10am and deposit racegoers at the course entrance. The journey takes roughly fifteen minutes. Trains from London Paddington run to Cheltenham Spa station, from which buses or taxis cover the final mile to the course.
If you are driving, parking passes must be booked well in advance. Day-of arrivals looking for parking near the course will be disappointed.
Enclosures and Tickets
Champion Day operates across three main enclosures:
The Club is the top-tier and most expensive option. It offers the best viewing positions along the Parade Ring and the finish straight, private hospitality options, and access to the Club's betting facilities. Dress code is smart — jacket and tie for men is expected.
Tattersalls is where most racegoers spend their day. It offers excellent viewing, a wide range of food and drink options, and a more relaxed atmosphere than the Club. You will still need to dress smartly — this is Cheltenham, not the local track.
Best Mate Enclosure (previously known as the Centre Course) provides excellent value for those who want to be part of the spectacle without the premium pricing of the other enclosures. The atmosphere here is particularly electric when the crowd builds for the Champion Hurdle.
What to Wear
March in the Cotswolds can be cold, wet, or surprisingly pleasant — often all three in the same day. The practical advice is to layer up and bring something waterproof. Wellies are acceptable in all enclosures and are often the most sensible choice. Smart dress is expected in the Club.
Avoid anything overly formal. Champion Day is not Ladies Day — it is primarily attended by people who are there for the racing, and the atmosphere reflects that.
On the Ground
Arrive at least forty-five minutes before the first race to find your bearings, place early bets, and find a spot at the rail. The course is large, and the best viewing positions for the finish get claimed early. By the time the Champion Hurdle goes to post, every vantage point within sight of the line will be occupied.
The betting ring is a fascinating place on Champion Day. Big-money transactions happen here, odds move quickly as money flows in from Ireland and Britain's major punters, and the markets for the Champion Hurdle and Arkle are usually the tightest and most efficiently priced of the entire Festival.
Betting on Champion Day
The Champion Hurdle Market
The Champion Hurdle is one of the most efficiently priced races in the calendar. Markets open months in advance, close information circulates widely, and the volume of money handled means that the final SP is usually a fair reflection of each runner's prospects. Finding value at the top of the market requires either inside knowledge or a well-founded contrarian view backed by solid reasoning.
The race favours champion hurdlers. If a horse has been trained specifically for this race, arrived unbeaten at the Festival, and been placed at the top of the market throughout the season, they tend to win. The records of dominant favourites in this race are better than in almost any other Grade One chase or hurdle.
Where value can be found is among the Irish challengers who may have been sidestepped by one or two early-season tests to arrive fresh. Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins regularly produce horses for this race that have been managed carefully, and their representatives at double-digit odds sometimes represent real value when the ante-post market has overlooked them.
The Arkle: Novice Chasing's Championship
The Arkle Trophy is a harder betting puzzle than the Champion Hurdle. Novice chasers can improve dramatically between their last run and the Festival, and the Irish yardmaster yards are skilled at targeting this race with horses who have been held back for Cheltenham. The market is always heavily Irish-influenced.
Favourite-backing in the Arkle has a respectable record, but the race produces its share of upsets. If the market leader has had a hard season — multiple Grade One runs — it is worth considering whether a less battle-worn novice might have fresher legs when it matters.
Handicap Value in the Ultima
The Ultima Handicap Chase offers the most potential for finding a priced-up winner on Champion Day. Fields of twenty or more carry real complexity, and the traditional Festival trends — favours horses carrying lower weights, rewards runners fresh to the Festival, benefits those drawn in lower stall numbers — apply with reasonable consistency.
Study the weights and the trainers. The Ultima is a race that specialist trainers target twelve months in advance. When a yard known for Festival handicap winners sends a horse specifically for this race, that is information worth pricing.
Bankroll Management on Champion Day
Champion Day contains six Grade One races. If you try to bet every one of them, you will either win big or lose big, and the variance is uncomfortable either way. The experienced approach is to identify two or three races where you have a clear view, bet those selectively, and watch the rest with enjoyment rather than financial anxiety.
Our Cheltenham betting guide covers the full Festival trends in detail.
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