The Cheltenham Festival begins on Tuesday (Image: Getty)
The is one of the biggest events in the horse calendar, attracting fans from around the world. Widely considered the pinnacle of jump racing, the Festival is a beloved staple of British sport, and, like the and , brings in viewers and spectators in their millions every year.
Whether you’re a seasoned racing enthusiast or a casual viewer looking to soak up the excitement, knowing where and when to watch the action is essential. With four days of top-class racing, including iconic events like the Champion Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup, you won’t want to miss a moment. Here, Express Sport has provided a handy guide with all the key details on TV channels broadcasting the festival, full race schedules, and how to get fast results as soon as each race finishes.
What TV channel is the Cheltenham Festival on?
The Cheltenham Festival will be broadcast live on ITV1 and Racing TV. ITV1 will show the first six races each day, with coverage starting from 1pm and running until 4.30pm.
Racing TV, a subscription channel, will provide live coverage of all seven races daily, and is available on Sky and Virgin Media. If you prefer to stream the action online, ITVX and Racing TV’s digital platforms offer live streaming options.
ITV will not be covering the final two races on each day of the Festival. Instead, fans must tune in to Racing TV to catch these races. An annual subscription costs £298 and monthly it is £29.98. You can sign up .
A total of 28 races will take place during the Festival, including the Cheltenham Gold Cup (Image: Getty)
Cheltenham Festival schedule
Each day of action will include seven races, meaning there is a total of 28 throughout the week of the festival. Racing will begin at around 1:20pm on each day with 40-minute intervals between races.
The biggest races of each day are usually scheduled for 4pm while the final races will be taking place at 5.20pm. Tuesday is traditionally known as Champion Day, Wednesday is Style Wednesday, and Thursday is St Patrick’s Thursday. Friday, meanwhile, is the biggest attraction – Gold Cup day.
Below are the final two races scheduled on each day, but to check out the full listings for the Festival, click .
Champion Day – Tuesday, March 11
- 16:40 – Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
- 17:20 – National Hunt Novices’ Chase
Style Wednesday – Wednesday, March 12
- 16:40 – Grand Annual Steeple Chase Challenge Cup
- 17:20 – Champion Bumper
St. Patrick’s Thursday – Thursday, March 13
- 16:40 – TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase
- 17:20 – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup
Gold Cup Day – Friday, March 14
- 16:40 – Festival Hunters Chase
- 17:20 – Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle
Winning jockey Paul Townend (L), and trainer Willie Mullins (R) pose with Cheltenham Gold Cup trophy (Image: Getty)
Fast results
Fast results provide race outcomes as soon as they are confirmed, allowing fans to stay up to date with the latest winners, placements, and finishing times. Whether you miss a race or want to check results quickly, you can find instant updates on ITV and Racing TV.
Express Sport will also be running a Cheltenham Festival blog on each day of the Festival, which will also have all the latest results and news as and when it happens.