The best against the best

Following the successful introduction of major changes to the race programme for the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, only a limited number of further adjustments are planned for 2026.

A key update will see the Grade One Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle moved from Champion Day (Tuesday) to St Patrick’s Thursday, resulting in the race switching from the Old Course to the New Course and an increase in distance from 2m 3f 200y to 2m 4f 56y.

The Grade One contest, historically staged over 2m4f, is being repositioned to further distinguish it from the Unibet Champion Hurdle (2m), which remains on the opening day.

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Updates for 2026

Cheltenham Racecourse today confirms the following changes to the 2026 Festival, which takes place Tuesday 10th – Friday 13th March 2026:

- The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle moves from Champion Day (Tuesday) to St Patrick’s Thursday, with the distance adjusted due to the move to the New Course (2m 4f 56y).

- The race swaps places with the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase, which moves to Champion Day as the sixth race.

- On St Patrick’s Thursday, the Ryanair Chase will now run at 4:00pm, and the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle will move to 3:20pm.

Course and Start Adjustments

Following an annual review with the BHA Inspectorate and Starting Team, several start positions and rail alignments have been updated to improve race starts and reduce false starts.

- The 3m ½f Chase start (Old Course) has been removed due to limited space near the penultimate fence. Races will now use the 3m 1f start, adding one additional fence to those contests (including the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase).

- The 3m 2f Chase start (New Course) has also been removed. Races will instead start from the 3m 2½f position, improving the approach without altering the number of fences.

Field Size Adjustments

As part of the programme review, maximum field sizes have been reduced in three start positions:

- 2m 5f Old Course Hurdle start – from 26 to 24 for Handicaps, and 24 to 22 for Novice races (impacts the Coral Cup).

- 2m 1f Hurdle start (New Course) – from 26 to 24 for Handicaps, and 24 to 22 for Novice contests (impacts the William Hill County Hurdle).

- 2m National Hunt Flat start (Old Course) – from 24 to 22 (impacts the Weatherbys Champion Bumper).

These updates to the race programme and course configuration follow last month’s announcement of a series of customer experience enhancements at Cheltenham Racecourse, continuing the commitment to innovation and excellence across every aspect of The Festival.

Bold changes to the racing programme were implemented in 2025 following an extensive industry-wide consultation, and they sparked some lively debate but six months on, Clerk of the Course Jon Pullin gave us his thoughts:

“The decision last year to remove the 2m4f Grade 1 Novice Chase and replace it with a Grade 2 Novice Handicap Chase wasn't taken lightly, and our long-term aim was, and continues to be, to ensure that The Festival is as competitive as possible.

Whilst it is important to not measure success solely on a sample of one year, we can certainly be encouraged by the results of the changes introduced. Both the 2 and 3-mile Novice chases in 2025 benefitted from the change and we were delighted with the quantity and quality of the replacement race. The Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase was a 19-runner field with the favourites SP at 4/1. The contest was won by Caldwell Potter who then went on to win the 3m Grade 1 Huyton Asphalt Mildmay Novices' Chase at Aintree a few weeks later.

Whilst we didn't necessarily see the uplift in runners in the Arkle (2m) or the Brown Advisory (3m) that we had hoped for, this was only year one and we are confident that the race will continue to evolve and benefit from the changes introduced.

Switching the Princess Royal National Hunt Chase to a Novice Handicap and removing the Amateur Rider restrictions also had a positive impact - the field size was good (18) and the race was competitive with the winner going on to win the Irish Grand National. It was also pleasing to see our leading Amateur Riders still participating, they are such a key element of what makes the Cheltenham Festival special.

The Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase had previously been a limited Handicap before switching to a level weights race in recent years. We switched it back to its original form in 2025 and as a result it was a very competitive race. Stumptown's performance from top weight was impressive.

We removed the 5lb penalty from the Ryanair Mares Novice Hurdle with an eye on the wider racing programme and not just specifically to benefit The Festival. Previously horses could be campaigned to avoid the penalty and by removing it we saw more competitive racing throughout the season, and the largest field size in this race in recent years.

The increased prize money this year was welcomed, and we felt that year one was a positive start. The Festival has always been the pinnacle of our sport, the most competitive four days of racing in the calendar and we will continue to review the success of the changes and make more if required to ensure that the four days in March continue to be recognised as the Olympics of our sport for both participants and fans.”