The Festival™ Races

The Cheltenham Festival is home to 28 races across four days.

Feature Races

The Unibet Champion Hurdle

The feature race on Day One of The Cheltenham Festival, the Championship race for two-mile hurdlers and the highest-quality race of its type run anywhere in the world.

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The Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase

The feature race of the day is The Grade 1 Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, the championship event for two-mile chasers.

The Ryanair Steeple Chase

The Grade 1 Ryanair Steeple Chase is a race for five-year-olds and upwards which are rated in excess of 130 and is run over the intermediate trip of two miles, four and a half furlongs.

The Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle

The ultimate stamina test for hurdlers, The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle Race is run over three miles. It's the most prestigious long-distance hurdle race in the calendar,

The Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase

The cream of British and Irish staying chasers will be lining up for what is known as the Blue Riband of steeple chasing, and the small matter a total of £625,000 in first prize.

Official Race Schedule

Correct as of 2021

Start Times	Race	Distance	Type
13:20	The Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Race	2m abt ½f	Hurdle
13:55	The Sporting Life Arkle Challenge Trophy Steeple Chase	abt 2m	Chase
14:30	The Ultima Handicap Steeple Chase	3m abt 1f	Chase
15:05	The Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (feature race)	2m abt ½f	Hurdle
15:40	The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle Race	2m abt 4f	Hurdle
16:15	The Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race (Grade 3)	2m abt 4½f	Chase
16:50	The Sam Vestey National Hunt Novices’ Chase (Grade 2)	3m abt 6f	Chase

Start Times	Race	Distance	Type
13:20	The Ballymore Novices' Hurdle Race	2m abt 5f	Hurdle
13:55	The Brown Advisory Novices’ Steeple Chase (Grade 1)	3m abt ½ f	Chase
14:30	The Coral Cup Hurdle (A Handicap Hurdle Race) (Grade 3)	2m abt 5f	Hurdle
15:05	The Betway Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase (Grade 1) (feature race)	Abt 2m	Chase
15:40	The Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeple Chase	3m 6f	Chase
16:15	The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Steeple Chase Challenge Cup (Grade 3)	2m abt ½f	Chase
16.50	The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (A Standard Open NH Flat Race) (Grade 1)	2m abt ½f	Bumper

Start Times	Race	Distance	Type
13:20	The Marsh Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)	2m abt 4f	Chase
13:55	The Pertemps Network Final (A Handicap Hurdle Race) (Listed)	Abt 3m	Hurdle
14:30	The Ryanair Steeple Chase (Grade 1) (feature race)	2m abt 5f	Chase
15:05	The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1)	abt 3m	Hurdle
15:40	The Paddy Power Plate (A Handicap Steeple Chase) (Grade 3)	2m abt 5f	Chase
16:15	The Parnell Properties Mares Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2)	2m 1f	Hurdle
16:50	Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup (sponsored by the JRL Group) (0-145)	3m abt 2f	Chase

Start Times	Race	Distance	Type
13:20	The JCB Triumph Hurdle	2m abt 1f	Hurdle
13:55	The McCoy Contractors County Handicap Hurdle Race	2m abt 1f	Hurdle
14:30	The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Race	abt 3m	Hurdle
15:05	The WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase (Grade 1)	3m abt 2½ f	Chase
15:40	The St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Steeple Chase	3m abt 2½ f	Chase
16:15	The Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Steeple Chase	2m abt ½f	Chase
16:50	Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle	2m abt 4½ f	Hurdle