The horse racing season will get into its stride this month as the great spectacle that is Cheltenham Festival gets under way.
The Festival will take place over four days in March, starting with Champion Day, then Ladies Day (officially called Style Wednesday) on day two, and St Patrick’s Day falling on day three before finishing with Gold Cup Day.
There will be 28 races to enjoy, beginning with the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the Arkle Challenge Trophy and the Champion Hurdle on the opening Tuesday, and Friday’s finale will feature the prestigious Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Legendary Irish trainer Willie Mullins will be looking to make it six years in a row as the trainer with the most wins at the Festival, while his has been the outstanding rider in three of the past four years. The jockey who broke that streak, Rachael Blackmore, will also be riding at Cheltenham this year.
When is 2024 Cheltenham Festival?
The Festival begins on Tuesday 12 March and concludes on Friday 15 March.
The first race is scheduled for 1.30pm GMT each day, and the final race of the day is set to begin at 5.30pm. The championship race will be run at 3.30pm.
Here is the full race schedule:
Champion Day – Tuesday, March 12
13:30 – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
14:10 – Arkle Challenge Trophy
14:50 – Handicap Steeple Chase
15:30 – Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy
16:10 – Mares’ Hurdle
16:50 – Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
17:30 – National Hunt Steeple Chase Challenge Cup
Ladies Day – Wednesday, March 13
13:30 – Novices’ Hurdle
14:10 – Novices’ Steeple Chase
14:50 – Coral Cup Hurdle
15:30 – Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase
16:10 – Cross Country Steeple Chase
16:50 – Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Steeple Chase Challenge Cup
17:30 – Champion Bumper
St Patrick’s Thursday – Thursday, March 14
13:30 – Turners Novices’
14:10 – Pertemps Network Final
14:50 – Ryanair Steeple Chase
15:30 – Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle
16:10 – Magners Plate
16:50 – Jack de Bromhead Mares Novices’ Hurdle
17:30 – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup
Gold Cup Day – Friday, March 15
13:30 – Triumph Hurdle
14:10 – County Handicap Hurdle
14:50 – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
15:30 – Cheltenham Gold Cup
16:10 – Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase
16:50 – Mares’ Steeple Chase
17:30 – Martin Pipe Conditional Jockey’s Handicap Hurdle
How to buy tickets
Tickets are being sold to the general public across the four days. There are a number of options, including the Club Enclosure, the Tattersalls Enclosure and Best Mate Enclosure, which is the cheapest with prices from £52 per person. Grandstand tickets have sold out.
