If you’re looking for information on Cheltenham odds, then you’ve come to the right place. This expert guide has everything that you could need to know about the Cheltenham Festival odds, including prices for individual races, top jockey and top trainer markets. Read on, if you want the lowdown on the biggest horse racing events there is in the world.
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Why Cheltenham Odds Today Are So Important
The Cheltenham Festival is the most important week of the horse racing calendar. While the Grand National might be the most famous individual race in the UK and offers the most prize money, the focus is very much on that one race that takes place on the Saturday afternoon at Aintree. When it comes to Cheltenham betting, all four days are huge events, building towards the showpiece race that is the Gold Cup.
Taking place at Cheltenham Racecourse in March each year, the four-day festival features several Grade I races, which sees the best racehorses and jockeys from the UK and Ireland, compete against one another. These Championship races include the aforementioned Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Stayers’ Hurdle.
All of these races would be huge events in their own right, so to have them all take place in the same week is a dream come true for racing fans, who pore over the Cheltenham odds. More than 65,000 of these fans, attend each day of the event.
Naturally, the Cheltenham Festival is a huge betting event. Cheltenham odds are available all year round. The whole jumps season is very much focused on the four days in March, with speculation abounding as to which horses will be entered into which race and Cheltenham Festival odds being regularly updated on horse racing betting sites, as punters look to get a big price.
As way of example, there were already Cheltenham Gold Cup odds available for the 2023 event, before the 2022 race has even taken place. Already described as the Olympic Games of horse racing, the Cheltenham Festival continues to grow and evolve.
Cheltenham Betting Odds
A huge amount of money is bet on Cheltenham Festival races each year through the best betting sites and of course, a lot is gambled on the favourites, but there are big-priced winners sometimes. With the big event not far away, it’s worth considering how prudent it is to bet on those favourites. Do Cheltenham odds for favourites represent good value for money?
Let’s start with analysing the history of the Cheltenham Festival Gold Cup odds. Over the last 20 years of Gold Cups, the race has been won by favourites on nine occasions. That seems like a pretty good ratio, but it’s become a less common occurrence. Six of those nine wins by favourites came between 2002 and 2011. Over the last dozen years, there have only been five Gold Cups won by big race favourites. The Cheltenham Gold Cup betting odds for 2021, saw the winner Minella Indo start with odds of 9/1 but market leader A Plus Tard landed the spoils at a 3/1 SP in 2022.
We’ve seen the opposite pattern over the last 20 years in the Champion Hurdle. Again, among the 20 previous winners are nine favourites, but there were only three instances between 2002 and 2011, before six favourites won the face over the past eight years. Drill down further and you discover that four of the last five Champions Hurdles have been won by the favourite. Last year’s winner was Honeysuckle repeating her 2021 success. She isn’t the market leader for Cheltenham odds on the 2023 Champion Hurdle, though..
Cheltenham Festival Odds
In this section we’re going to look at the biggest betting events to be found at the Cheltenham Festival. The beauty of the Festival is that there are huge Grade 1 contests and competitive handicap races taking place each day, all of a very high quality. Cheltenham Festival betting odds provide big business for bookmakers. These are some of the key markets that you can expect to see.
Cheltenham Ante Post Odds
As mentioned previously, Cheltenham odds are available all year round. These early markets are known as Cheltenham ante post odds up until final declarations around 48 hours before each day of the Festival. Even these markets can be compatible with Cheltenham betting offers with bookies promoting deals as early as two months beforehand.
They are available on the biggest races that take place at Cheltenham. The official runners and riders are not known until nearer the time of the event, but Cheltenham races betting odds are still able to be produced, based on the horses that are expected to compete.
The obvious disadvantage of making a bet on the early Cheltenham race odds is that the horse that you pick, might not end up running. Yet an advantage is that you could get a much bigger price, than if you waited for the Cheltenham odds, closer to the event taking place. You might spot the early potential of a likely runner in the summer, before its quality becomes obvious to everyone.
Away from the Cheltenham races odds, the top jockey and top trainer awards, prove popular as special bets. The Prestbury Cup also falls into this category. Remember, with ante post betting odds and markets, there are both upsdies and drawbacks.
Champion Hurdle Odds
The Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy is run over an extended two miles on the Old Course at Cheltenham. It’s the most prestigious race of its kind in the world, open to horses aged four and over who jump eight flights of hurdles. Taking place on the opening day of Cheltenham’s biggest horse racing meeting, the Champion Hurdle forms the third leg of the Triple Crown of Hurdling, following on from the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park.
For fans of the race, Champion Hurdle odds are available all year. Punters might wish to wait until the Cheltenham Festival latest odds come out, after the other Triple Crown races have been run. There is a history of multiple winners with legendary horses such as Insurance, National Spirit, Hatton’s Grace, Sir Ken, Persian War, Bula, Comedy Of Error, Night Nurse, Monksfield, Sea Pigeon, See You Then, Istabraq, Hardy Eustace, Hurricane Fly, Buveur D’Air and Honeysuckle all tasting victory more than once.
There is every chance, according to this year’s Cheltenham odds, that last year’s runner-up State Man will go one better this year after ante post favourite and 2023 winner Constitution Hill misses the defence of his crown through illness. Irish Point is rerouted to this race from the Stayers’ Hurdle.
Queen Mother Champion Chase Odds
Run on Ladies Day, the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase is a steeplechase open to horses aged five or over over a distance of nearly two miles and with 13 fences to jump on the Old Course. This is the feature race of the second day of the Cheltenham Festival. Called the Champion Chase for short, this race was renamed in 1980 to celebrate the Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s 80th birthday. She was a huge supporter of National Hunt horse racing as an owner.
Put The Kettle On won this race in 2021 with Cheltenham race odds of 17/2 before Energumene delivered back-to-back wins in 2022 and 2023. In the current Queen Mother Champion Chase odds, last season’s Arkle Chase hero El Fabiolo is a strong fancy to win again.
Initial entries are up year-on-year from 14 to 19, but again this is isn’t the strongest division with just eight among final declarations. A lack of strength-in-depth thus impacts the Cheltenham odds now available to punters. Jonbon, who beat El Fabiolo over hurdles, is seen as the only real threat after landing the Tingle Creek at Sandown this term.
Seasoned campaigner Edwardstone and Elixir De Nutz are there alongside last season’s runner-up Captain Guinness. None of these names really look likely to beat a younger horse in El Fabiolo with Boothill a potentially progressive contender if translating his Ascot form to Cheltenham.
Stayers’ Hurdle Odds
The Stayers’ Hurdle is a three-mile hurdle race open to horses aged four years or over. Ran on the New Course, there are a dozen flights on the way round. This race headlines the third day of action, alongside the Ryanair Chase – a more recent addition to the Festival.
It appears as though Irish owner Robcour has a strong hand for the 2024 Stayers’ Hurdle, if early Cheltenham betting odds are any indicator. Teahupoo ran third in the race last season, but is a year older and stronger now. There should be more to come from Gordon Elliott’s horse who goes well fresh.
Long Walk Hurdle hero Crambo looks the best of British this season in the Stayers’ Hurdle with his best odds for Cheltenham now second-favourite. Noble Yeats is best known for winning the Grand National, but also landed the Cleeve Hurdle, so will come here en route back to Aintree.
The Stayers’ Hurdle odds this season once again reflect a wide-open division and betting market. Flooring Porter has won this race twice before and is back in the race for another go after trying fences. Veteran Sire Du Berlais triumphed 12 months ago and can never be discounted.
Cheltenham Gold Cup Odds
The highlight of the Festival comes on the fourth and final day. The Cheltenham Festival Gold Cup odds attract a lot of attention, transcending horse racing to the wider sporting public. Ran on the New Course over an extended three-and-a-quarter miles, there are 22 fences testing the jumping of competing horses. This steeplechase is open to horses aged five or older and is the most prestigious of all the National Hunt events, with a total prize fund of £625,000 this year and the winner receiving over £351,000.
Last year’s impressive victor Galopin Des Champs is once again the leading contender, if Cheltenham Gold Cup betting odds are right. He bounced right back to form when routing the opposition in the Savills Chase and Irish Gold Cup. Fastorslow is Martin Brassil’s latest stable star and beat Galopin Des Champs in both the Punchestown Gold Cup and John Durkan Chase at the same venue.
Fastorslow is thus clear second favourite. Also prominent in the Cheltenham Gold Cup odds at the time of writing, is another Irish contender in Gerri Colombe. He has suffered a couple of big race defeats, but still finished second in the process. Shishkin and L’Homme Presse look the best of British, while King George hero Hewickstays further.
British Contenders Thin on the Ground Again
The best of the British challenge rest on the quirky Shishkin, who unseated his rider in the King George while still in front. Profiting from that was Hewick, who stays further and fell at the second last fence in the Gold Cup last season. All major bookmakers have Gold Cup odds available all year round and you can bet on any of the 20 initial entries now.
The Gold Cup has a rich history. Golden Miller was the most successful horse, with five consecutive wins between 1932 and 1936. Pat Taaffe is the jockey with the most wins with four, three of those aboard equine legend Arkle between 1964 and 1966.
In more recent years, As past Cheltenham results also show, Best Mate won three years in a row between 2002 and 2004. The battles between Kauto Star and Denman created huge interest in the Cheltenham Festival racing odds in the late 2000s. Al Boum Photo is the latest horse to win the Gold Cup more than once, triumphing in 2019 and 2020.
Cheltenham Top Jockey Odds
One of the interesting aspects of the Cheltenham Festival is the fact that jockeys ride in several races across the four days of action. This allows for a top rider contest. The person who has the most winners in the saddle over the four days is named as the top jockey.
The Cheltenham top jockey odds are very competitive. After a period of dominance from Ruby Walsh, who was top jockey in five consecutive years between 2013 and 2017, there has been a different winner in each of the last four years. The favourite in the current Cheltenham odds is Paul Townend, who was top jockey in 2020 and again in 2022. He leads the betting ahead of 2021’s leading rider, Rachael Blackmore who had six winners.
Townend rode five winners in 2022 to regain the top jockey crown. Over the last ten years, it has taken on average 4.5 wins to be named as top jockey. That’s something to consider when analysing the Cheltenham odds. The following table shows the details of the top jockey contest since 2012:
Year | Top Festival Jockey | Number of Winners |
2023 | Paul Townend | 5 |
2022 | Paul Townend | 5 |
2021 | Rachael Blackmore | 6 |
2020 | Paul Townend | 5 |
2019 | Nico de Boinville | 3 |
2018 | Davy Russell | 4 |
2017 | Ruby Walsh | 4 |
2016 | Ruby Walsh | 7 |
2015 | Ruby Walsh | 4 |
2014 | Ruby Walsh | 3 |
2013 | Ruby Walsh | 4 |
2012 | Barry Geraghty | 5 |
Cheltenham Top Trainer Odds
While the top jockey prize has been shared around a lot over recent years, the title of Cheltenham’s top trainer, has been dominated by just one man. Willie Mullins has been the Cheltenham top trainer on eight occasions, of which seven have come in the last nine years. In total he’s trained 88 winners at Cheltenham, including a record 10 in 2022.
Mullins’ overall haul includes five triumphs in the Ryanair Chase since 2016, four Champion Hurdle victories, two Gold Cup wins for Al Boum Photo, two Stayers’ Hurdle successes and the Queen Mother Champion Chase with Energumene. Of the 28 races currently run at the festival, this master Irish handler has won all but seven of them.
Unsurprisingly, Mullins is the favourite in the Cheltenham top trainer odds again this year. He leads Gordon Elliott, who is the only other trainer (twice) to have won this title over the last nine years. The following table shows the details of the top trainer contest since 2012:
Year | Top Festival Trainer | Number of Winners |
2023 | Willie Mullins | 6 |
2022 | Willie Mullins | 10 |
2021 | Willie Mullins | 6 |
2020 | Willie Mullins | 7 |
2019 | Willie Mullins | 4 |
2018 | Gordon Elliott | 8 |
2017 | Gordon Elliott | 6 |
2016 | Willie Mullins | 7 |
2015 | Willie Mullins | 8 |
2014 | Willie Mullins | 4 |
2013 | Willie Mullins | 5 |
2012 | Nicky Henderson | 7 |
Cheltenham Festival Betting Odds – Prestbury Cup
The Cheltenham Festival is extremely popular with the racing community of Ireland. Every year some 60,000 people from Ireland, including trainers, jockeys and fans, make the pilgrimage to Cheltenham. That amounts to nearly 30% of the total crowd over the four days, which is an incredible statistic and demonstrates the passion for horse racing that exists on the Emerald Isle.
Every year Ryanair increase the number of flights from Ireland to England by 30 times, to accommodate the influx to Cheltenham. Some 265,000 pints of Guinness are drunk at the Festival over the four days, with a large percentage of them being served at Cheltenham’s famous Guinness Village. Going to the event and getting the latest Cheltenham odds on course, has become an annual tradition for thousands of Irish punters.
There was always a rivalry between the British and Irish racing communities, with Cheltenham providing the perfect platform for that competition. British and Irish horses, jockeys and trainers would go up against each other to see who is the best.
Prestbury Cup a Relatively New Festival Idea
It wasn’t until 2014, though, that a competition was invented that would give an official reflection of that rivalry. The Prestbury Cup is awarded to either Britain or Ireland, depending on which nation has the most winners at the Festival. As you would expect, there are Cheltenham odds available for this competition. Whether a winner is deemed to be British or Irish is based on the nationality of the trainer.
With the most successful Cheltenham trainers of the modern era being Irish in Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott, it’s no surprise that they have dominated the Prestbury Cup over recent years. We can expect Ireland to be the heavy favourites to retain the Prestbury Cup, when the Cheltenham racing odds appear, nearer the time of the event. This is one of the most obvious Cheltenham tips out there for the Festival with many of the best horses trained in the Emerald Isle.
When the Prestbury Cup was launched in 2014, there were 27 races and a nation needed to win 14 or more to clinch victory. Since 2016, there has been 28 races, which means you need to win 15 races and that there is the possibility of a draw, which has added to the interest in the Cheltenham odds. The following table breaks down the last eight years of horse racing results in the Prestbury Cup.
Year | Prestbury Cup Winner | Ireland | Great Britain |
2023 | Ireland | 18 wins | 10 wins |
2022 | Ireland | 18 wins | 10 wins |
2021 | Ireland | 23 wins | 5 wins |
2020 | Ireland | 17 wins | 10 wins |
2019 | Tie | 14 wins | 14 wins |
2018 | Ireland | 17 wins | 11 wins |
2017 | Ireland | 19 wins | 9 wins |
2016 | Ireland | 15 wins | 13 wins |
2015 | Great Britain | 13 wins | 14 wins |
2014 | Great Britain | 12 wins | 15 wins |
Cheltenham Festival Latest Odds – Who is Popular with Punters?
Cheltenham Festival odds are impacted by a number of factors. Results in last year’s corresponding race or over the same course and distance in novice events, often plays a big part, with the victor often starting as favourite he following year. Form in those 12 months also impacts Cheltenham races odds, especially in key trial races.
Then there is the matter of what horses are popular with punters. If punters are largely putting their money on a particular horse, then the Cheltenham odds for that horse will drop. These shorter prices mean less value in placing any Cheltenham free bets on them that you may acquire. It means that the horses that are amongst the favourites in the Cheltenham Festival racing odds are not necessarily rated by the oddsmakers.
Sometimes a horse or jockey that are popular with the public attracts a weight of money, that sees their Cheltenham odds drop to a price below what it really should be at. The following table shows the latest Cheltenham Festival odds (at the time of writing) for every single race.
Cheltenham Festival 2024 Most Popular Horses & Best Odds
Festival Race | Most Popular Horse(s) | Best Cheltenham Odds |
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle | Tullyhill | 11/4 |
Arkle Chase | Gaelic Warrior | 2/1 |
Ultima Handicap Chase | The Goffer | 5/1 |
Champion Hurdle | State Man | 2/5 |
Mares’ Hurdle | Lossiemouth | 8/13 |
Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | Milan Tino | 3/1 |
National Hunt Chase | Embassy Gardens | 7/4 |
Gallagher / Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle | Ballyburn | 1/2 |
Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase | Fact To File | 8/13 |
Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle | Built By Ballymore | 4/1 |
Queen Mother Champion Chase | El Fabiolo | 2/9 |
Cross Country Chase | Minella Indo | 11/4 |
Grand Annual Chase | Sa Fureur | 4/1 |
Weatherbys Champion Bumper | Jalon D’Oudairies | 3/1 |
Turners Novices’ Chase | Facile Vega, Grey Dawning | 5/2 |
Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle | Cuthbert Dibble | 11/2 |
Ryanair Chase | Envoi Allen | 9/4 |
Stayers’ Hurdle | Teahupoo | 5/4 |
Festival Plate Handicap Chase | Theatre Man | 100/30 |
Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle | Brighterdaysahead | 5/6 |
Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup | Inothewayurthinkin | 13/8 |
JCB Triumph Hurdle | Storm Heart | 4/1 |
County Hurdle | L’Eau Du Sud | 4/1 |
Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle | Readin Tommy Wrong | 9/4 |
Cheltenham Gold Cup | Galopin Des Champs | Evs |
Hunter Chase | It’s On The Line | 5/4 |
Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase | Dinoblue | 7/4 |
Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle | Waterford Whispers | 7/2 |
Conclusion
This is the biggest event in the racing calendar and made all the more special, by the fact that it runs across several days. Racing fans can luxuriate in a carnival of top class horse racing, with competitive Cheltenham odds between competing bookmakers, ensuring that they get great value for their bets.
It’s easy to find the best odds at Cheltenham. You can use an on-course bookmaker, but there’s also the option of using your mobile phone to go to an odds comparison side, which will show you the online bookmaker with the biggest Cheltenham odds for whatever horse you fancy.
If you want to look at Cheltenham odds tomorrow, just sign up to one of our recommended bookies and got to their horse racing section. The Cheltenham odds will be easy to find, especially as the Festival gets nearer, when they will be displayed prominently on every betting website.
Cheltenham odds even get discussed in the mainstream media during the week of the event. It’s truly the Olympic Games of racing and this beloved institution continues to go from strength to strength.
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