With the best four day of National Hunt racing looming, we take a look at the Cheltenham Festival race distances for ALL 28 contests at Prestbury Park. From the longest to the shortest, plus the Cheltenham Gold Cup distance that the horses will have to tackle to win the biggest prize of them all.
Cheltenham Festival Race Distances For 2024 Meeting
The tapes go up for the 2024 Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday 12th March and, as normal, horse racing fans can lock themselves in for the best four days of National Hunt action on the planet.
There are seven races each day, which are spread over four days of high-octane equine excitement.
The opening two days kick-off on the old course, with the action switched to the new course for the final two.
In case you didn’t know, and to help understand the Cheltenham Festival race distances, here is a quick yardage guide.
- 8 furlongs in a mile
- 220 yards in a furlong
Read on to see ALL 28 Cheltenham Festival races ranked from longest to shortest in terms of distances.
Tuesday 12th March 2024 (Old Course)
Cheltenham day one is always about one thing – the opening race ‘Festival Roar’, which can be heard across the Cotswolds as soon as they start the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
In terms of the Cheltenham Festival race distances on the opening day the shortest race is the Arkle Challenge Trophy, which is run over 1m 7f 199 yards and just 21 yards shy of 2 miles.
The feature race on the first day is always the Champion Hurdle, which is run over 2m 87 yards, which is the trip last year’s winner Constitution Hill (pictured) covered to give trainer Nicky Henderson his nineth success in the race.
While the longest day one Cheltenham Festival race is the National Hunt Chase, which is staged over a gruelling 3m 5f 201 yards. This race used to be the longest – more on that below.
Last year the prize was won by the Willie Mullins-trained Gaillard Du Mesnil, who ground the opposition down over the extreme trip.
- Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – 2m 87y
- Arkle Challenge Trophy – 1m 7f 199y
- Ultima Handicap Chase – 3m 1f
- Champion Hurdle – 2m 87y
- Mares’ Hurdle – 2m 3f 200y
- Boodles / Fred Winter – 2m 87y
- National Hunt Chase – 3m 5f 201y
Wednesday 13th March 2024 (Old Course)
Onto Wednesday at the Cheltenham Festival and this year the day is being billed ‘Style Wednesday’.
The second day has the Queen Mother Champion Chase, which is the joint shortest race on the afternoon, is the top-billing event, which has been won by the Willie Mullins yard and Energumene for the last two seasons.
No Energumene this year, but Mullins still has a massive chance with last year’s Arkle hero El Fabiolo (pictured), who has been a warm order for the Champion Chase with the best UK horse racing betting sites all season.
Along with the Champion Chase, which is run over 1m 7f 199 yards, the Grand Annual Chase is also staged over the same trip – making then the two shortest races on the Wednesday.
At the other end of the Cheltenham Festival race distance scale, we see the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase as the longest at 3m 6f 37 yards and also the longest event at the whole meeting.
It’s a race the Gordon Elliott yard have made their own in recent years. Winning five of the last seven runnings, including with two-time Grand National winner Tiger Roll.
- Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle (formerly Ballymore) – 2m 5f
- Brown Advisory / Broadway Novices’ Chase – 3m 80y
- Coral Cup – 2m 5f
- Queen Mother Champion Chase – 1m 7f 199y
- Glenfarclas / Cross Country Chase – 3m 6f 37y (this season’s XC handicaps have been contested at 3m 5f 56y though)
- Grand Annual Chase – 1m 7f 199y
- Champion Bumper – 2m 87y
Thursday 14th March 2024 (New Course)
As the Cheltenham Festival 2024 moves into Thursday the action switches to the new course with seven more races to look forward to.
Day three is always about two races – the Stayers’ Hurdle, which was won in 2023 by 33/1 shot Sire Du Berlais, and the Ryanair Chase which Envoi Allen landed 12 months ago.
However, neither contest have the billing as the longest or shortest day three race.
These titles go to the opening race – the Turners’ Novices’ Chase as the shortest at 2m 3f 168 yards, while the longest is the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup over 3m 2f.
- Golden Miller / Turners’ Novices Chase – 2m 3f 168y
- Pertemps Final – 2m 7f 213y
- Ryanair Chase / Festival Trophy – 2m 4f 127y
- Stayers’ Hurdle – 2m 7f 213y
- Magners / Festival Plate – 2m 4f 127y
- Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle – 2m 179y
- Kim Muir – 3m 2f
Friday 15th March (New Course)
The final Cheltenham Festival day is the Friday and it’s all about the Gold Cup as the Prestbury Park action moves into day four.
We get going with the Triumph Hurdle, which is the joint shortest race on the Friday at 2m 179 yards. Along with the County Hurdle, which is run straight after.
Next up is the Albert Bartlett over 2m 7f 213 yards, but it’s the next two races that get the Cheltenham longest distance prize on Friday. These are the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Festival Hunter Chase (Foxhunters). Which are both run over a trip of 3m 2f 70 yards.
Last year we saw the Willie Mullins camp taking their third Gold Cup since 2019 when Galopin Des Champs (pictured) won for jockey Paul Townend and the pair are the big fancies with the best betting sites to follow-up.
Galopin Des Champs is already one of the big 2024 Cheltenham Festival bankers.
- Triumph Hurdle – 2m 179y
- County Hurdle – 2m 179y
- Albert Bartlett – 2m 7f 213y
- Gold Cup – 3m 2f 70y
- Festival Hunter Chase – 3m 2f 70y
- Mares’ Chase – 2m 4f 127y
- Martin Pipe – 2m 4f 56y
WATCH: Galopin Des Champs Winning The 2023 Gold Cup
When Is The Cheltenham Festival 2024?
2024 Cheltenham Festival Date
- Tuesday 12th March 2024: Champion Day
- Wednesday 13th March 2024: Style Wednesday
- Thursday 14th March 2024: St Patrick’s Day
- Friday 15th March 2024: Gold Cup Day
Cheltenham Festival 2024 Info
📅Date: Tuesday 12th- Friday 15th March 2024
🕙Time: First Race 1:30pm, Last Race 5:30pm each day
🏇Racecourse: Cheltenham
📺 TV: Racing TV / ITV
Cheltenham Gold Cup Distance: How Long Is The Blue Riband Festival Contest?
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is run over a trip of 3m 2f 70 yards, which is one of the longest distance races at the Festival. However, it’s still some way off the Grand National trip, which is now about 4m 2 1/2f.
What Is The Longest Race At The Cheltenham Festival?
The Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase, which is now run over a trip of 3m 5f 201 yards and often described as the Cheltenham Festival ‘marmite race’ as not all horse racing fans have taken to it.
It’s mainly run in the middle of the main track on a dedicated course that was built back in the early 2000’s, with the first running of the race at the Festival in 2005.
The track also stages a Cross Country race at their November and December Meetings, which are handicaps, but the Festival contest is a level weights race (with mares getting a 7lb allowance).
Delta Work Has Won The Last Two Cross Country Chases
Delta Work (pictured) has won the last two runnings (watch his latest below), while trainer Gordon Elliott has won five of the last seven and really that’s six as he trained Tiger Roll in 2021 but had to run it under Denise Foster’s name due to a ban.
Jockey Keith Donoghue also has a top record in the race – winning four of the last six renewals.
The National Hunt Challenge Cup Used To Be The Longest Festival Race
The second longest Cheltenham Festival race is the National Hunt Challenge Cup over 3m 5f 201 yards. But it used to be staged over further.
It’s also the longest-running race at the Festival, now into its 164th running, and prior to 2020 was run over a trip of 3m 7 1/2 furlongs, which made it the longest distance Cheltenham race. Before that, between 2005 to 2007, the race was run on the New Course and over a trip of 4m 1f.
However, after a controversy running in 2019, the trip was tinkered with again and reduced to its current 3m 5f 201 yards. This was due to only four of the 18 horses finishing the race, while being an amateur race three of the jockeys were also banned to continuing to ride clearly tired horses.
What Are The Shortest Races At The Cheltenham Festival?
The shortest Cheltenham Festival races are staged over 1m 7f 199 yards – these are the Arkle Challenge Trophy, Queen Mother Champion Chase and Grand Annual Chase.
While the shortest hurdle races are the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Champion Hurdle and Fred Winter at 2m 87 yards – all run on the Old Course. With the Champion Bumper also run over that same trip.
Cheltenham Festival Race Distances Listed: Longest To Shortest
- Glenfarclas / Cross Country Chase – 3m 6f 37y
- National Hunt Chase – 3m 5f 201y
- Gold Cup – 3m 2f 70y
- Festival Hunter Chase – 3m 2f 70y
- Kim Muir – 3m 2f
- Ultima Handicap Chase – 3m 1f
- Brown Advisory / Broadway Novices’ Chase – 3m 80y
- Pertemps Final – 2m 7f 213y
- Stayers’ Hurdle – 2m 7f 213y
- Albert Bartlett – 2m 7f 213y
- Coral Cup – 2m 5f
- Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle (formerly Ballymore) – 2m 5f
- Ryanair Chase / Festival Trophy – 2m 4f 127y
- Magners / Festival Plate – 2m 4f 127y
- Mares’ Chase – 2m 4f 127y
- Martin Pipe – 2m 4f 56y
- Mares’ Hurdle – 2m 3f 200y
- Golden Miller / Turners’ Novices Chase – 2m 3f 168y
- Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle – 2m 179y
- Triumph Hurdle – 2m 179y
- County Hurdle – 2m 179y
- Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – 2m 87y
- Champion Hurdle – 2m 87y
- Champion Bumper – 2m 87y
- Boodles / Fred Winter – 2m 87y
- Arkle Challenge Trophy – 1m 7f 199y
- Queen Mother Champion Chase – 1m 7f 199y
- Grand Annual Chase – 1m 7f 199y
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