With the biggest four days of the jumps season fast approaching, we’ve taken a deep dive into the 2026 Cheltenham Festival prize money.
Below, you’ll find every race ranked by winners’ purse, a full breakdown of what’s on offer across the week, and a clear look at which contests carry the most financial clout.
With just over £2.7 million paid out to the winners over the four-day 2026 Cheltenham Festival.
Cheltenham Festival Winner Prize Money 2026 – Ranked By Race 💷
All 28 races are listed below in order of the prize money paid to the winner.
Sitting miles clear at the top is the Cheltenham Gold Cup, with a hefty £351,688 heading to the victor.
Should the current market leader with the UK betting sites, JANGO BAIE, land his first Gold Cup – his career earnings would climb to £665,812.
To put that into context, the Gold Cup winner collects £98,473 more than the Champion Hurdle hero, who will bank £253,215.
Oh, and a huge £327,243 more than the Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase winner (£24,445), which follows the Gold Cup on the Friday card.
Across the entire meeting, total prize money stands at staggering £4,930,000, with £2,772,650 of that going directly to winners.
2026 Cheltenham Festival Prize Money For ALL 28 Races
| Rank | Cheltenham Festival Race | Class | Total Prize Money | Winner |
| 1 | Cheltenham Gold Cup | Grade 1 | £625,000 | £351,688 |
| 2 | Champion Hurdle | Grade 1 | £450,000 | £253,215 |
| 3 | Queen Mother Champion Chase | Grade 1 | £400,000 | £225,080 |
| 4 | Ryanair Chase (Registered as the Festival Trophy) | Grade 1 | £375,000 | £211,013 |
| 5 | Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle | Grade 1 | £325,000 | £182,878 |
| 6- | Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase | Grade 1 | £200,000 | £112,540 |
| 6- | Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Registered as the Broadway) | Grade 1 | £200,000 | £112,540 |
| 7- | Supreme Novices’ Hurdle | Grade 1 | £150,000 | £84,405 |
| 7- | Ultima Handicap Chase | Premier Handicap | £150,000 | £84,405 |
| 7- | Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Registered as the Baring Bingham) | Grade 1 | £150,000 | £84,405 |
| 7- | Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase | Premier Handicap | £150,000 | £84,405 |
| 7- | Sun Racing Plate Handicap Chase | Premier Handicap | £150,000 | £84,405 |
| 7- | JCB Triumph Hurdle | Grade 1 | £150,000 | £84,405 |
| 7- | Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Registered as the Spa) | Grade 1 | £150,000 | £84,405 |
| 8 | Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (Registered as the Liberthine) | Grade 2 | £120,000 | £73,151 |
| 9 | Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle | Grade 1 | £120,000 | £70 338 |
| 10 | Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase | Grade 2 | £125,000 | £64,300 |
| 11- | County Hurdle | Premier Handicap | £100,000 | £61,897 |
| 11- | Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle | Premier Handicap | £100,000 | £61,897 |
| 11- | Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle | Premier Handicap | £100,000 | £61,897 |
| 12 | Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Registered as the Dawn Run) | Grade 2 | £105,000 | £59,084 |
| 13 | National Hunt Chase (Novices’ Handicap) | Class 2 | £100,000 | £51,440 |
| 14 | Weatherbys Champion Bumper | Grade 1 | £80,000 | £45,560 |
| 15 | Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | Premier Handicap | £80,000 | £45,016 |
| 16- | Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase (A Limited Handicap) | Class 2 | £75,000 | £39,023 |
| 16- | Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle | Class 2 | £75,000 | £38,580 |
| 17 | Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase (Amateur Riders) | Class 2 | £75,000 | £36,233 |
| 18 | Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase | Class 2 | 50,000 | £24,445 |
| TOTALS | £4,930,000 | £2,772,650 |
Cheltenham Festival Prize Money Day One – Tuesday 10th March 2026
💰Total prize money: £1,250,000
The 2026 Cheltenham Festival gets underway with £1.25 million up for grabs on the opening afternoon.
Unsurprisingly, the Champion Hurdle headlines Tuesday’s action, which can be seen live on the ITV Racing schedule.
With £450,000 in the pot and £253,215 going to the winner, it’s comfortably the day’s standout.
A prize Golden Ace landed in 2025 (watch below).
Next on the list is the Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase, which offers £112,540 to the winner.
While on day one, the first race – the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is worth £84,405 and one of the best Willie Mullins Cheltenham Festival races.
By the end of Tuesday, £715,426 will have been paid out in winners’ prize money alone.
Cheltenham Festival Prize Money Day Two – Wednesday 11th March 2026
💰Total prize money: £1,155,000
There’s a slight dip in the overall pot on Wednesday, but it still comfortably clears the £1.1 million mark.
The feature is the Queen Mother Champion Chase, with £225,080 going to the winner from a £400,000 total purse.
It’s the most valuable race of the day and one of the championship highlights of the entire week – won last year my Marine Nationale (watch below), who is back for more in 2026.
The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase is next best, handing £112,540 to winning connections.
At the other end of the scale, the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase offers £39,023 to the winner — the smallest payout on Wednesday’s card.
Which is also one of the Cheltenham Festival races Willie Mullins is yet to win.
Total winner payouts for the day come to £652,910.
Cheltenham Festival Prize Money Day Three – Thursday 12th March 2026
💰Total prize money: £1,255,000
Thursday edges back up again, largely thanks to two championship races sharing the spotlight.
The Ryanair Chase, which was won by Fact To File in 2025, leads the way with £211,013 heading to the winner.
Putting this race narrowly ahead of the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle, where connections will pocket £182,878.
The Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase is Thursday’s lowest-paying race, with £36,233 awarded to the winner.
Across the afternoon, £685,743 will be paid out to winning owners.
Cheltenham Festival Prize Money Day Four – Friday 13th March 2026
💰Total prize money: £1,270,000
Gold Cup Day is the richest of the four — and rightly so.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the Festival’s showpiece and carries the biggest reward of the week.
Victory brings £351,688, and if two-time winner Galopin Des Champs completes a hat-trick, owner Mrs Audrey Turley will be collecting another sizeable cheque.
Behind the main event, both the JCB Triumph Hurdle and the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle are worth £84,405 to the winner.
The smallest payout of the entire Festival also comes on Friday.
With the Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase winner getting £24,445 — modest by championship standards, but still a Cheltenham Festival victory all the same.
Total winner payouts on Gold Cup Day reach £718,571, making it the most lucrative afternoon of the week.
Cheltenham Festival Prize Money 2026 – By Day
- Tuesday 10th March – £1,250,000 total | £715,426 to winners
- Wednesday 11th March – £1,155,000 total | £652,910 to winners
- Thursday 12th March – £1,255,000 total | £685,743 to winners
- Friday 13th March – £1,270,000 total | £718,571 to winners
Across all four days:
- £4,930,000 in total prize money
- £2,772,650 paid to winners
The Most Valuable Race at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival
There’s no surprise here. With £351,688 going to the winner, the Cheltenham Gold Cup stands comfortably clear as the most valuable race of the meeting.
The Five Championship Races – Ranked by Winner’s Prize
- Cheltenham Gold Cup – £351,688
- Champion Hurdle – £253,215
- Queen Mother Champion Chase – £225,080
- Ryanair Chase – £211,013
- Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle – £182,878
Combined, these five races account for £2,175,000 in total prize money, with £1,223,874 going to the winners alone.
The Least Valuable Race at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival
At £24,445 to the winner, the Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase carries the smallest purse of the week — though for connections, the prestige of a Festival win is priceless.
A race the Sam Curling-trained Wonderwall won in 2025 and he’s back this year as one of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival favourites for the amateur jockeys’ race.
