See below for the Cheltenham Festival 2026 dates and the UPDATED running order for the biggest jumps meeting on the planet. There are a couple of notable tweaks this year too, with the Mares’ Hurdle shifting to Thursday and the Plate moving to Tuesday.
Cheltenham Festival Date 2026 🗓️
The 2026 Cheltenham Festival will run across four days, from Tuesday 10th March to Friday 13th March.
🏇 Tuesday 10th March 2026: Day 1 – Champion Day
🏇 Wednesday 11th March 2026: Day 2 – Ladies’ Day
🏇 Thursday 12th March 2026: Day 3 – St Patrick’s Thursday
🏇 Friday 13th March 2026: Day 4 – Gold Cup Day
Cheltenham Festival Changes 2026 – Mares’ Hurdle Switched To Thursday and Plate Moved To Tuesday
One of the key changes for 2026 sees the 2m4f Mares’ Hurdle – won by Lossiemouth in 2025 – moved to the Thursday of the Festival.
As part of that switch, the race will also transfer from the Old Course to the New Course.
With the Mares’ Hurdle relocating, something had to give.
The SunRacing Plate Handicap Chase (2m4f) has therefore been moved in the opposite direction, switching from Thursday to Tuesday to accommodate the change.
Both races will feature as part of the extensive Cheltenham Festival ITV Racing coverage.
Cheltenham Festival 2026 Dates 🗓️ – Day ONE (Tuesday 10th March 2026): Old Course
The 2026 Cheltenham Festival gets underway with Champion Day on Tuesday 10th March, headlined, of course, by the Champion Hurdle.
It produced a shock result in 2025 when Golden Ace capitalised on dramatic falls from State Man and Constitution Hill to land the prize.
Race Schedule:
- 1:20pm – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) – 2m – ITV / RTV
- 2:00pm – Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) – 2m – ITV / RTV
- 2:40pm – Hallgarten and Novum Wines Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) – 2m – ITV / RTV
- 3:20pm – Ultima Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) – 3m 1f – ITV / RTV
- 4:00pm – Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) – 2m – ITV / RTV
- 4:40pm –Sun Racing Plate Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) – 2m 4f – ITV / RTV
- 5:20pm – National Hunt Chase (Novices’ Handicap) (Class 2) – 3m 6f – RTV
WATCH: Golden Ace Winning The 2026 Champion Hurdle
Cheltenham Festival 2026 Dates 🗓️ – Day TWO (Wednesday 11th March 2026): Old Course
Day two brings another top-class afternoon, kicking off with the Grade One Turners Novices’ Hurdle at 1:20pm.
The headline act, though, is the Champion Chase at 4:00pm. Last year it delivered an emotional success for Marine Nationale.
With the Barry Connell-trained runner one of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival favourites to follow-up at the meeting again.
Race Schedule:
- 1:20pm – Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) – 2m 5f – ITV / RTV
- 2:00pm – Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) – 3m – ITV / RTV
- 2:40pm – Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) – 2m 5f – ITV / RTV
- 3:20pm – Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase (A Limited Handicap) (Class 2) – 3m 6f – ITV / RTV
- 4:00pm – BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1) – 2m – ITV / RTV
- 4:40pm – Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase (Premier Handicap) – 2m – ITV / RTV
- 5:20pm – Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Grade 1) – 2m – RTV
WATCH: Marine Nationale Winning The 2026 Champion Chase
Cheltenham Festival 2026 Dates 🗓️ – Day THREE (Thursday 12th March 2026): Old Course
Day three opens with the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, giving us a glimpse of some of the sport’s potential future stars.
The 4:00pm Ryanair Chase is one of the standout contests on the card – a race the JP McManus Cheltenham runner Fact To File won in style in 2025.
We also have the Grade One Stayers’ Hurdle, where Bob Olinger rolled back the years in 2025 to score at the age of 10.
And this is where the reshuffled Mares’ Hurdle now sits.
Lossiemouth could be heading there again, with Paul Townend – currently favourite in the 2026 Cheltenham Festival top jockey betting market – likely to be in the saddle.
Race Schedule:
- 1:20pm – Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) – 2m – ITV / RTV
- 2:00pm – Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (Grade 2) – 2m 4f – ITV / RTV
- 2:40pm – Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1) – 2m 4f – ITV / RTV
- 3:20pm – Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1) – 3m – ITV / RTV
- 4:00pm – Ryanair Chase (Grade 1) – 2m 4f – ITV / RTV
- 4:40pm – Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) – 2m 7f – ITV / RTV
- 5:20pm – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase (Class 2) – 3m 2f – RTV
WATCH: Bob Olinger Winning The 2026 Stayers’ Hurdle
Cheltenham Festival 2026 Dates 🗓️ – Day FOUR (Friday 13th March 2026): Old Course
The 2026 Cheltenham Festival comes to a close on Friday 13th March – hopefully not unlucky for anyone involved.
All eyes, naturally, are on the Gold Cup, the biggest race of the week.
Willie Mullins has won it four times since 2019, including two of the last three renewals with his staying star Galopin Des Champs.
But he was denied last season, when Gavin Cromwell’s Cheltenham Gold Cup runner Inothewayurthinkin claimed the prize for owner JP McManus.
Race Schedule:
- 1:20pm – JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) – 2m – ITV / RTV
- 2:00pm – County Hurdle (Premier Handicap) – 2m – ITV / RTV
- 2:40pm – Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (Grade 2) – 2m 4f – ITV / RTV
- 3:20pm – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) – 3m – ITV / RTV
- 4:00pm – Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1) – 3m 2f – ITV / RTV
- 4:40pm – St James’s Place Festival Hunter Chase (Class 2) – 3m 2f – ITV / RTV
- 5:20pm – Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (Class 2) – 2m 4f – RTV
WATCH: Inothewayurthinkin Winning The 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup
Cheltenham Festival 2026 To Be Shown On ITV Racing 📺
It’s been confirmed that the 2026 Cheltenham Festival ITV Racing schedule will once again include the first SIX races on each day.
That means ITV Racing will show 24 of the 28 Festival races live.
Every race across the four days will also be available on subscription channel Racing TV.
Alternatively, if you’re having a bet with one of the leading UK horse racing betting sites, most will provide Cheltenham Festival 2026 live streaming through their platforms — provided the relevant terms and conditions are met.
