Cheltenham Festival 2023 schedule: Race times, TV channel and latest odds
A harbinger of spring and the showpiece event of the National Hunt season, the Cheltenham Festival remains the highlight of the British horse-racing calendar.
This year's festival runs from Tuesday, March 14 to Friday, March 17. Plans to add a fifth day, on the Saturday, have been shelved because of concerns about damage to the racetrack and Britain's uncertain economic footing.
UK TV viewers can watch every race live on ITV 1, or streamed online via ITV X. Racing TV also shows the festival in full. Talksport will host the radio commentary.
Betting on the Cheltenham Festival? Take a look at the best Cheltenham betting offers and free bets
There are seven races each day at Cheltenham. None are insignificant but some are more important than others. The headline race each day is at 3.30pm.
If you only watch one race on day one, make it the Champion Hurdle, won for the past two years by Rachael Blackmore aboard Honeysuckle.
On day two, crowds will swell for the Queen Mother Champion Chase, where Willie Mullins' Energumene took the honours in 2022.
The biggest races of day three are the Ryanair Chase at 2.50pm, won for the past two years by Willie Mullins' Allaho, and the Stayers' Hurdle, where Flooring Porter is the defending champion.
And on day four, the final day, the biggest race of the whole meeting takes place: the Gold Cup. Last year's winner was A Plus Tard, ridden by Blackmore, who became the first female jockey to win the race.
The Prestbury Cup is the competition between British and Irish trainers, running for the duration of the Cheltenham Festival. Ireland dominated last year's competition, winning 18 races to the UK's 10.
Feature races in bold
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
13:30 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
14:10 Brown Advisory Novices’ Steeple Chase
14:50 Coral Cup Hurdle
15:30 Queen Mother Champion Chase
16:10 Cross-Country Steeple Chase
16:50 Grand Annual Handicap Chase
17:30 Champion Bumper
13:30 Turners Novices’ Chase
14:10 Pertemps Network Final Hurdle
14:50 Ryanair Chase
15:30 Stayers’ Hurdle
16:10 County Plate Chase
16:50 Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
17:30 Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup
13:30 Triumph Hurdle Jump
14:10 Country Handicap Hurdle
14:50 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
15:30 Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase
16:10 Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase
16:50 Mares’ Chase
17:30 Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle
On Saturday, February 18 at Ascot, Haydock and Wincanton a number of horses played themselves into contention for Festival honours, writes Marcus Armytage.
SHISHKIN (Contender for....Ryanair Chase or Boodles Gold Cup)
Nicky Henderson’s nine-year-old has come through a torrid 12 months with a bone problem and wind issue but, upped in trip to two miles five furlongs for the first time over fences, he returned to the imperious best which has already seen him win a Supreme and Arkle. He cruised round and, having jumped to the front at the second last, put 16 lengths between himself and Pic D’Orhy.
“He was in his comfort zone the whole way, jumping and travelling,” said his trainer who was thrilled to have returned one of his yard’s star performers to the top table. “We’ve got the old Shishkin. It’s special when they come back, today was the cross-roads and was going to tell whether we still have a good horse. There’s improvement, Nico [de Boinville] said he took a blow going to the second last. The Ryanair is the sensible choice but he’s still in the Gold Cup [contention].”
OSCAR ELITE (Contender for...Ultima Handicap Chase).
Joe Tizzard is taking about eight horses to the festival in his first season and right up there among his best chances will be Oscar Elite. The eight-year-old might not seem that obvious having taking nine starts over fences to finally win one but the seven and a half length win in the Bateaux London Reynoldstown Novice Chase will have given him a big confidence boost.
BO ZENITH (Contender for...JCB Triumph Hurdle).
Gary Moore’s four-year-old, won his only start in France at Auteuil and was a warm favourite to win on his British debut but he bombed out at Sandown. This, however, was much more like it.
He ran out a ready winner of the Betfred Victor Ludorum at Haydock. Having not run on the flat, however, he is at a slight disadvantage regarding racing experience but is clearly a horse with a future.
I LIKE TO MOVE IT (Each-way shot in the Unibet Champion Hurdle)
Wincanton is nothing like Cheltenham in that it is flat and right-handed but the Nigel Twiston-Davies trained six-year-old scooted well clear of a couple of decent horses to win the Jennings Bet Kingwell Hurdle. Already a three time winner at Cheltenham, including the Greatwood Hurdle in November, the course will hold no fears and there is nearly always a long-priced placed horse in the Champion. Expecting him to beat Constitution Hill and State Man is asking a bit much but he is certainly an each-way player.
FAMOUS CLERMONT (Contender for...St James’s Place Foxhunters)
Ultra-talented prolific point-to-pointer who is maturing into a very smart hunterchaser, having won his last two including on Saturday at Haydock in a common canter. Not guaranteed to go to Cheltenham but he finally looks like he is getting his jumping together under the experienced Will Biddick for Chris Barber.
