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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Chris Wilson

Best Betting Sites and Free Cheltenham Bets For Gold Cup Day

The 2025 edition of the Cheltenham Festival comes to a close with Gold Cup day, the blue-riband event of jump-racing that headlines another bumper afternoon of racing on Friday.

After three days of thrilling action, big odds winners and a fitting tribute to the late jockey Michael O’Sullivan the festival is set up perfectly for a spectacular conclusion.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the festival’s main event, and in 2025 it sees Galopin Des Champs going for a hattrick of wins having been victorious in 2023 and 2024.

And there’s plenty more action on the final day too, including the Triumph Hurdle and the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle.

This might be the last day of Cheltenham 2025, but there are still plenty of offers available at the best betting sites, including welcome bonuses and free bets.

And to help readers find the best options for them, we’ve compiled a guide to the best betting sites and free bet offers for the final day of the festival.

We’ve also taken a look at the Cheltenham Gold Cup favourites and Triumph Hurdle betting on betting apps as part of our day four preview.

Best betting sites for Cheltenham day four

Rank

Bookmaker

Cheltenham promos and features

1

Betfred

NRNB, extra places, NAP of the day, racing acca winnings boosts, BOG, Rewards4Racing points, odds boosts on Lucky 15s, live streaming, bet £10 get £50 welcome offer valid on racing.

2

LiveScore Bet

Sign up offer includes £30 in free bets. Daily money back specials and extra place races. Cheltenham Festival bank builder program. NRNB on all Cheltenham Festival races. Free £5 acca bet offer each week. Best Odds Guaranteed and live streaming of UK and Irish racing.

3

QuinnBet

Sign up offer includes money back as a free bet up to £35. Money back if second to the favourite on all UK and Irish races featuring six or more runners. Daily extra place races and a boost on all Tricast, Forecast and Yankee winnings. Best Odds Guaranteed, acca winnings boost and free spins on slot sites for betting on US racing.

4

Tote

Get £40 in bonuses when signing up with Tote. Earn free bets each week through the Stayers’ Club. Tote price guarantee on all win bets. Live streaming and a huge range of bet combinations for racing wagers.

5

Betano

Racing-specific sign up offer worth up to £40 in free bets. Daily odds boosts on UK and international racing. Large number of racing specials daily. Lucky Dip tool, prize draws and live streaming.

Key races on day four

Triumph Hurdle 2025

History: This is one of the most prestigious races for novice hurdlers and often acts as a precursor for those intending to run in the Champion Hurdle the following year. Four horses have gone on to complete the double, while two-time Grand National winner Tiger Roll won this race in 2014.

Triumph Hurdle betting: No trainer has won this race more than Nicky Henderson (7) and his best hope could be Lulamba, who won well on his British debut at Ascot and enters the race at 2/1.

East India Dock romped to victory in the Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham last November and won last time out at the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle in late January. That makes for a serious contender and he’s the marginal favourite on horse racing betting sites.

Perhaps interestingly, the last four winners of the Triumph Hurdle have all run in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown, though neither East India Dock nor Lulamba did this year.

If you prefer to bet in accordance with recent history, then Hello Neighbour could offer value at 11/2, having won the Spring Juvenile Hurdle in early February.

County Hurdle 2025

History: This race has a history of being one of the hardest to predict of the entire Festival, with seven of the last 10 winners going off at double-digit prices. It’s run over the same distance as the Champion Hurdle and former County Hurdle winner State Man completed the double last year with victory in the Grade 1 showpiece. 

County Hurdle betting: Willie Mullins has won five of the past 10 County Hurdles and could be mob-handed for the 2025 edition, including running last year’s winner Absurde (11/2).

McLaurey, trained by former jockey Emmet Mullins, is also offered at 15/2.

Dan Skelton has a strong record in this race too and his best hope could be Valgrand. He’s priced at 8/1 in the County Hurdle odds, along with Ethical Diamond.

Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle 2025

History: This race has become a stepping stone on the path to stardom for several horses, producing Gold Cup and Stayers’ Hurdle winners aplenty since being added to the Cheltenham card. Bobs Worth and Minello Indo both won this race before going on to Gold Cup success.

The favourite hasn’t won this race since Fishers Cross in 2013 and the last four winners have all gone off at odds of 14/1 or bigger.

Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle odds: In terms of Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle tips, The Big Westerner has the unwanted tag of pre-race favourite at 9/2, but having won on his last three runs over hurdles.

Jet Blue and Jasmin De Vaux are both priced at 8/1 with Wingmen at 9/1 the last of the single-digit contenders.

Cheltenham Gold Cup Odds 2025

History: This is the most prestigious race of the entire Festival, with competitors battling it out for a share of the £625,000 prize fund over a gruelling three miles and two and a half furlongs, and 22 fences.

Experience and class tend to be the keys to success here, with most Gold Cup winners having a Grade 1 win and a Festival victory to their name. Irish horses also tend to do well with nine of the last 10 Gold Cups heading back to Ireland. 

Cheltenham Gold Cup betting: Galopin Des Champs is the heavy Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite having won the last two editions, and is bidding to emulate Best Mate by winning three in a row. He’s looked solid in his outings this season and has already seen off one of his main rivals, Face To File. In terms of Cheltenham Gold Cup odds, he’s a best-price of 8/15.

Face To File was switched to Thursday’s Ryanair Chase so King George VI Chase winner Banbridge (9/2) should be Galopin Des Champs’s biggest threat, although he doesn’t have a great record at Cheltenham and could be found out over this distance.

Monty’s Star also deserves respect despite being an outsider at 14/1, having only lost to Spillane's Tower and Fact to File in Grade One races last season.

Free bets for Cheltenham day 4

Rank

Bookmaker

Offer

1

BetGoodwin

Money back special up to £100. BetGoodwin offers users their money back as free bets if your horses loses by a nose, is beaten by a 50/1 shout or by half-a-length in a chase, or if your horse falls at the last while leading.

2

QuinnBet

Punters can get their money back as a free bet up to a maximum of £10 if their selection finishes second to the favourite. This offer is available on every race at Cheltenham, as long as it features a minimum of six runners and the favourite goes odds at odds of 6/4 or greater.

3

LiveScore Bet

Get your money back as a free bet on selected races each day of the Cheltenham Festival. Just place a maximum £10 bet on the selected race within 48 hours of the start time. If your horse finished second, third or fourth, you’ll get your stake back as a free bet. Only the first bet on the race will be eligible for the money back offer.

4

Parimatch

New Parimatch customers can get £30 in free bets with the bookmaker’s horse racing welcome offer. Open an account with Parimatch, opt in to the racing offer and make an initial deposit of £10 or more. Place a qualifying bet of £30 or more on a race at odds of 3/1 or greater. If your horse wins, you’ll get paid out as normal, but if it loses, you’ll be refunded in free bets.

5

BetMGM

BetMGM offer one of the best sign-up offers around. New customers can claim £40 in free bets, £30 of which can be used on horse racing. All users have to do is sign up, deposit £10, bet £10 on any market with odds of evens or greater to claim the offer.

How we rate Cheltenham betting sites

Licensing: Our recommended Cheltenham betting sites are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). We only recommend safe betting sites, which are UKGC-licensed and regulated operators, ensuring that customers’ details are protected.

Welcome offer: We recommend betting sites that offer the best value for customers when signing up. The welcome offer should be valuable compared to other operators and have a straightforward sign-up process, allowing customers to unlock and use their free bets.

Promotions: Cheltenham betting sites offer the best promotions, including free bets, money back specials, best odds guaranteed, non-runner no bet, price boosts, acca boosts, acca insurance, extra places and many more.

Value: Our recommended Cheltenham betting sites provide the best value odds in the industry across all 28 races. You’ll struggle to find better Cheltenham odds elsewhere, but always shop around.

Markets: The Cheltenham Festival is one of the gambling events of the year and our recommended betting sites have a plethora of markets available for each race.

Usability: Betting sites are not effective unless they have sound usability and functionality for all features including bets and live streaming. Our recommended operators tick all the boxes when it comes to usability, providing a sound online betting experience.

App: The best Cheltenham betting sites should offer a quality native betting app for both Apple and Android devices. Our carefully selected operators all deliver a sound experience for mobile users with their dedicated betting apps.

Payment options: We scoured the available payment options across Cheltenham betting sites and only considered the ones that offered a wide variety of options, including PayPal, Apple Pay betting sites, Google Pay bookmakers and more.

Tips for maximising Cheltenham day 4 betting offers

Understanding promotions: Read terms and conditions carefully to fully benefit from offers, such as money back specials.

Comparing odds: Utilise odds comparison tools to ensure the best value. Look for odds boosts on different betting sites to get the most out of your Cheltenham day four bets.

Free bets: Use free bets wisely and don’t throw them away on long shots. Read the terms of use and make sure to use them before they expire.

Responsible gambling

Bettors should always follow responsible gambling practices. Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses when betting on Cheltenham, or any other sporting event.

When using gambling sites be aware that betting can be addictive so please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget. The same applies whether you’re using new betting sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other gambling medium.

It’s particularly important not to get carried if you receive a casino bonus or any free bets, which are available in abundance during Cheltenham but must be approached with caution.

You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs.

You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having:

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

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