One of the biggest weeks in the racing calendar is fast approaching, with fans eagerly anticipating the Cheltenham Festival and all the raucous atmosphere it usually brings.
Last year, Minella Indo won the Gold Cup with jockey Jack Kennedy, a 9/1 pre-race shout with the favourite, Al Boum Photo, coming home in third. Notable successes also came for Rachael Blackmore, first on Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle and later on Quilixios in the Triumph Hurdle.
They were two of six wins the Irish jockey picked up across the weekend, earning her the Ruby Walsh Trophy along the way in a stellar performance and becoming the first female jockey to do so.
Blackmore will be on Honeysuckle once more in this year’s Champion Hurdle on Tuesday, while Minella Indo will be looking to make it back-to-back Gold Cup triumphs on Friday.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the 2022 Cheltenham Festival.
When is the 2022 Cheltenham Festival?
The 2022 Cheltenham Festival starts on Tuesday, 15 March 2022 and ends on Friday, 18 March 2022.
The festival will showcase seven races each day. The first race starts daily at 1:30pm with the last race ending each day’s racing at 5:30pm.
Cheltenham Festival race schedule, guide and results
Look out for 28 races across the four days at the 2022 festival.
Day One: Champion Day – Tuesday, March 15
- Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – 1.30pm
- Arkle Novices’ Chase – 2.10pm
- Ultima Handicap Chase – 2.50pm
- Champion Hurdle – 3.30pm
- Mares’ Hurdle – 4.10pm
- Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle – 4.50pm
- National Hunt Novices’ Chase – 5.30pm
Day Two: Ladies Day – Wednesday, March 16
- Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle – 1.30pm
- Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase – 2.10pm
- Coral Cup – 2.50pm
- Champion Chase – 3.30pm
- Cross Country Chase – 4.10pm
- Grand Annual Handicap Chase – 4.50pm
- Champion Bumper – 5.30pm
Day Three: St Patrick’s Thursday – Thursday, March 17
- Turners Novices’ Chase – 1.30pm
- Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle – 2.10pm
- Ryanair Chase – 2.50pm
- Stayers’ Hurdle – 3.30pm
- Paddy Power Plate – 4.10pm
- Mares’ Novice Hurdle – 4.50pm
- Kim Muir Challenge Cup – 5.30pm
Day Four: Gold Cup Day – Friday, March 18
- Triumph Hurdle – 1.30pm
- County Hurdle – 2.10pm
- Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle – 2.50pm
- Gold Cup – 3.30pm
- Festival Hunters’ Chase – 4.10pm
- Mares’ Chase – 4.50pm
- Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle – 5.30pm
How to watch and follow festival plus ticket information
You can be there in person for the Greatest Show on Turf, with ticket prices starting from £40, with various other price tiers that open up the experience to fans with different enclosures and areas of the racecourse.
However, non-hospitality tickets for Thursday and Friday are now sold out. For full ticket information visit the Cheltenham Festival website here.
If you can’t be there in person, you can watch the coverage unfold on ITV1 with live coverage of the first five races of each day - coverage starts at 12:40pm, though be sure to tune into the hour-long Opening Show on ITV4 at 9am daily, with a preview of all the action ahead.
The only place to watch the entirety of each day though is Racing TV, which offers subscriptions starting from £10 for a day pass, as well as monthly and annual deals. You can follow coverage there from 10am each day.
There is a live stream of the action across ITV Hub and the Racing TV website or app.
You can listen to the races live with the first four races of each day live on talkSPORT, including the headline race at 3.30pm.
While Indy Sport will have you covered with a daily live blog, including all the best tips, results and reaction to the action.
Cheltenham Festival - Day 1 odds
13:30 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
- Constitution Hill 29/4
- Dysart Dynamo 5/2
- Jonbon 5/1
- Mighty Potter 7/1
- Kilcruit 7/1
- Bring On The Night 18/1
- Shallwehaveonemore 50/1
- Silent Revolution 50/1
- JPR One 100/1
14:10 Arkle Novices’ Chase
- Edwardstone 5/2
- Riviere D’etel 7/1
- Blue Lord 4/1
- Haut En Couleurs 7/1
- Saint Sam 9/1
- Magic Daze 14/1
- Coeur Sublime 16/1
- Gabynako 20/1
- Brave Seasca 33/1
- War Lord 40/1
- Red Rookie 100/1
14:50 Ultima Handicap Chase
- Floueur 15/2
- Does He Know 8/1
- Death Duty, Noble Yeats 9/1
- Corach Rambler, Fantastikas, Frodon, Full Back, Gericault Roque, Our Power, Tea Clipper 11/1
- Lostintranslation, Oscar Elite 16/1
- Ben Dundee 18/1
- Discordantly, Kiltealy Briggs, Vintage Clouds 22/1
- Foxy Jacks 29/1
- Doctor Duffy, Grump Charley, Rapper 33/1
- Run To Milan 40/1
- Belargus 50/1
- Pontresina 66/1
- One More Fleurie 80/1
15:30 Champion Hurdle
- Honeysuckle 4/7
- Appreciate It 4/1
- Teahupoo 10/1
- Epatante 14/1
- Adagio 18/1
- Zanahiyr 22/1
- Tommys Oscar 33/1
- Sant Roi 50/1
- Glory And Fortune, Not So Sleepy 100/1
16:10 Mares’ Hurdle
- Telmesomethinggirl 11/4
- Queens Brook 4/1
- Stormy Island 11/2
- Burning Victory 8/1
- Echoes In Rain 9/1
- Mrs Milner 11/1
- Maries Rock 12/1
- Heaven Help Us 14/1
- Martello Sky 18/1
- Indefatigable 25/1
- Western Victory 50/1
- Nada To Prada 150/1
16:50 Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
- Gaelic Warrior 9/4
- The Tide Turns 13/2
- Brazil 10/1
- Champion Green 11/1
- HMS Seahorse 12/1
- Ebasari 14/1
- Doctobr Brown Bear, Saint Segal, Too Friendly 16/1
- Britzka, Prairie Dancer 20/1
- Petit Tonnerre 22/1
- Dr T J Eckleburg 25/1
- Forever William 28/1
- Bell Ex One, Feigh, Iberique Du Seuil, White Pepper 33/1
- Sea Sessions 35/1
- Milldam, Swinging London 40/1
- Doctor Churchill, Skycutter 50/1
- Tanganyika 66/
17:30 Nations Hunt Novices’ Chase
- Run Wild Fred 2/1
- Stattler 5/2
- Vanillier 4/1
- Pats Fancy 7/1
- Ontheropes 10/1
- Braeside 12/1
- Beatthebullet 66/1
Cheltenham Gold Cup odds
- A Plus Tard 10/3
- Galvin 10/3
- Minella Indo 9/2
- Protektorat 8/1
- Al Boum Photo 10/1
- Conflated 11/1
- Tornado Flyer 12/1
- Chantry House 16/1
- Royale Pagaille 16/1
- 25/1 bar
*Odds provided by Betfair, NRNB market, correct as of Sunday, March 13.
