If you can’t make it to the Cheltenham Festival (11-14 March) in person, there is no need to miss the action, as every single race from the meeting will be shown on TV.
Here’s our full TV guide so you don’t miss a moment of the action…
ITV and the ITVX streaming service will be showing most Cheltenham Festival races for free in the UK. If you’re abroad, and trying to watch ITVX like you normally would back in the UK, then you can use a VPN. Check out NordVPN, where you can get 70% off, plus a 30-day money back guarantee, and follow the instructions below.
Cheltenham Festival on TV: how to watch
The Festival at Cheltenham is the Olympics of jump racing and the famous roar is something not to miss. For racing fans and amateur punters alike, it couldn’t be easier to submerse yourself in all the action.
So here it is, your armchair viewing guide to the Cheltenham Festival — and now is definitely the time to invest in that 55inch 4k Ultra HD OLED TV you’ve been hankering after. Grab your remote, a family pack of snacks and a tipple of your choosing because you needn’t leave your armchair for four days.
Where can I watch Cheltenham Festival?
Those of you with a Racing TV subscription can enjoy all the races live but for everyone else in the country, tune in to ITV1 where the ITV Racing team will take you right to the heart of the action.
In 2025 ITV Racing will cover the Cheltenham Festival daily between 1-5pm, broadcasting six of the seven live races a day.
Presented by Ed Chamberlin, viewers will be taken to the heart of the action to see all their favourite equine stars at jump racing’s most famous Festival.
Alongside Ed, on the punditry team will be 20-time champion Jump jockey, Sir Anthony McCoy and the Festival’s winning-most rider, Ruby Walsh. They will be joined by Gold-cup winning pundit, Mick Fitzgerald and Luke Harvey, both of whom will get down to the start and get up close to the fences during the week. Rishi Persad and Matt Chapman will be out and about on the course interviewing winning jockeys and connections, while Megan Nicholls and Alice Plunkett will guide viewers through all the activity in the parade ring. Oli Bell will also be interacting with viewers at home in the popular Social Stable.
Richard Hoiles will be in the commentary box, with Kevin Blake and Brough Scott offering their views on stories as they unfold throughout the week.
The live Festival coverage will also be simulcast on ITVX, on web and app for viewers to watch online or if you’re on the move you can still keep up to date by listening to BBC Radio 5 Live.
What time does Cheltenham Festival start?
The ITV Racing Cheltenham Festival coverage will show racing between 1pm and 5pm.
ITV’s Morning Show will be shown between 9am and 10am each morning of the Festival.
The full 2025 Cheltenham Festival racecard is as follows.
Tuesday 11 March
1.20pm: Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade One)
2pm: My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase (Grade One)
2.40pm: Ultima Handicap Chase
3.20pm: Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Grade One)
4pm: Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Grade One)
4.40pm: Hallgarten And Novum Wines Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
5.20pm: Princess Royal National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Chase
Wednesday 12 March
1.20pm: Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Grade One)
2pm: Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Grade One)
2.40pm: Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle
3.20pm: BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade One)
4pm: Glenfarclas Cross-country Chase
4.40pm: Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase
5.20pm: Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Grade One)
Thursday 13 March
1.20pm: Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade Two)
2pm: Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (Grade Two)
2.40pm: Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle
3.20pm: Ryanair Chase (Grade One)
4pm: Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade One)
4.40pm: TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase
5.20pm: Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase
Friday 14 March
1.20pm: JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade One)
2pm: William Hill County Handicap Hurdle
2.40pm: Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (Grade Two)
3.20pm: Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade One)
4pm: Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase (Grade One)
4.40pm:St James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase
5.20pm: Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (Class Two)
What if I’m too excited to wait until the Cheltenham Festival TV coverage starts?
After you’ve picked up your copy of the Racing Post — every Cheltenham Festival viewer’s bible — and checked out the latest news on the H&H Festival hub page, be sure to switch in ITV4 at 8.30am on each morning of the Festival action.
Hosted by Oli Bell, the programme will air from 8.30-10am on ITV4 and ITVX in order to provide viewers with a fuller preview of each day’s races and capture more of the morning action as the Irish contingent exercise out on track at Prestbury Park.
How to watch the Cheltenham Festival from anywhere
Not in the UK right now? You don’t have to miss out on any of the action from Cheltenham Festival. ITVX is geo-restricted, meaning it doesn’t usually work outside of the UK, but a VPN is a simple and safe way around this.
A Virtual Private Network will alter your device’s IP address to make it appear to be in a different country, allowing you to access your usual streaming services from anywhere in the world. It’s great for watching racing on the move, and it’s also handy even if you’re watching at home. VPNs are designed with internet security in mind, creating encrypted connections that keep your data safe from third parties and improve streaming speeds by preventing bandwidth ‘throttling’ from your internet service provider.
There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, which is the best VPN in the world according to our colleagues at TechRadar.
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TechRadar love NordVPN’s ability to unblock streaming services, its compatibility, and its top-level security. It comes with a big discount in time for Cheltenham and a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it 100% risk-free.
How to use a VPN
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Download and install the VPN of your choice. NordVPN is the one we recommend.
2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access – UK for ITV.
3. Then head over to your streaming service on your device and enjoy the live stream.
Who are the experts at Cheltenham Festival?
You’ll very quickly discover that everyone’s an “expert” during Cheltenham Festival week and everyone from your farrier to the postman will be offering you their Festival “banker”. Our tip is to stick with what you know and if it’s too good to be true, it usually is. The ITV Racing team is an encyclopaedia of racing facts and figures and usually pretty good with tips.
When is the big race at Cheltenham Festival?
Racing fans are treated to a “championship” race every day of the Cheltenham Festival, beginning on Tuesday with the Unibet Champion Hurdle, Wednesday features the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, on Thursday it’s the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle and it all culminates on Friday with the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup. Each showpiece race has been moved in the racecard compared to previous years and will now run as the fourth race, instead of the third and these will start at 4pm. But each of the 28 races over the four days offers something to savour with 12 Grade One (top level) races in total.
Speed is my thing, which race at Cheltenham Festival will I enjoy the most?
The shortest races at the Cheltenham Festival are just shy of two miles in length and with the best horses, trainers and jockeys battling it out for top honours, they are always breathtakingly fast and furious. Over the fences (the larger obstacles), the Queen Mother Champion Chase is a real sprint and where you’ll find the fastest chasers.
How about if I enjoy a stamina test at the Cheltenham Festival?
Wednesday’s Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeple Chase at Cheltenham Festival is a brilliant spectacle as the field comes away from the racecourse to face the challenge of a course of 32 obstacles that twists and turns, including a mix of timber, brush and drops over a gruelling 3m6f-plus.
Where can I spot future stars at Cheltenham Festival?
The Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is greeted by the deafening yet spine-tingling Cheltenham Festival roar from spectators, and this race is always a hotspot for future talent with past winners including Altior, Brave Inca and 2022’s victor, the Nicky Henderson-trained Constitution Hill. Likewise on Friday, the JCB Triumph Hurdle for four-year-olds is the big target for the country’s best juvenile hurdlers – the dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll was first past the post in the race in 2014 and then went on to repeat that success twice.
Can I buy tickets to Cheltenham Festival?
Yes, Cheltenham Festival tickets are available in 2025, and you can find out everything you need to know here.
What is the Prestbury Cup at Cheltenham Festival?
As well as the head-to-heads between the leading horses, jockeys and trainers, one of the greatest rivalries is between Great Britain and Ireland for the total number of Cheltenham Festival winners, otherwise known as the Prestbury Cup. In 2024, Irish trainers took the advantage, with 18 winners over the four days versus Great Britain’s nine.
Who are the top jockeys to follow at Cheltenham Festival?
Irish jockey Paul Townend, who is retained by leading Irish trainer Willie Mullins, topped the Cheltenham Festival jockey standings over the four days at the Festival in 2024. Also travelling from across the Irish Sea will be Rachael Blackmore, who was leading jockey at the Festival in 2021. Nico De Boinville usually enjoys a tremendous strike rate at Cheltenham and he will be joined in the weighing room by Harry Cobden, Harry Skelton and Sean Bowen, the latter of which is on course to become champion jockey for the first time at the end of this season.
Who is likely to be the leading trainer at Cheltenham Festival?
It’s hard to look beyond leading Irish trainer Willie Mullins, who really is a mighty force in the sport and has been crowned top trainer at the Cheltenham Festival for 11 of the past 14 years, breaking the former dominance of Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson. Irish trainer Henry de Bromhead also has a notable amount of success to his name at the Festival, and is worth keeping an eye on throughout the week, as is British-based Dan Skelton.
How do I bet at Cheltenham Festival?
Online betting companies will be clamouring for your custom during Cheltenham Festival so look out for some of their promotional deals for new customers which include everything from a free bet to giving your money back if your horse loses. You’ll need to deposit some money into your betting account, choose a race, select your horse (you could study the form, or you could simply pick your lucky number of favourite colour from the jockeys’ silks) and the type of bet — then get ready to cheer!
Get £10 in FREE bets
Want to place a bet at Cheltenham Festival? Sign up to Betway and receive a £10 welcome bet.
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