The origins of the festival date back to 1860, when it was first held under the name Grand National Hunt Meeting at various locations. It moved to Cheltenham in 1911, where it has remained ever since. Over the decades, the festival has grown in popularity, now featuring 28 races across four days, including four Championship Races:

• Champion Hurdle (Introduced in 1927)
• Queen Mother Champion Chase (1959)
• Stayers’ Hurdle (1912)
• Cheltenham Gold Cup (1924)

Each day of the festival is packed with thrilling racing action, and the Cheltenham race card features a mix of Grade 1 and Grade 2 races, showcasing the very best in the sport.

The 2025 Cheltenham Festival will deliver another year of breath taking action. The Cheltenham roar returned as the festival opened, setting the tone for an unforgettable week.

Champion Day (Tuesday, March 12, 2024): Constitution Hill secured another emphatic victory in the Unibet Champion Hurdle, maintaining his status as one of the greatest hurdlers in recent history.

Style Wednesday (Wednesday, March 13, 2024): Jonbon claimed a well-earned triumph in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, proving himself as the dominant force in the two-mile division.

St. Patrick’s Thursday (Thursday, March 14, 2024): The Ryanair Chase saw Envoi Allen rise to the occasion once again, while Teahupoo finally secured victory in the Stayers’ Hurdle after falling short in 2023.

Gold Cup Day (Friday, March 15, 2024): The festival concluded in spectacular fashion as Galopin Des Champs successfully defended his Cheltenham Gold Cup title, cementing his place among the greats.

The 2025 Cheltenham Festival promises another action-packed edition, featuring some of the sport’s biggest stars alongside rising contenders.

• Unibet Champion Hurdle: Constitution Hill missed last year’s race, but came back this season to win the Christmas hurdle in cracking style, and has since easily defeated his rivals in the Unibet hurdle in January. Trained by Unibet ambassador Nicky Henderson, who has won this race a record breaking 9 times, and ridden by another Unibet ambassador in Nico de Boinville, Constitution Hill aims to become only the third horse in history to regain his title in the Unibet Champion hurdle on Tuesday.

• Queen Mother Champion Chase: Jonbon has twice tasted defeat at the Cheltenham finishing second in both the Supreme hurdle and the Arkle novice chase. He remains unbeaten this year and looks better than ever, and although he hasn’t won at this particular festival he has already bagged 11 Grade One events. Unibet ambassadors Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville once again join forces and this could be the year that Jonbon lays his Cheltenham Festival hoodoo to rest.

• Stayers’ Hurdle: Teahupoo seeks to retain his title but unlike last year he comes into the race having lost last time out in the Hatton’s Grace hurdle, a race he had previously won for the last two years. He remains a short priced favourite but faces some strong opposition  this time around including Nicky Henderson’s Lucky Place as well as Home By The Lee who has won his last races and looks like he is back to form despite  being ten years of age.

• Cheltenham Gold Cup: Galopin Des Champs is on course for a third Gold Cup victory and is one of the shortest priced favourites of the entire week such is his dominance in this staying chase domain. If he is successful he will be the first horse since Best Mate in 2004 to record three back to back successes in the Blue Riband of our sport.

With some of the best horses, jockeys, and trainers competing, there will be plenty of exciting betting opportunities at Cheltenham 2025. Expect enhanced odds, price boosts, and a variety of markets, including ante-post betting, each-way betting, and accumulators.

Additionally, Unibet will be offering exclusive Cheltenham Festival promotions, including free bets and money-back specials throughout the event.