2024 Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious horse racing events in the world. The event has been described as the Olympics of jump racing, and it’s a 4-day long celebration of one of the most popular sports in the world. It’s well known for some of the top races on the National Hunt calendar and the huge crowd that easily tops 200,000 spectators every year.
Held at the Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire, the popular event coincides with Saint Patrick’s Day. Held in mid-March, it begins on Tuesday and culminates on Friday with the famous Gold Cup. The race is widely considered to be one of the top horse racing events in the world and has seen many champions grace the track in the past.
The origins of the festival can be traced back centuries ago. The first one was run in 1860, taking place across several locations under the name of the Grand National Hunt Meeting. Market Harborough was the initial location, which changed to the Warwick Racecourse at the turn of the 20th century. However, after major improvements were made at Cheltenham, the Racing Committee decided to return the race to the spa town in 1911.
Year by year, the festival grew more popular. It now features 28 exciting races and 4 Championship Races, including the Stayers’ Hurdle (introduced in 1912) and the Gold Cup (which began in 1924 and is celebrating its 100th anniversary at the 2024 edition). The Champion Hurdle was established in 1927, while the Queen Mother Champion Chase was added to the calendar in 1959.
The total number of events on the Cheltenham race card today is 28, with each day featuring seven. On top of the most famous four, there are a host of other Grade 1 and Grade 2 races.
Another year on from the pandemic, the Cheltenham Festival 2023 finally felt like everything had returned to normal. The famous Cheltenham roar once again surged through the crowd to spur on the horses and riders, and the crowd were rewarded with some incredible drama!
Rachel Blackmore and Paul Townend were once again the best-performing jockeys at the festival, solidifying their places as legends of the sport. On the first day, the Unibet Champion Hurdle was won by Nico de Boinville atop Constitution Hill. The following day, Energumene took victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase for the second year running, which played a vital role in earning Paul Townend his second top jockey title in as many years.
On day three, Envoi Allen (ridden by Rachel Blackmore) won the Ryanair Steeple Chase, while the Stayers’ Hurdle was won by a 33-1 outsider in Sire Du Berlais. On the final day, the Gold Cup was won by Townened and his horse Galopin Des Champs.
This year’s edition of the Cheltenham Races features some top horses, from proven winners to exciting prospects. Old champions return to defend their titles, while up-and-coming newbies look to challenge the more seasoned racers.
This year’s overwhelming favourite to win the Unibet Champion Hurdle is Constitution Hill once again. After winning the same race in 2023, he’ll be looking to retain his title at this year’s Cheltenham Races. However, State Man and Impaire Et Passe could mount formidable challenges.
In terms of the Queen Mother Chase, back-to-back winner Energumene was the favourite but is now likely to be out of the season with an injury. This means that the time has come for El Fabiolo or Jonbon to step up and possibly take the win here.
On day three, the Stayers’ Hurdle will see last edition’s favourite, Teahupoo, get another shot at victory after losing out to a 33-1 underdog. However, he will likely have to fend off a strong challenge by Gaelic Warrior, who is looking in fine form ahead of Cheltenham 2024.
The final day is reserved for the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2024 and is typically a fascinating race, as many big names are set to challenge for the prestigious award. Last year’s winner, Galopin Des Champs, will face fierce rivalries in Shishkin, Fastorslow, and L’Homme Presse.
Now you know the favourites for the 2024 races, you should bet on them, right? Wrong. While favourites do often perform well, there are always shocks and upsets in the racing world, and you’ll make more profit betting on horses with an outside chance of victory.
Unibet has a wide range of betting options for the Cheltenham Festival 2024, where you can get the best out of your bets. As one of the biggest sporting events in the UK, there are plenty of ways to bet on Cheltenham.
We recommend checking out our events lobby for the top markets and offers. As the festival draws near, there will be plenty of special offers that you can’t refuse. Promotional bets will maximise your money returns, especially for new punters, while our sportsbook gives you access to the best Cheltenham odds for 2024.
The Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) special offer is a great way to get the top odds on a horse.
For example, if you back a 10/1 favourite before the race and he’s 15/1 by the time the race starts, if your selection wins, you get paid by the higher odds. This great promo comes among many others, such as win, place, and show promos, as well as specific odds boosts on particular horses and races so you get the best out of your bets.
Unibet is the home of horse racing in the UK, and it would be a shame to leave our site without exploring the markets further.