Best Cheltenham Festival Betting Sites

Cheltenham Festival is a four-day feast of horse racing which takes place annually in March. It’s held in the UK, usually at the same time as St. Patrick’s Day, which is the perfect recipe for major celebrations!

You’ll find lots of free bets for Cheltenham as it’s such a famous series that it attracts new players as well as seasoned veterans. The four days are divided into Champions Day, Festival Wednesday, St. Patrick’s Thursday and Gold Cup Day, which features one of the most exciting races of the event.

To take advantage of the best Cheltenham sign up offers, it makes sense to look at recent results. This can help you identify trends and patterns which can then dictate where your betting strategy sits for Cheltenham 2023.

Horse racing fans will remember the first day of Cheltenham Festival 2022 when Constitution Hill executed a memorable victory in the Supreme Novices Hurdle, with female jockey Rachel Blackmore securing her second Champion Hurdle in as many years while riding Honeysuckle. And she’d go on to win the Gold Cup on the final day, too.

On the Wednesday, fan favourite Tiger Roll ran his last race, and only narrowly missed out on victory when Delta Work snatched it at the death. Cheltenham betting sites will have been relieved at that, with Tiger Roll heavily backed by amateurs and experts alike.

Not all racers will remember Cheltenham 2022 with such fondness; Galopin Des Champs will want to forget a horrible fall with the Turner’s Novice Chase there for the taking.

In recent years the Cheltenham Festival has continued to grow, adding more races and even more days over time. It originally began as a two-day event, maturing to three days and then its current incarnation as a four-day series started in 2005. 

The 2023 Cheltenham festival is already set in place, and you can see the individual dates at all the best Cheltenham betting sites. It’s set to take place from Tuesday, 14th – Friday, 17th March 2023 as follows:

• Champions Day – Tues, 14th March
• Festival Wednesday – Weds, 15th March
• St Patrick’s Thursday – Thur, 16th March
• Gold Cup Day – Fri, 17th March

Some horses and riders are already confirmed. For example, Al Boum Photo is locked in to run in the Gold Cup, and will be looking to win it for a third time. In 2022, he came third after winning it in his two previous attempts. 

A Plus Tard will have something to say about that, though. Last year’s Gold Cup runner up will be back in 2023, and will be a hot selection on many Cheltenham betting offers. 

Our experts have many years of placing wagers at Cheltenham betting sites. Personally, I have developed a list of criteria which I use to find the very best Cheltenham sign up offers, including a large number of free bets for Cheltenham.

Here are five things to look for in the top Cheltenham betting sites:

• Free bets for Cheltenham: There are lots of Cheltenham betting offers every year, and it would be shortsighted not to consider these in your betting strategy. By looking for the best free bets and sign-up deals, you can increase your potential winnings while lowering your risk.
  
  
• In-play betting: If you’ve ever placed in-play bets on horse racing, you’ll know the odds change incredibly quickly – and only the best, most up-to-date Cheltenham betting sites will have the technology required to keep up with this.
  
  
• Best odds guaranteed: The best Cheltenham betting sites may offer something called best odds guaranteed. This means that you will either get the odds at the time you place your bet or the starting price. You’ll always receive the longer odds, which is a great perk.
  
  
• Historic Cheltenham betting sites: One clue to finding the best Cheltenham betting sites is its history. If a bookie has years of experience in delivering top-tier deals and providing big odds, it’s reasonable to assume they could be one of the best betting sites for Cheltenham.
  
  
• Early details: Certain Cheltenham betting sites will make bets available much earlier than others. This can be a great way to get higher odds before they drastically change closer to race time, and so you should focus on sites which regularly deliver odds on Cheltenham as early as possible. 

Of course, this isn’t the full list. When looking for the top Cheltenham betting sites I also consider markets, bet types, mobile apps and mobile compatibility, payment options and speed, licensing, security, customer service, user experience and site layout, and so on.

Unique features are what help selected Cheltenham betting sites stand out from the competition. So, when you’re looking for the best betting sites for Cheltenham, this is something which you’ll want to think about.

Here are five features to look for:

• Excellent odds: One of the most fundamental and important features of any top Cheltenham betting site is the odds. Only choose bookies which consistently deliver very competitive odds when compared to other sites.
  
  
• Wide range of markets: There can be quiet a high degree of variance between Cheltenham betting sites. Some focus on the winner market, while others give you all sorts of handicap and side betting options. The more markets, the better.
  
  
• Big race coverage: Does your Cheltenham betting site only cover the major races, or do they offer markets on the smaller races too? Ideally, you want one site which covers all kinds of races (for Cheltenham and elsewhere), so you won’t need to keep creating new accounts at new bookies all the time.
  
  
• Live streaming: A lot of Cheltenham betting sites will allow you to watch the race live after placing a relatively small wager on the outcome. Whether it’s for Cheltenham horse racing or live football, this can often be a smart way to watch live sport as it can work out cheaper than a television subscription!
  
  
• Virtual racing: If a day of races at Cheltenham doesn’t cut it for you, choose a Cheltenham betting site which also has virtual racing, This gives you round-the-clock access to racing and is an important feature for many. Just remember that it’s computer-generated, and can’t be analysed in the same way as real-life races. 

Now that you know what to look for in a Cheltenham betting site, it’s time to give you my breakdown of some of the best around.

Here are 12 of my favourite Cheltenham betting sites:

There are all sorts of betting offers available, with free bets for Cheltenham accessible for both new players and existing customers. But it’s important to understand the difference between the types of Cheltenham betting offers so that you can take full advantage.

Here are some of the best Cheltenham betting offers:

• Welcome offer: This could encompass one or multiple offers in a single package, with free bets likely to feature around the time of Cheltenham.
  
  
• Free bets: Free bets allow you to win real money without risking your own funds, but make sure you check the wagering requirements first.
  
  
• Money-Back Offers: Similar to free bets, you’ll sometimes be offered your money back on Cheltenham bets. For instance, money back if your rider falls.
  
  
• Price Boost Offers: Selected horses and races will receive boosted odds for a limited time.
  
  
• Matched Deposit Offers: Get extra funds which you can use on Cheltenham horse racing when you make a qualifying deposit.
  
  
• Enhanced Places for Big Races: If you’re placing an each-way bet, look out for Cheltenham betting sites which pay out on extra places in comparison to the majority of sites.

At most UK bookies, horse racing ranks alongside Premier League football as one of the two most popular sports to bet on. But why is this?

Horse racing is a sport which combines skill, luck, and proper judgement (on the part of both jockeys and punters), which makes it a very appealing prospect to players. If you do enough research, you can massively increase your chances of being successful.

Here are three of the most important areas of horse racing betting:

Most Popular Markets

Here are some of the most popular horse racing betting markets for Cheltenham:

• Outright winner: A single bet on a horse to win a race. The most common bet for most new players.
  
  
• Gold Cup each-way: Each-way bets reward you when your horse narrowly misses out on a win, and this is popular choice for the much-watched Gold Cup.
  
  
• Double/treble/Trixie: Multiple bets on horses to win various races combined into a single bet in order to boost the odds – but all selections must come in for it to be declared a winner.
  
  
• Ante-Post: Ante-Post betting is extremely popular with horse racing aficionados, with many placing bets on their chosen runners months in advance. Races such as the King George, which takes place at Kempton on Boxing Day, usually offer plenty of clues in the run-up to the Festival and many punters aim to get ahead of the pack and secure the value.
  Many online bookmakers as recommended by BetonSports including 888sport operate a ‘Non-Runner Insurance’ policy, as some horses will be entered into multiple races with trainers hedging their bets. For example, if you back a horse in the Ryanair Chase and it pulls out on the day and features in the Champion Chase instead, your stake will be returned.
  
  
• Accumulators: Accumulator betting is extremely popular throughout the Festival, with racing enthusiasts selecting their best bets for each day of the event. Doubles and trebles are another popular way of keeping across the action. In order for these bets to pay out, all of the selections must win their respective races. Other multiple bets such as Lucky 15, Lucky 31 and Canadians are also an option – these are permutations of a number of selections and will return some profit even if you miss out on a full house by one or two selections.

Most Popular Horse Racing Bet Types

You can bet on a horse to win a race, or you can bet on each-way. The latter means you will still win if the horse finishes second or in a lower position (which varies depending on the race), but at lower odds.

If you’re confident that a horse will win conclusively, you can bet on them to win by a certain amount of lengths. This can massively boost the odds and make it more worthwhile, especially is the horse is a hot favourite.

Horse Racing Betting Odds

Most Cheltenham betting sites will allow you to place a bet in fractional odds, which are common in the UK.

One key thing to note is that each-way bets pay out differently to outright winners bets. Let’s say a horse is 10/1 to win. If you put £10 on the win, you’ll receive £110, which is £100 profit plus £10 stake back.

If you bet £10 total on the same horse to win each-way, this will be a £5 each-way bet (you’ll pay £10 in total). In other words, it’s £5 on the win and £5 on the horse to place. The odds will be displayed at the time of your bet, but expect something like ‘each-way pays 1/5’.

Placing a bet on Cheltenham betting sites is a simple process. Here’s how to do it:

• Select a bookie. You can find my recommended choices on this page
• Create an account
• Make a deposit
• Choose ‘Horse racing’ from the A-Z of sports
• Click on ‘Cheltenham’
• Select the race you want to bet on
• Click on the odds of the market you want to bet on to add it to the bet slip
• Input your stake
• Click ‘Bet’/‘Confirm’ to lock it in

Things to Consider Before Betting on The Horses

When placing bets on Cheltenham, take every piece of information available into consideration. For example, what is the current form of the horse? Have they been winning their recent races? What is the form of the trainer, and do they have experience at major events like Cheltenham?

Look at the weather. Heavy rain or intense sunshine could alter the ground conditions. And look out for horses that have run a particular race before, as repeat runners are always a good thing. You can also look into a horse’s record at a festival or track, the strength of the other horses, breeding, and the draw basis for further analysis.

Cheltenham Betting Strategy

Set yourself a budget and stick to it. Avoid races where you have no strong insight, and consider a horse to win by X amount of lengths if you’re very confident in a winner. And, importantly, get ready to adjust your Cheltenham betting strategy at any moment based on the weather, results and other factors that could come into play at the last minute.

It is 100% safe and legal to place real-money wagers at Cheltenham betting sites in the UK. Horse racing is very popular in the UK and you can place bets at physical stands located all along the racetrack, so there’s no reason that you can’t do the same thing online, via desktop or mobile. Just make sure you use a fully licensed site, like those recommended in this guide.