FESTIVAL RACES

The 28 Cheltenham Festival races consist of 13 Chases (over fences) and 13 Hurdle races, plus a Cross Country Chase and a Bumper.

There are 13 Grade 1 contests, plus five Grade 2, six Grade 3 and four Listed races.

Distances vary from two miles up to three miles, six furlongs - with Days 1 & 2 run on the Old Course and Days 3 & 4 on the New Course.

FEATURE RACES

Each day of the Festival has a showpiece race, but there are five feature Cheltenham contests - Thursday boasts two blue riband events.

Total prize money will increase by £115,000 to £4.93 million in 2025, with the respective purses of Festival races reflecting their status:

FESTIVAL RACES BY PRIZE MONEY

FESTIVAL HANDICAPS

There are now 12 handicaps at the Festival, including the National Hunt Chase and Cross Country Chase, both of which are being turned into handicaps from 2025.

A handicap mark in the low 130s is the bare minimum required for entry to most - and at least 140 for the more valuable events.

Prior race experience requirements in non-novice handicaps are now four chase runs or five hurdle runs.

In a handicap race the weight each horse carries is determined by the handicapper - the horse with the highest rating carries top weight.

The other horses carry less weight proportionate to their handicap ratings. So if the top-rated horse has a mark of 150 and carries a top weight of 11st 12lb, a 140 rated horse will carry 10lb less (11st 2lb).

FESTIVAL NOVICE RACES

Eight Festival races are for Novices only (four hurdles and four chases).

Those hurdles are open to horses aged four years or older, but most novices' at the Festival are aged at least five or six.

These races feature horses that have the potential to become future Festival stars.

A novice is a horse that has yet to win, in its discipline (hurdles or fences), before the start of the current season.

JUVENILE RACES

There are two Juvenile hurdle races restricted to four-year-old's, the youngest horses racing at the Festival, the more prestigious of which is the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle.

Juveniles are horses aged three at the start of the season.

All horses turn a year older on 1st January, meaning that they are aged four when the Festival comes around in March.

AMATEUR JOCKEY RACES

There are also two Festival races for amateur riders only (professional jockeys took part in 2021 due to Covid restrictions).  

The National Hunt Chase, which was also historically confined to amateur jockeys, will allow professional riders from 2025.

Leading amateur jockeys with Festival wins include Jamie Codd, Patrick Mullins, Sam Waley-Cohen and Derek O'Connor.

Several of the leading amateurs regularly compete with the pros in other races too.

Notably, Jamie Codd has ridden a total of 10 Festival winners (7 amateur races).

CONDITIONAL JOCKEYS

Meanwhile, one Festival race is only open to apprentice jockeys, just starting out in the professional ranks.

FILLIES & MARES RACES

Finally, three of the races at the Festival are solely for female horses: fillies (four-year old's) and/or mares (five years+).

The Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle was a steppingstone for Honeysuckle, who went on to win the Champion Hurdle twice, before returning to win the Mares' Hurdle in 2023.