Cheltenham Festival Tips

The 2024 Cheltenham Festival will mark the return of crowds to the world’s most popular national hunt race meeting, promising to add a carnival atmosphere to the heart-pounding on-track action.

A total of 28 races will be run over the course of the meeting, with seven races a day including 13 Grade 1 races and a daily championship race run during 15:30 time-slot.

In this guide we’ll provide you with:

  1. a breakdown of who the newspaper tipsters are backing
  2. the top three bookmaker sign-up offers
  3. the best bookmaker promotions for Cheltenham 2024

Tip of the Day

Gold Aura

17:30 Newcastle 4 Tipsters

Get the Nap of the Day in your inbox.

Or get it on: Free Horse Racing Tips on Telegram Free Horse Racing Tips on Twitter

Cheltenham Festival Tips Table

Nap Time Racecourse Tipster Best odds
Indicated odds were updated on 2024-03-18 4:38:03 UTC. Please note that odds are subject to change.

The Top 3 Bookmaker Sign-up Offers

If you are looking to create a new betting account and get access to a lucrative sign-up offers then these are your three best bookmakers to go with for the Cheltenham Festival.

2024 Cheltenham Festival specials

Bookmaker specials can make the difference between profit and loss at the Cheltenham Festival. If you use several bookmakers you should be able to get extra value on almost every race at the meeting.

NRNB specials

If you’re placing bets ahead of the start of the 2024 Cheltanham Festival in order to capitalize on higher antepost odds you’re going to want to bet at bookies offering non-runner no bet (NRNB).

This will refund your antepost bets if your horse does not compete in the race you are betting on for any reason. 

If you place an antepost bet on a Cheltenham Festival race that is not covered by NRNB and your horse fails to participate, you’ll automatically lose your stake. Make sure you avoid this rookie error.

Place specials

The bulk of specials on offer every day will be place specials. These come in the form of bookies offering to pay out extra places on selected races. 

For example, your each-way or place bets could be paid out to 5th place on a race that would usually only pay out these bets on horses finishing in the top three places.

When shopping around for place specials look out for bookies who drop the each-way odds on offer for extra places. For example if a bookie is paying out four rather than three places, and then changes their each way payouts from 1/4 of the odds to 1/5 of the odds you’ll get less value on your places.

Money back specials

Money back specials will refund your stake, typically as a risk free bet, if certain pre-race conditions are met during a race – for example the starting favourite winning the race.

Some bookies will offer money back specials on selected races every day of the festival, for example Boylesports is offering money back on your selection if it finishes second to the SP favourite in ANY 2024 Cheltenham Festival race.

Others will run a single special throughout the festival that covers a wider selection of races.

Money back specials can be invaluable as they give you a chance to win your money back even if you lose your races.

Ongoing specials

Some of the top UK bookies offer ongoing specials without much fanfare that can make a huge difference when it comes to your returns from Cheltenham Festival betting.

The standout is bet365, which offers some fantastic specials including its Feature Race 4/1 offer and ITV Racing 4/1 offer.

Both these offers will reward qualifying punters with a free bet of up to £50 if your horse wins a qualifying race at over 4/1.

Betting specials

bet365 Each Way Extra

Advertisement. Each Way Extra. Each Way Extra gives you the option to increase or decrease the number of places in a race when you are betting Each Way on selected Horse Races. T&Cs apply. Registration required. T&Cs apply. Read More

New to the Cheltenham Festival? Read our FAQ!

Why is the Cheltenham Festival so important?

The Cheltenham Festival is England’s national hunt racing championship. It features championship races for every national hunt format, contested by the most talented horses in each race category and format. 

The Cheltenham Festival also serves as an unofficial contest between Irish and British racing. Ireland’s top trainers, jockeys and racehorses cross the Irish sea every year to compete against their British rivals, and are accompanied by tens of thousands of Irish racing fans.

When does the 2024 Cheltenham Festival start?

The 2024 Cheltenham Festival gets underway on the 12th of March and will run over four days, with racing concluding on Friday evening the 15th of March.

What are the main races to look out for?

If you’re new to the sport of horseracing then you should look out for the Grade 1 races that take place during the meeting, particularly the daily championship race. 
The championship races are run at 15:30 and include:
1. The Champion Hurdle
2. The Queen Mother Champion Chase
3. The Stayer’s Hurdle
4. The Cheltenham Gold Cup

These feature the best racehorses in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and the contestants run under the same weight. This means these races are genuine tests of ability of both jockeys and racehorses.

Betting on championship races is also easier than betting on handicap races (races where horses carry varying weights to even out the prospects of the field).

There are fewer factors to take into account when placing bets on championship races, and it can be easier to make sense of every entry’s race record when selecting the horses you want to bet on.

How can I watch the racing and can I attend?

The Cheltenham Festival is broadcast live around the world. If you’re in the UK and Ireland you can easily stream the race from any bookie offering free streaming, or simply on TV channels that carry the racing.

International viewers can watch the Cheltenham Festival on satellite or cable racing stations. Live streaming may also be available depending on your location.

If you’re fortunate to be in the UK during the festival you can get down to the Cheltenham racecourse and watch the action live with 50,000 other racing fans – just make sure you book your tickets early to avoid disapppointment.