Betting on Cheltenham Races

Nestling in a natural amphitheatre below England’s beautiful Cotswold Hills sits the home of National Hunt racing, Cheltenham Racecourse.

Often called the jewel in jump racing's crown, Cheltenham hosts some of the best jumping action in the world and culminates in the Cheltenham Festival held each March, usually to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day.

With regular meets throughout the season there’s plenty of chances to use the free bets that bookies give away. Meets include The Open, International, and of course The Festival.

Cheltenham Betting History

Betting on Cheltenham races dates back to 1815, but it wasn’t until 1819, that the first Gold Cup was run. Back then it was a three mile flat race, rather than the jump race we know today and of course there weren’t any betting offers.

Cheltenham Festival, of which The Gold Cup is part, is named the National Hunt Meeting, but whichever you prefer it’s a great opportunity to bet using horse racing betting offers like the latest Betfred free bet offer for new customers.

Cheltenham Races' Gold Cup takes place on the last day of the Festival. It has total prize money of £3.67 million up for grabs with almost a million set aside for the Gold Cup.

With sums this large you can be sure of some serious betting action and online bookies know it, usually offering special betting offers leading up to the festival.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup

The Gold Cup is so prestigious that it's only been cancelled a handful of times (even during the Second World War) and many see it as a rival to that other great race, The Grand National.

Whichever takes your fancy both are great opportunities for making use of the many free bet offers that bookies give away with around £600 million wagered on the festival last year alone.

Betting on Cheltenham races is exciting as the race covers a distance of around three miles and incorporates 22 fences. Over the four day festival there are plenty of other races for punters to use Cheltenham free bets on – The Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Cotswold Chase and The Champion Bumper to name a few.

But it’s the Gold Cup that draws the most punters and with so many Cheltenham betting offers you can see why. Golden Miller holds the record for Gold Cup victories, winning all five races between 1932 and 1936, Arkle won three times between 1964 and 1966, and Best Mate also notched up a hat-trick between 2002 and 2004.

But what makes a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner and how do you pick a winner and make good use of the free bets and betting offers that bookies offer on the event?

Since the Gold Cup started, the best age for horses has been between 7 and 9 and popular pick for betting on Cheltenham Races. The horse needs to have finished (preferably placed) in at least one previous race of around three miles.

The rider should be an experienced jockey; Ruby Walsh has been top jockey at the festival for six of the last eight years – so if Ruby’s riding be sure to take advantage of the fact,

Cheltenham, there's a genuine festive atmosphere from start to finish and according to gate receipts over 200,000 people attend the four days - 65,000 on Gold Cup Day alone.

They get through 214,000 pints of Guinness and an incredible 18,000 bottles of Champagne.

So why not join them this year and use some of the special betting offers available at some of the best bookies for betting on Cheltenham Races and try to win a magnum or two!