Cheltenham Betting Offers 2021
The entire National Hunt season revolves around the Cheltenham Festival. An audience of millions tunes in from home, right around the world to compliment the 250,000+ people who attend.
In order to help you maximise your enjoyment of the best four days of racing in the world, we have put together the best Cheltenham betting offers available from some of the top bookmakers in the UK. While other welcome offers are available, we have highlighted the top ones right here.
The Festival takes place between March 16th and March 19th, 2021.
Cheltenham Betting Offers For New Customers
Cheltenham Betting Offers Online
While punters wait all year for the Cheltenham Festival, it is also easily the most important week of the season for bookmakers. The infamous jumps meeting brings in new audiences and once-a-year gamblers to compliment the usual horse racing viewer.
Hundreds of millions of pounds are traded, meaning the betting market is extremely competitive. With that in mind, bookies are at pains to offer great deals to attract new customers to their platform.
This can be incredibly useful for punters, but we are here to guide you on the right way to choose a welcome offer or bonus as well as offer a hand on how to get the best out of them.
Most recognised bookmakers offer bonuses and deals for new account holders with these being some of the best Cheltenham betting offers.
Cheltenham Free Bets
As well as the quality Cheltenham betting offers, there are a host of other promotions running for the Festival. These are the two we think will give you the best value:
| Bookmaker | Cheltenham Betting Offers |
|---|---|
|
Bet £5 Get £20
18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Paypal & certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x£5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cashout, restrictions + T&Cs apply. |
|
Up to £100 in Free Bets
New customer offer. Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. T&Cs apply. |
Cheltenham Festival Betting Types 2021
Cheltenham Festival week is a huge one for bookmakers, but as a punter, you should be doing your best to make it all about you.
While the bookies’ making up lots of new specials is great for us, we should always remember that they will not offer boosted odds or money-back specials on a horse if they genuinely believe it will go on and win.
Sometimes, avoiding a bookmaker-generated special altogether is the way to go. To get ahead, stick to your guns in terms of the horse(s) you fancy. If you do want to go a little bit exotic though, here are some of the markets you can bet on during the Festival:
- Race winner
- Extra places (some bookies offer 5 or 6 each-way places instead of 3-4)
- First 4 finish
- Winning trainer
- Winning margin (horse to win by 2+ lengths for example)
2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup Favourites and Odds
You can find which odds our selected Cheltenham betting sites offer for the Cheltenham Gold Cup favourites. Each odds give you the opportunity to bet on a specific Cheltenham offer.
| Cheltenham Gold Cup Runner |
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Boum Photo | 7/2* | 7/2* | 3/1* |
| Minella Indo | 10/1* | 7/1* | 9/1* |
| Santini | 9/1* | 10/1* | 10/1* |
| Champ | 8/1* | 12/1* | 10/1* |
| A Plus Tard | 12/1* | 10/1* | 9/1* |
| Frodon | 14/1* | 12/1* | 14/1* |
| Kemboy | 16/1* | 25/1* | 20/1* |
| Delta Work | 33/1* | 25/1* | 33/1* |
| Presenting Percy | 33/1* | 33/1* | 33/1* |
| Melon | 25/1* | 25/1* | 33/1* |
*All Odds are subject to change. *Odds as of Feb 8, 2021.
Cheltenham Festival Schedule
When the Festival gets underway on Tuesday, March 16th, the famous ‘Cheltenham Roar’ greets the start of the first race – the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at 1:30 pm.
Highlights of the opening day include the Arkle Trophy and the feature event; the Champion Hurdle. The latter is worth well over £300,000 and will be the race carrying most bets on day one.
Wednesday is Ladies Day at Cheltenham when Arkle contenders of the past are now seen as fully mature chasers in the Queen Mother Champion Chase over two miles. Two more Grade 1 races are staged; the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle and the Festival Novices’ Chase over three miles.
The ever-popular St Patrick’s Thursday has the Ryanair Chase and the Stayers’ Hurdle as its highlights, with the Grade 1 Marsh Novices’ Chase kicking off the day.
Friday is what we’re all waiting for. The Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Blue Riband of National Hunt racing, goes off at 3.30 and carries with it the hopes of just about every punter in the country. This year, Al Boum Photo looks to become the first three-time winner since Best Mate and is likely to go off favourite.
The trick here is to stick with those Grade 1 events as much as you can. As tempting as the handicaps are, they are somewhat of a lottery so using the bonus and welcome offer money to bet on top-class types is often the way to go.
Day One, Tuesday 16th March 2021 – Champions Day
| Time: | Race: |
| 13:30 | Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle |
| 14:10 | Sporting Life Arkle Challenge Trophy |
| 14:50 | Ultima Handicap Chase |
| 15:30 | Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy |
| 16:10 | Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle |
| 16:50 | Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle |
| 17:30 | National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Novices’ Chase |
Day Two, Wednesday 17th March 2021 – Ladies Day
| Time: | Race: |
| 13:30 | Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle |
| 14:10 | Festival Novices’ Chase |
| 14:50 | Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle |
| 15:30 | Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase |
| 16:10 | Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase |
| 16:50 | Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase |
| 17:30 | Weatherbys Champion Bumper |
Day Three, Thursday 18th March 2021 – St Patrick’s Thursday
| Time: | Race: |
| 13:30 | Marsh Novices’ Chase |
| 14:10 | Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle |
| 14:50 | Ryanair Chase |
| 15:30 | Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle |
| 16:10 | Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate Handicap Chase |
| 16:50 | Daylesford Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle |
| 17:30 | Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase |
Day Four, Friday 19th March 2021 – Gold Cup Day
| Time: | Race: |
| 13:30 | JCB Triumph Hurdle |
| 14:10 | Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle |
| 14:50 | Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle |
| 15:30 | Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup |
| 16:10 | St. James’s Place Challenge Cup Hunters’ Chase |
| 16:50 | Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chasee |
| 17:30 | Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle |
Start Betting with one of these Bonus Codes…
Cheltenham Festival Tips and Trends
Willie Mullins was once again crowned champion trainer at the 2020 Festival, though it could hardly have been a closer fight. Both he and great rival Gordon Elliott saddled 7 winners and 6 runners-up, the pair only being separated by Mullins’ third-placed horses.
Barry Geraghty and Paul Townend each rode 5 winners, Geraghty’s success coming courtesy of his association with owner JP McManus while Townend is the retained rider for the aforementioned Willie Mullins.
2020’s results show that, from a betting point of view, we should always keep the faith. Willie Mullins was actually way behind Gordon Elliott most of the week but saddled a terrific four-timer on Gold Cup day including in the big race itself to ultimately take the title.
There’s little to glean from this other than these two stables are absolute powerhouses of the game, while a look at the ante-post odds for the Festival in 2021 will show you that little is expected to change. Keep these two yards onside.
Cheltenham Betting Trends
A proper championship race is featured on every day at the Cheltenham Festival, each making up one of the week’s 14 Grade One events. Some trends do appear in the back catalogue of these great races, so they’re worth keeping in mind from a betting point of view.
Champion Hurdle
This is as pacey as it gets in National Hunt racing. The top hurdle event in the world is run over two miles on the Old Course, where speed between the eights hurdles is of the essence. Here’s what to bear in mind:
- Average winning SP in the last 10 years: 5/1
- Winning favourites in the last 10 years: 6
- Starting price range in the last 10 years: 4/6 – 16/1
- Most successful current trainer: Nicky Henderson (7 wins with See You Then in 1985, 86 & 87, Punjabi 2009, Binocular 2010, Buveur d’Air 2017 & 18 and Epatante in 2020)
- Most successful current jockey: Barry Geraghty (4 wins on Punjabi in 2009, Jezki 2014, Buveur d’Air 2018 and Epatante in 2020)
Champion Chase
Another for the speedier types; the Queen Mother Champion Chase is the premier race for two-mile chasers. This race attracts a fair percentage of Festival bets, with these stats on past runnings perhaps being helpful:
- Average winning SP in the last 10 years: 9/2
- Winning favourites in the last 10 years: 4
- Starting price range in the last 10 years: 1/4 – 11/1
- Most popular winning age in the last 10 years: 9 (four wins)
- Most successful current trainer: Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson (6 wins each)
- Most successful current jockey: Barry Geraghty (5 wins on Moscow Flyer in 2003 & 05, Big Zeb 2010, Finian’s Rainbow 2012 and Sprinter Sacre in 2013)
Stayers’ Hurdle
The Stayers’ Hurdle is a real slog, even for the classier types. Staged over three miles of what is a tough New Course, this Grade 1 event is one of the championship races of the week. Certain pointers can be gleaned from recent results, such as:
- Average winning SP in the last 10 years: 10/1
- Winning favourites in the last 10 years: 4
- Starting price range in the last 10 years: 5/6 – 50/1
- Most popular winning age in the last 10 years: 7 (4 wins in a row, 2017 – 2020)
- Most successful current trainer: Paul Nicholls (4 wins with Big Buck’s from 2009 to 2012)
- Most successful current jockey: Barry Geraghty (2 wins on Iris’s Gift in 2004 and Solwhit in 2013)
Cheltenham Betting Offers – Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the race all horsemen want to win – as do all punters! Given the toughness of the New Course, the undulations, the 3¼-mile trip and the class of horses involved this is undoubtedly the hardest race on the National Hunt calendar to win.
It’s a competitive event of course, but betting-wise there are some patterns to take note of which you can use alongside any free bets:
- Average winning SP in the last 10 years: 7/1
- Winning favourites in the last 10 years: 4
- Starting price range in the last 10 years: 9/4 – 20/1
- Most popular winning age in the last 10 years: 8 (4 wins)
- Most successful current trainer: Paul Nicholls (4 wins with See More Business in 1999, Kauto Star 2007 & 09 and Denman in 2008)
- Most successful current jockey: Richard Johnson, Barry Geraghty, Paul Townend (2 wins each)
Cheltenham Betting Offers & Tips
The 2021 Cheltenham Festival gets underway on Tuesday, March 16th. Bookmakers have been busy compiling their ante-post lists for all 28 races across the four days.
Champion Hurdle
A major betting race, the Champion Hurdle is the feature race of day one. Last year’s winning mare Epatante leads the market across the board, but her stablemate, fellow JP McManus-owned dual-winner Buveur d’Air may yet enter the reckoning.
Last year’s champion trainer Willie Mullins has Sharjah in the race who is next in, his constant improvement in his career so far earning him quotes of 7/1 and under in the run-up to the race.
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle traditionally kicks off the festival, and once again the 2021 renewal looks like being a close thing in the betting. Seven-year-old Appreciate It heads the market for Mullins, while the very classy Metier from Harry Fry’s yard looks like real competition both in terms of the betting and on form having won three from three so far.
Champion Chase
Wednesday’s championship race is the two-mile Queen Mother Champion Chase. Last year’s winner Politologue again looks dangerous and yet is quoted as a big-priced second-favourite, behind Willie Mullins’ three-time Grade 1 winner Chacun Pour Soi.
The latter isn’t yet proven around Cheltenham which could be an important factor, while Politologue returned this season with another impressive success and maybe the smart bet.
Stayers’ Hurdle
The day three feature is the three-mile Stayers’ Hurdle, one in which there is a highly-anticipated third battle between former winner Paisley Park and the up-and-coming Thyme Hill.
Paisley Park heads the market having turned the tables on his rival last time out, however, Emma Lavelle’s runner clearly benefitted from the softer ground and should the weather come good in March, the younger and improving Thyme Hill may yet claim another win.
It should be noted that some very big priced horses have landed this race in the past, including 50/1 Lisnagar Oscar last season.
Cheltenham Gold Cup
Willie Mullins landed his first (and second) Gold Cup with Al Boum Photo, and now the nine-year-old is bidding to become the first three-time winner since Best Mate.
He is clear right now in the market after a very pleasing seasonal return, but he only just got the better of the “slow” Santini twelve months ago from the Nicky Henderson yard and it seems his rival is being rather underestimated.
Eight-year-olds have done particularly well in the past and it seems that, on average, that age is when the Gold Cup types reach their peak. With that in mind Minella Indo, who is second-favourite with many firms, is particularly interesting.
Henry De Bromhead’s gelding is following a very familiar path. A winner over three miles in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle two years ago, he took on the RSA Chase last year and was favourite to win before falling. He’s in great order this term and could be ready to put up a career-best performance now.
Find bet365 Cheltenham Gold Cup Odds here…
About Cheltenham Festival
Along with the Grand National meetings and Royal Ascot on the flat, the Cheltenham Festival is among the most important, prestigious and money-spinning meetings anywhere in the country.
This festival in fact draws in easily the most betting revenue across the week, with punters, trainers, owners and jockeys from both the UK and Ireland desperate to land a major win.
Staged in the shadow of Cleeve Hill, races at Cheltenham are particularly special within the industry with the vast majority of all horses involved during the week having been primed specifically for the Festival.
Although the prize money is generally down in 2020, the Festival is still worth some £3.5 million as a minimum to connections which is what helps to make these races so competitive and classy.
The game would be nothing without punters, however, and the money generated by us all is what keeps it going. Bookmakers will once again be falling over themselves to offer bonuses, price boosts, welcome offers and money-back specials across all four days so it pays to keep a sharp eye on what is being advertised.
The First Day
When Cheltenham is full for the start of the Festival, it is some sight to behold. This year’s first race will be at 1:30 on Tuesday, March 16th. The Supreme Novices’ hurdle is one of the biggest betting races of the year as punters attempt to make a flying start to the week.
A score is kept between Irish and British trained winners, with both sets of handlers holding very strong hands while there is often just a sprinkling of French in the mix too.
Emotions run very high on day one of the Festival. Millions of punters and hundreds of bookmakers, on-track or online, either come out of the Tuesday feeling on top of the world or utterly deflated having finished down on the day.
The beauty of the Cheltenham Festival, however, is that there are another three days in which we all go to war.
The entire week builds up to Gold Cup day on Friday, with talk of the big race filtering around the track, the internet and on television before the tape has even been lifted for the Supreme Novices’.
All four days are important, but the Tuesday of the Cheltenham Festival marks the traditional end of a painful one-year wait for all punters, as well as the chance to use wisely those carefully selected free bets and bonuses offered by bookmakers.
Upcoming Races
While Cheltenham is the main focus in the UK and Ireland during March, over in the US the Road to the Kentucky Derby is particularly prevalent.
Horses aiming to crack the first leg of the Triple Crown at Churchill Downs are out in force in Grade 1 races, looking to gather points to ensure their participation on the first Saturday in May.
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