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When is Cheltenham Festival 2022? Tickets, Race Schedule, Favourites and More

The Cheltenham Festival Trials Day came and went with great success on the 29th of January this year, but we still have some time left before the main event starts in March. We now know for sure that the Cheltenham Festival will start off with Champions Day on the 15th of March and end with Gold Cup Day on the 18th. If you are looking for more info on the whole schedule, favourites, tickets and more, we have you covered in this post

The Cheltenham Festival Trials Day came and went with great success on the 29^th of January this year, but we still have some time left before the main event starts in March. We now know for sure that the Cheltenham Festival will start off with Champions Day on the 15^th of March and end with Gold Cup Day on the 18^th. If you are looking for more info on the whole schedule, favourites, tickets and more, we have you covered in this post.

Race Schedule

From 16^th – 18^th March, there will be seven races held on each of the four days. To know the exact date and timing for each race, go through the following breakdown.

Cheltenham Festival Day 1, aka Champions Day (Tuesday, 15^th March) Races

1:30 pm: Supreme Novices’ Hurdle - 3,298-metre Grade 1 hurdle race
2:10 pm: Arkle Challenge Trophy - 3,499-metre Grade 1 steeplechase
2:50 pm: Festival Trophy Chase - 5,029-metre Grade 3 handicap steeplechase
3:30 pm: Champion Hurdle - 3,298-metre Grade 1 hurdle race and the day’s main event
4:10 pm: David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle - 4,005-metre Grade 1 hurdle race
4:50 pm: Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle – 3,298-metre Grade 3 handicap hurdle race
5:30 pm: National Hunt Challenge Cup - 6,018-metre Grade 2 steeplechase

Cheltenham Festival Day 2, aka Ladies Day (Wednesday, 16^th March) Races

1:30 pm: Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle - 4,225-metre Grade 1 hurdle race
2:10 pm: Broadway Novices’ Chase - 4,901-metre Grade 1 steeplechase
2:50 pm: Coral Cup - 4,225-metre Grade 3 hurdle race
3:30 pm: Queen Mother Champion Chase - 3,199-metre Grade 1 hurdle race and the day’s main event
4:10 pm: Cross Country Chase - 6,069-metre Ungraded steeplechase
4:50 pm: Grand Annual Challenge Cup - 3,499-metre Grade 3 handicap steeplechase
5:30 pm: Champion Bumper – 3,298-metre Grade 1 flat race

Cheltenham Festival Day 3, aka St. Patrick’s Thursday (17^th March) Races

1:30 pm: Golden Miller Novices' Chase – 3,976-metre Grade 1 steeplechase
2:10 pm: Pertemps Final - 4,785-metre Grade 3 handicap hurdle race
2:50 pm: Ryanair Chase/Festival Trophy - 4,139-metre Grade 1 steeplechase and the main event on day 3
3:30 pm: Stayers’ Hurdle – 4,785-metre Grade 1 hurdle race
4:10 pm: Stable Plate – 4,139-metre Grade 3 handicap steeplechase
4:50 pm: Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle - 3,382-metre Grade 2 hurdle race
5:30 pm: Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup – 5,240-metre Ungraded handicap steeplechase

Cheltenham Festival Day 4, aka Cheltenham Gold Cup Day (Friday 18^th March)

If you have not used up all your free bets for Cheltenham races by the 4^th day, Friday will present you with both the last and the greatest chance to use them. Also known as the Blue Riband, the Cheltenham Gold Cup is one of the most prestigious and expensive high stakes jump races in the world.

1:30 pm: Triumph Hurdle – 3,382-metre Grade 1 hurdle race
2:10 pm: County Handicap Hurdle – 3,382-metre Grade 3 handicap hurdle race
2:50 pm: Spa Novices’ Hurdle - 4,822-metre Grade 1 hurdle race
3:30 pm: Cheltenham Gold Cup – 5,294-metre Grade 1 steeplechase and the main event of the entire Cheltenham Festival
4:10 pm: St. James’s Place Festival Hunter’ Chase – 5,294-metre Ungraded steeplechase
4:50 pm: Liberthine Mares' Chase – 4,139-metre Grade 2 steeplechase
5:30 pm: Conditional Jockeys’ Hurdle – 4,075-metre Ungraded handicap hurdle race

Favourites: Which of the Thoroughbreds are Most Likely to Win Big at the Cheltenham 2022?

The odds are never 100% right, but they are getting pretty close to being uncannily accurate these days! Right after the Cheltenham Trials Day, the following horses have the best odds of winning at the Cheltenham’s biggest races this year.

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Day 1)

Constitution Hill – 6/4
Dysart Dynamo – 2/1
Jonbon – 4/1

Arkle Challenge Trophy (Day 1)

Blue Lord - 11/4
Edwardstone - 3/1
Riviere D’etel - 5/1

Champion Hurdle (Day 1)

Honeysuckle – 8/13
Appreciate It – 5/1
Sharjah – 7/1

David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle (Day 1)

Telmesomethinggirl - 3/1
Royal Kahala - 5/1
Stormy Ireland - 6/1

Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle (Day 2)

Sir Gerhard – 3/1
Ginto – 5/1
Dysart Dynamo – 2/1

Broadway Novices’ Steeplechase (Day 2)

Galopin Des Champs - 1/1
Bravemansgame - 7/2
Capodanno – 6/1

Queen Mother Champion Chase (Day 2)

Shishkin – 4/6
Energumene – 9/4
Chacun Pour Soi – 9/1

Champion Bumper (Day 2)

American Mike - 5/2
Facile Vega - 3/1
Mercurey - 11/2

Golden Miller Novices' Chase (Day 3)

Bob Olinger – 4/5
Galopin Des Champs - 6/4
Lhomme Presse - 5/1

Ryanair Chase (Day 3)

Allaho - 4/5
Energumene - 9/4
Saint Calvados - 8/1

Triumph Hurdle (Day 4)

Fil Dor - 9/4
Vauban - 9/2
Iceo - 8/1

Spa Novices’ Hurdle (Day 4)

Ginto - 7/2
Journey with Me - 4/1
Hollow Games - 5/1

Cheltenham Gold Cup (Day 4)

A Plus Tard - 3/1
Galvin - 4/1
Minella Indo – 7/1

Tickets: Where to Buy Them?

Don’t wait for too long or the tickets may sell out completely, especially the seats with the best views. You can either book your tickets online via The Jockey Club’s Cheltenham Festival webpage or take a big risk by waiting until race day to buy your tickets from the Cheltenham Racecourse gate counters. The latter is inadvisable for several reasons as:

There is no guarantee that you will even be able to find a single ticket
You will have to pay more for leftover seats since early bird discounts will no longer be applicable at that time

All gate counters will stay closed on Gold Cup Day (Friday, March 18^th), meaning that if you don’t buy your tickets in advance, you will not be able to attend the main event itself.