Club Benefits
Comprising 28 races across four days, Cheltenham Festival is the high point of the British and Irish jump racing season. Friday's Cheltenham Gold Cup (Friday, 11 a.m. ET) and Tuesday's Champion Hurdle (Tuesday, 11 a.m. ET) are the twin jewels in the crown, but with 14 Grade 1 events scheduled, the standard is sky-high right the way through.
You can watch Cheltenham Festival 2026 live streams from anywhere with a VPN and potentially for FREE.
The 2026 Cheltenham Festival 2026 runs from Tuesday, March 10 to Friday, March 13.
• FREE STREAM — ITVX (U.K.)
• FREE STREAM — Racing.com (Australia)
• Watch anywhere — Try NordVPN 100% risk free
For maximum convenience, all four days follow the exact same schedule, with the first action getting underway at Cheltenham Racecourse at 8.20 a.m. ET. Tuesday has been branded Champion Day, Wednesday is Ladies Day, Thursday is St Patrick’s Thursday, and Friday is Gold Cup Day.
There's an often friendly, sometimes heated rivalry between the British and Irish trainers, which has birthed the Prestbury Cup, essentially the Cheltenham Festival's equivalent of the medal table at the Winter Paralympics.
Irish-trained horses tend to dominate the festival, as they did a year ago by running out 20-8 winners, Inothewayurthinkin's shock Gold Cup victory applying the icing to the cake. Willie Mullins alone accounted for 10 of those Irish victories, though he departed slightly disappointed after Galopin Des Champs, the Gold Cup winner in 2023 and 2024, missed out on the hat-trick.
Here's how to watch Cheltenham Festival 2026 from anywhere in the world, and potentially for free.
Cheltenham Festival schedule 2026
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DAY 1
Tuesday, March 10
8.20 a.m. — 2m ½f Supreme Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1)
9 a.m. — 2m Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase (Grade 1)
9.40 a.m. — 2m ½f Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
10.20 a.m. — 3m 1f Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
11 a.m. — 2m ½f Champion Hurdle (Grade 1)
11.40 a.m. — 2m 4f Plate Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
DAY 2
Wednesday, March 11
8.20 a.m. — 2m 5f Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1)
9 a.m. — 3m 1f Novices' Chase (Grade 1)
9.40 a.m. — 2m 5f Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
10.20 a.m. — 3m 5½f Cross-Country Chase
11 a.m. — 2m Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1)
11.40 a.m. — 2m Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase (Premier Handicap)
DAY 3
Thursday, March 12
8.20 a.m. — 2m 1f Mares' Novices' Hurdle (Grade 2)
9 a.m. — 2m 4½f Novices' Limited Handicap Chase (Grade 2)
9.40 a.m. — 2m 4½f Mares' Hurdle
10.20 a.m. — 3m Stayers' Hurdle (Grade 1)
11 a.m. — 2m 4½f Festival Trophy (Grade 1)
11.40 a.m. — 3m Final Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
DAY 4
Friday, March 13
8.20 a.m. — 2m 1f Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1)
9 a.m. — 2m 1f County Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
9.40 a.m. — 2m 4½f Mares' Chase (Grade 2)
10.20 a.m. — 3m Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1)
11 a.m. — 3m 2½f Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase (Grade 1)
11.40 a.m. — 3m 2½f Princess Royal Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase
(All times ET)
How to watch Cheltenham Festival 2026 for FREE
You can watch Cheltenham Festival free-of-charge on ITVX in the U.K. and on Racing.com in Australia.
All you need is an account and you'll be good to go.
Traveling abroad right now? You can use a VPN to watch the action as if you were right at home. NordVPN is our top pick of the options and we'll show you how to access it below.
How to watch Cheltenham Festival 2026 from anywhere
Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the races on your usual subscription?
You can still tune into Cheltenham Festival live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear as if they're back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market:
It's really easy to use a VPN to watch Cheltenham Festival 2026.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you want to watch your ITVX stream of the races, choose 'U.K.' from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to ITVX, sign in, and watch Cheltenham Festival live.
Can I watch Cheltenham Festival 2026 in the U.S.?
Cheltenham Festival 2026 appears to have slipped through the cracks in the U.S..
If you're in the U.S. for work or on vacation from the U.K. or Australia, you can tune in as usual by using a VPN, such as NordVPN.
Can I watch Cheltenham Festival 2026 in Canada?
Cheltenham Festival 2026 doesn't appear to have picked up a broadcast partner in Canada.
Anybody currently in the Great White North from the U.K. or Australia can use one of the best VPN services to access their usual streaming service. We recommend NordVPN thanks to its speed, reliability and trusted security features.
How to watch Cheltenham Festival 2026 live streams in the U.K.
Extensive Cheltenham Festival 2026 coverage is being shown on free-to-air ITV1 in the U.K., with live streaming available via ITVX.
Just bear in mind that you'll need a valid U.K. TV licence to watch the action on TV or online.
If you're abroad right now you can still follow your usual Cheltenham Festival live stream by using one of the best VPN services, such as NordVPN.
How to watch Cheltenham Festival 2026 live streams in Australia
In Australia, Cheltenham Festival 2026 is free-to-air on the Racing.com TV channel and Racing.com website.
Coverage is extensive, which of course means it includes the Gold Cup.
Outside Australia for the meet? Use NordVPN to watch your preferred coverage while abroad.
Cheltenham Gold Cup runners and riders 2026
(Long list; riders TBA)
Banbridge – Joseph Patrick O’Brien
Champ Kiely – W. P. Mullins
Croke Park – Gordon Elliott
Envoi Allen – Henry de Bromhead
Fastorslow – Martin Brassil
Firefox – Gordon Elliott
Found A Fifty – Gordon Elliott
Gaelic Warrior – W. P. Mullins
Galopin des Champs – W. P. Mullins
Gerri Colombe – Gordon Elliott
Gold Tweet – Gabriel Leenders
Grangeclare West – W. P. Mullins
Grey Dawning – Dan Skelton
Haiti Couleurs – Rebecca Curtis
Handstands – Ben Pauling
Heart Wood – Henry de Bromhead
I Am Maximus – W. P. Mullins
Impaire Et Passe – W. P. Mullins
Inothewayurthinkin – Gavin Cromwell
Jango Baie – Nicky Henderson
Konfusion – Joel Parkinson & Sue Smith
L’homme Presse – Venetia Williams
Lecky Watson – W. P. Mullins
Monty’s Star – Henry de Bromhead
Myretown – Lucinda Russell & Michael Scudamore
Nick Rockett – W. P. Mullins
Resplendent Grey – Olly Murphy
Spillane’s Tower – James Joseph Mangan
Spindleberry – W. P. Mullins
Stellar Story – Gordon Elliott
The Jukebox Man – Ben Pauling
Three Card Brag – Gordon Elliott
Three Card Brag - Gordon Elliott
More from Tom's Guide
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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