Cheltenham Festival Free Bets and Betting Offers

What are Cheltenham Free Bets?

The most common and popular type of offer available on the Cheltenham Festival is Cheltenham free bets! These free bets allow bettors to place their first bet free of charge and even be in with a chance of keeping the winnings should the bet be a success! Cheltenham free bets boost betting opportunities while significantly reducing risk. This allows for more bets to be placed for less, and bettors can often get any winnings from their free bets back as more credited to their accounts to use to place more wagers at a site on the races. 

Types of Cheltenham Betting Offers

Various Cheltenham betting offers will be available during the build-up to the races and during the event. We have covered some of the most popular in more detail below.

Free Bets

One betting offer that punters can expect to see frequently ahead of and during the event is Cheltenham free bets. These are often part of a bookmaker's welcome offer for new customers and allow users to place bets for free. Free bets provide great opportunities for bettors to try out new markets, place bets risk and worry-free, and even win some more free bets to continue benefitting from at a site.

Bet & Get Offers

A popular and rewarding way to bet on Cheltenham is by claiming Bet & Get Offers. This type of offer can look like ‘Bet £10 Get £30’, where bettors can claim £30 in free bets to use at the site when they claim this offer and place a qualifying £10 bet. Get double or triple your initial bet and make the most of the four days of top horse racing action.

Money Back Guarantees

This Cheltenham festival betting offer is often available when a big favourite is featured in a race. It means that if a bettor's selection finishes second or by a narrow margin, punters can receive their stake back, often as a free bet, allowing more bets to be placed. Money-back guarantees are valuable ways to bet, ensuring fair betting.

Enhanced Odds & Boosts

Enhanced odds and odds boosts are frequently available in Cheltenham betting offers that are run throughout the course of the four days. Often available for a limited time or in the build-up to a race start, punters can place their bets on boosted odds to be in with a chance of increasing their potential winnings should the bet placed be a success. Enhanced odds can be found on favoured runners and often will have a limited maximum stake that can be wagered.

Extra Each-Way Places

Many top bookmakers will offer extra each-way places on several of the races at Cheltenham. This type of bet gives punters the option to increase or decrease the number of places in a race when betting each way. This is particularly good for the big handicaps, where often there are up to eight extra places available as opposed to the usual three.

The Best Cheltenham Betting Sites for 2027

There are some top Cheltenham Festival betting sites that we highly recommend when it comes to your Cheltenham betting. We have looked at the top five in more detail below. 

Bet365

bet365 has consistently been one of the UK's premium destinations for horse racing betting, and 2026 proves to be no different. With an attractive betting interface, some of the best horse racing offers in the business, and a fantastic reputation, the quality on display speaks for itself.

💰 The Welcome Offer Explained

When new players sign up and bet between £5 and £10 on a new account, they can claim triple that across three free betting vouchers! Just sign up, deposit using an approved method and place a bet of at least £5 at even odds or longer, and you can claim your free bets instantly. The maximum available to claim is £30 on an initial £10 bet. 

🐎 Cheltenham-Specific Strengths 

As always, Cheltenham fans will benefit from bet365's Racing Value standard that offers insurance and exclusive showcasts across all races. But on top of that, you'll find Best Odds Guaranteed on every race, extra places abound and the position payout bets for those who just wanna kick back and enjoy. 

📲 Platform & App Experience

Making bets is simple at bet365, made even easier with easy deposit and withdrawal methods like PayPal and Skrill. The platform is robust too, operating well during high traffic times on both web and through the apps. 

💁‍♀️ Existing Customer Value

All the Cheltenham deals available at bet365 are offered to all players, new and existing. So even if you have an account, head on over to take advantage of some of the best horse racing perks in the business. 

🤔 Our Verdict 

There's no question that bet365 is near the top of our recommended sportsbooks for the Cheltenham Festival. It's a safe, robust platform with excellent odds and some of the best support for horse racing fans you can find. 

✅ Why We Recommend It

• Racing Value

• Excellent Cheltenham odds

• High-quality, established betting platform

• Flexible and fast payment options

📋 Pros and Cons

Betfred

Betfred is a familiar name to any UK bettor, and you know it's stepping up to celebrate the 2026 Cheltenham Festival with the rest of us. Betfred has undergone huge changes in the past few years, and we think the improvements speak for themselves. An attractive new design, better markets than ever, and fantastic bonuses to keep you on your toes. 

💰The Welcome Offer Explained

This year, when you sign up to enjoy the Cheltenham experience, you can get £40 in betting vouchers when you bet just £10! All you need to do is sign up, wager £10 at even odds or greater, and once it's settled, you'll receive 4 £10 betting vouchers to use across the bookie. 

🐎 Cheltenham-Specific Strengths 

The Betfred offerings don't stop at signup, though. Every day of the Cheltenham Festival, Betfred is offering a £10 betting voucher when you wager £10 or more on the races. On top of that, you'll find extra place deals, non-runner insurance and the site's standard Best Odds Guarantee across all horse racing bets. And don't forget to watch the races themselves throughout the week using the live streaming service on the website. 

📲 Platform & App Experience

Betfred's customer experience has improved dramatically over the past few years. The website is simple to navigate and attractive to look at, and making payments has never been more convenient. And if you take your betting on the go, Betfred offers an App for iOS and Android devices, to make the transition from computer to smartphone seamless. 

💁‍♀️ Existing Customer Value

Of course, existing customers will benefit from the host of fantastic Cheltenham exclusive bonuses. The once-a-day £10 free bets are for everyone, and all bets on the festival will have Best Odds Guaranteed applied. 

🤔 Our Verdict 

Betfred is one of the UK's favourites for a reason, and if you aren't already signed up, this could be your sign. It offers one of the most generous sign-up offers, and the bonuses don't stop even after you've been a customer for years.

✅ Why We Recommend It

• Betfred respects new and existing customers alike

• All horse racing gets Best Odds Guaranteed

• Live streaming across all races

• Early Cheltenham betting markets

📋 Pros and Cons

Jeffbet

Jeffbet is a much younger site than the other sportsbooks we usually associate with horse racing betting and Cheltenham Betting, but we think that it's going to be the perfect choice for people who are new to the sport. The interface is simple, the bonuses are generous, and even a complete novice will be able to bet and enjoy themselves using this modern betting site. 

💰 The Welcome Offer Explained

New customers at Jeffbet can claim a £40 free bet when they wager at least £20 within 7 days of registration. Unlike most sites, Jeffbet lets you make up your £20 in multiple wagers, so you can be more discerning with your qualifying bets. Your reward is a single £40 wager, which can be used anywhere across the Jeffbet sportsbook. 

🐎 Cheltenham-Specific Strengths 

Jeffbet is already offering early odds on all Cheltenham races, so you can get stuck in right now. And every single day of Cheltenham, Jeffbet is offering free bets, including one just for logging in! And the site's even thrown in some extra offers like first past the post and extra places. For a new site, it has everything you might want. 

📲 Platform & App Experience

Jeffbet's website is delightfully easy to navigate and we've found it operates well even at peak times. Not to mention, since the site is still young, customer service is often prompt and tailored to you. Unfortunately, Jeffbet doesn't offer a dedicated app, but the mobile website has all the same functionality as the desktop site. 

💁‍♀️ Existing Customer Value

All the Cheltenham-specific deals are for all customers, existing and brand new alike, so even if you're returning to an old account, you'll find an excellent betting experience waiting for you. 

🤔 Our Verdict 

Jeffbet is outstanding as a Sportsbook considering how new it is. The betting markets are competitive but a little thin, and you won't be able to make your favourite racing multi-bets. But for bettors looking for a simple and reliable experience with plenty of bonuses to claim, Jeffbet will be perfect. 

✅ Why We Recommend It

• Excellent horse racing bonuses across the Cheltenham Festival

• Easy-to-use betting interface

• Early Cheltenham Prices

• A beginner-friendly betting sit

📋 Pros and Cons

Betfair

Betfair's always been a popular bookie thanks to its unique betting model and Cheltenham's one of the best times to let it shine. The Betfair Sportsbook is offering fantastic odds, including early prices, on all the Cheltenham races, and if you still can't find anything that interests you, head over to the Exchange to find something that does. The site is easy to use, fun to look through and offers some excellent promos. 

💰 The Welcome Offer Explained

When you sign up with Betfair, you can claim £30 in free bets after betting just £10 on a new account. You won't need to sign up using a promo code, but make your first deposit through bank transfer, Apple Pay or debit card. Then your qualifying wager must be made at even odds. Free bets can only be used through the Sportsbook. 

🐎 Cheltenham-Specific Strengths 

Cheltenham Festival with Betfair can look way different to any other sportsbook. There are already early markets, and Betfair's promising generous bonuses for all players in the run-up to the festival. But all this is standard; the exchange is what sets Betfair apart. You can't beat the sheer variety on the exchange, so matter what you want to bet on this Cheltenham, you'll find something worth your while at Betfair.

📲 Platform & App Experience

Betfair boasts an attractive and easy-to-use website that makes it easy to find and place bets. And of course, you can check out the app that seamlessly adapts the experience to mobile devices. 

💁‍♀️ Existing Customer Value

Betfair isn't about to leave its existing players in the dust. If you're a returning customer, you can take full advantage of the deep markets, competitive odds and the exclusive upcoming Cheltenham betting offers. 

🤔 Our Verdict 

Betfair is a favourite for many players thanks to its quality and versatility. It's easy to find and place bets, the bonuses are attractive, and you can live stream the races from the comfort of your home all week. Anyone who signs up with Betfair this year won't be disappointed. 

✅ Why We Recommend It

• Versatile betting platform

• Generous welcome bonus for the festival

• Mobile app support for betting on the go

• Trusted and reliable betting company

📋 Pros and Cons

Paddy Power

Paddy Power's been one of the UK's favourite bookies for decades. It boasts a slick, easy-to-navigate online bookmaker with consistently deep and competitive betting markets. And with its huge range of promos, you'll be well fed during Cheltenham and beyond.

💰 The Welcome Offer Explained

If you sign up with Paddy Power, when you bet just £10, you can claim back six times that in free bets. Just sign up, deposit, and make a single £10 even odds bet within 7 days. Once it's settled, you'll receive six £10 betting vouchers to use across the Paddy Power sportsbook. 

🐎 Cheltenham-Specific Strengths 

As you would hope, Paddy Power is offering early prices on every race at Cheltenham, so you can get ahead of the game and secure your wagers at early odds. You can also nab extra places every day, and for Cheltenham, Paddy Power is offering Non Runner money back across all races, all week. So you can bet without worrying about unlikely hiccups. 

📲 Platform & App Experience

Paddy Power runs quickly at all times, and even during the busy racedays, it can keep up with the traffic. And when you're on the go, NetBet has a solid app to keep you updated on all of your wagers. 

💁‍♀️ Existing Customer Value

And if you're already signed up, all the Paddy Power Cheltenham boosts and extra place deals are available to all players, not just newbies. 

🤔 Our Verdict 

Paddy Power's been a friend throughout many past Cheltenham Festivals, and we're certain that it'll continue to provide a top-tier service to new and existing bettors alike. Join in during race week, grab all these perks for yourself. 

✅ Why We Recommend It 

• High-quality betting site and app

• Generous horse racing bonuses before and on raceday

• Competitive Odds

• Early Bird Cheltenham Odds

📋 Pros and Cons

How To Claim Cheltenham Free Bets

Claiming Cheltenham free bets is simple, and we are here to help you get started! Follow the steps below to claim yours!

1. Take a look at the Cheltenham betting offers above and find the one that is the best for you.

2. Once you have decided, click to claim your Cheltenham free bets and head to the bookmaker's website. 

3. Locate the sign up page and enter your details to create an account, including your full name, email address, date of birth and address.

4. Verify your account by clicking the link sent to your email address from the bookmaker.

5. Log in to your account and enter the promo code, if you have one, to claim your free Cheltenham bets! 

6. Go ahead and explore the betting markets, adding your selections to your bet slip.

7. Once you are happy, tick the box on your bet slip that says ‘Use your free bet credits’, confirm and place your bet!

8. Wait for this to settle, and see if your horse has won!

Cheltenham Betting Markets

With plenty of Cheltenham Festival betting markets on offer, it can be difficult to know which is the right one for you. For more information on the most popular betting markets, take a look at the information below.

Win or Each-Way

The most straightforward and simple horse racing betting market, a Win or Each-Way market, involves picking any horse to win or go on to win ‘each way’. Betting on a win and each way market means that even if your selection does not go on to win but finishes second or third, your bet will still be paid out. The each-way places are determined by the bookmaker and can sometimes be extended as far as fifth and sixth place.

Forecast/Tricast

This type of horse racing bet involves bettors predicting the 1-2 or 1-2-3 horses home. Predicting the 1-2 horses is ‘Forecast’ and 1-2-3 is ‘Tricast’. Bettors can also ‘perm’ several horses into combination bets to increase the chances of winning. For example, three horses in a combination tricast is six bets, as there are six possible permutations. Winning one of these, as you can imagine, can have great potential rewards.

Placepot Bets

One of the horse racing punter's go-to wagers is Placepot bets. These involve predicting a horse to finish in a place in the first six races. Your stake goes into a pool, where the prize money is divided between the winners. It is a classic ‘small stakes to win big’ bet and can give punters an interest in almost every race on the card.

Accumulators

Acca bets involve punters adding multiple selections from various races into one larger bet. This means that to win an accumulator bet, all of your selections must win! If just one of the selections is not successful, the bet will lose. There can sometimes be acca insurance offers available when placing your bets, which can mean you can receive your bet back as betting credit if one selection on your acca lets you down.

Best Odds Guaranteed

Best odds guaranteed, Cheltenham betting markets provide bettors with peace of mind that they will get the best odds on their selection even if they change after placing a bet. It locks in the best price on the horse you have backed, so if you place your initial bet on a horse to win 4/1 that later changes to 8/1 and wins, you will be paid out at the 8/1 odds.

Non-Runner No Bet

Often abbreviated to NRNB, this market does as it says on the tin. If, for any reason, the horse you wager on does not go in its race, it provides security for punters to get their stake back as free bets to use to place another bet at no extra cost. It is popularly wagered on the market amongst horse racing punters, especially at Cheltenham.

What is a Non-Runner No Bet?

A particularly valuable one of the Cheltenham offers is a NRNB. It is offered by many bookmakers at major events such as the Cheltenham Festival. When placing a bet under this policy, it means that if your selected horse does not run in the race, your bet will be refunded and issued back to you so that you can place another! It means bettors do not lose out or lose their money due to no fault of their own. It’s a great insurance, too, for bettors who like to place their bet early, providing peace of mind that they will not lose out.

Cheltenham 2026 Schedule

If you want to know what is taking place, when and plan your day, below we have put the timetable ahead of the festival, including each day, each race, timings, and distances.

Day 1: Champion Day - Tuesday 10th March 2026

13:20 - The Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

14:00 - The Singer Arkle Novices’ Chase

14:40 - The Hallgarten and Novum Wines Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

15:20 - The Ultima Handicap Chase

16:00 - The Unibet Champion Hurdle*

16:40 - The Hallgarten and Novum Wines Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

17:20 - The Princess Royal National Hunt Novices’ Handicap Chase

Day 2: Ladies Day - Wednesday 11th March 2026

13:20 - The Turners Novices’ Hurdle

14:00 - The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase

14:40 - The Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle

15:20 - The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase

16:00 - The BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase*

16:40 - The Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase

17:20 - The Weatherbys Champion Bumper

Day 3: St Patrick’s Thursday - Thursday 12th March 2026

13:20 - The Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle

14:00 - The Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase

14:40 - The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle

15:20 - The Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle*

16:00 - The Ryanair Chase*

16:40 - The Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle

17:20 - The Rosconn Group Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase

Day 4: Gold Cup Day - Friday 13th March 2026

13:20 - The JCB Triumph Hurdle

14:00 - The William Hill County Handicap Hurdle

14:40 - The Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase

15:20 - The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle

16:00 - The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup*

16:40 - The Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase

17:20 - The Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle

*Feature race(s) of the day.

Top Tips for Making the Most of Your Cheltenham Free Bets

There is plenty of opportunity to use Cheltenham free bets throughout the four-day event. So, whether you are new to Cheltenham Festival betting or an experienced veteran, we have provided some top tips for How to Bet on Cheltenham Festival to make the most out of your free bets!

Top tip #1 - Understand your Cheltenham free bets

Before using your free bets, it is important to check on things such as any minimum odds requirements, minimum deposits and bet requirements, eligible races, expiry dates, and how any winnings from the bet will be awarded. This ensures bettors are fully informed of what requirements must be met in order to qualify and claim the bonus, and will prevent any offers from expiring before they have been used.

Top tip #2 -  Applying free bets to your bet slip

Once you have claimed your Cheltenham free bets, make sure that when you are making your selections, you tick the box or select the dropdown on your bet slip to use your free bet credits. Confirm it has been applied before placing your bets so you do not get charged.

Top tip #3 - Spread out your free Cheltenham bets

Instead of putting all of your eggs in one basket, it is worthwhile using your free bets across various races and markets. This increases the potential chances of one of your selections winning and allows you to have a punt on multiple races and results. Place an outright winner bet, accumulator bet, win/each-way, tricast, and so on on the Gold Cup, Champion Steeple Chase, Champion Hurdle and more.

Cheltenham Live Streaming

Punters at the Cheltenham Festival can also enjoy exclusive opportunities to watch the races live. When claiming many of the top Cheltenham free bets offers, customers signing up will receive access to the bookmaker's live stream that will feature every race across all four days of the festival. Often, if there's a race you wish to watch live, all you have to do is place a bet on any of the runners. Cheltenham live streams are available at most of the top bookmakers. Just always ensure to check for any requirements in order to view the streams.

Responsible Gambling

It is important that online betting and gambling are safe and remain a bit of fun and excitement for punters. In order to ensure a safe betting experience, always choose to play at a licensed and regulated bookmaker. It is also beneficial to take the time to sit down and work out how much of your income you can afford to spend on gambling and set yourself a limit, ensuring you stick to it. Avoid chasing losses and spending more than you can afford. Bookmakers also have resources in place for users to take control of their online betting, from setting deposit limits to their accounts, applying time limits, and offering the ability to self-exclude themselves from accessing their account for longer periods of time, should it be needed.

If you ever have a concern over your gambling habits and staying within your limits, there are charities, organisations, and helplines available to provide further support, including the likes of GamCare or BeGambleAware.