The Cheltenham Festival and the Aintree Grand National are two crown jewels of UK jump racing, but they differ greatly in format and focus. The Cheltenham Festival is a four-day event featuring 28 races, including multiple Grade 1 championship races, whereas the Grand National at Aintree is centred on a single, marathon steeplechase.
In this analysis, we take an informative, side-by-side approach – not to declare a “winner,” but to understand how and why each event stands out in terms of prestige, challenges, fan experience, and attractiveness for bettors.
Prestige and History
The Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham is widely regarded as the pinnacle of National Hunt (jump) racing. Some have dubbed it “the Olympics of jump racing,” as it brings together the best horses from all over Britain, Ireland, and sometimes even beyond for four days of Grade 1 races.
The festival’s roots date back to the 1860s, and it found a permanent home at Prestbury Park, Cheltenham in 1911. Over the decades it has produced numerous legends and historic moments – including Golden Miller who won five consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cups in the 1930s and, in 1934 also achieved the amazing feat of winning both the Gold Cup and the Grand National in a single season.
The festival is also where jockeys and trainers most want to succeed – winning a Cheltenham race (especially the Gold Cup) is often considered the ultimate career highlight.
READ MORE: Your Ultimate Guide to Cheltenham Festival 2025
Aintree Grand National
The Grand National at Aintree is arguably the most famous horse race in the world. First run in 1839, it has over 180 years of history and a charm that extends far beyond the racing community.
What makes the Grand National so prestigious is not the grade of the race (it’s a handicap, not a Grade 1), but its global fame and cultural legacy.
If we had to find the main character in this legacy that would be Red Rum, the 1970s icon who won the Grand National three times (1973, 1974, 1977) – a record that still stands. The Grand National’s reputation also benefits from its difficulty: just finishing the race is an achievement, and winning it writes a horse’s name into history.
Race Format and Challenges
Despite both being premier jump racing events, the format and challenges of Cheltenham’s races and the Grand National are very different.
Structure & Duration
The Cheltenham Festival is a multi-race event spanning four days, with 28 races covering various distances and disciplines.
The Aintree Grand National, instead, is a single race – a one-off grand finale on Saturday of a three-day meeting. Aintree’s festival includes other Grade 1 races like the Aintree Hurdle or Bowl, but none rival the National in prominence.
Distance
Cheltenham’s blue-riband race, the Gold Cup, is run over about 3 miles 2½ furlongs (approximately 5.3 km). Many other Cheltenham races are around 2 to 3 miles.
The Grand National, by contrast, is an endurance test over about 4 miles 2½ furlongs (approx 6.9 km) – historically even longer, though recently slightly reduced.
Obstacles
Both Cheltenham and Aintree have steeplechase fences, but the Grand National’s fences are unique and notoriously challenging. Aintree’s course features 30 fences over two laps, including famous, larger-than-normal obstacles like Becher’s Brook (with a steep drop on the landing side), The Chair (a tall fence with a ditch), and Canal Turn (a fence after which the course turns sharply). These obstacles are not seen elsewhere and contribute to the race’s difficulty.
Cheltenham’s fences on the Gold Cup course are stiff but more conventional. Horses in the Gold Cup jump 22 fences over undulating terrain. The challenge at Cheltenham comes from the combination of speed, jumping, and the stiff uphill finish that tests a horse’s stamina and class. The challenge at Aintree is surviving the marathon distance and unusual fences.
Field Size & Competition
The Gold Cup typically has a field of around a dozen to 20 top-class horses, all competing at level weights since it’s a Grade 1 championship race.
The Grand National, on the other hand, allows a maximum of 34 runners – 40 was the limit until 2024 when it was reduced to 34 to make the race safer. Such a large field still means traffic and jostling are factors; any horse can find trouble in running.
The National is also a handicap, so each horse carries a different weight based on the handicapper’s assessment of its ability. This is meant to level the playing field among horses of different ratings.
READ MORE: A Comprehensive Guide to Jump Racing
Fan Experience
The Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham is famed for its knowledgeable and passionate crowd. From the moment the starter raises the tape for the very first race, the excitement is palpable – cue the famous “Cheltenham roar”, a booming cheer that erupts from the grandstands as the Festival kicks off.
Across the four days, the crowd at Cheltenham is often a mix of seasoned racing fanatics and travelling fans, including tens of thousands from Ireland, given the festival’s close timing with St. Patrick’s Day.
There’s a strong sense of occasion and camaraderie – each day has its theme (Champion Day, Ladies Day, St. Patrick’s Thursday, Gold Cup Day) and the town of Cheltenham buzzes with life each night as fans celebrate and discuss the day’s highlights.
The festival’s setting in the Cotswolds and its history lend a traditional, even romantic, feel to the event. You’ll often see spectators in tweed suits, trilby hats, and winter coats – practical and stylish for the often chilly March weather. Indeed, Cheltenham is known for a more traditional dress code and style. Many attendees sport classic country attire in keeping with jump racing heritage (tweed is so popular it’s almost a dress code of its own).
Aside from the Cheltenham Roar, Cheltenham has the Prestbury Cup among its traditions – a running competition tallying wins by British-trained vs. Irish-trained horses, which adds an extra layer of friendly rivalry and celebration, especially for the Irish contingent.
Aintree Grand National
Aintree’s Grand National meeting has a vibe that is both celebratory and inclusive. Because the Grand National is such a national event, it draws many people who might not attend any other race meeting all year.
Grand National Day (Saturday) sees a huge, sell-out crowd – around 70,000 spectators on the course – and an electric atmosphere of anticipation. In total, roughly 150,000 people attend across the three days at Aintree.
The occasion is as much a sports event as a fashion one. Aintree has no official dress code and participants are invited to wear whatever makes them feel comfortable (except for team kits or the colours of a favourite club, which can appear antagonistic).
The atmosphere is all spring flair and bold style: expect bright dresses, high heels, elaborate hats, and statement outfits. The media often features photographs of stylish (and sometimes flamboyant) attendees at Aintree. The organizers embrace this, and there are often competitions or awards for best-dressed attendees.
Another Aintree tradition is the reverence for past champions – for instance, Red Rum is buried at the Aintree finish line, and racegoers often visit his statue.
Betting Trends
Both events see enormous betting turnover. However, the Grand National stands alone as the single biggest betting race of the year. It’s estimated that the Grand National alone attracts around £300 million in bets from UK punters each year. This is an astounding figure for one race.
By comparison, the Cheltenham Festival as a whole can generate around £500 million in betting across the week. In 2024 data showed the Grand National had 700% more bets placed on it than the Gold Cup. This marks the National’s status as the race that captures the broad public’s betting interest.
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Cheltenham Festival vs Aintree Grand National: Which Reigns Supreme in UK Jump Racing?
The Cheltenham Festival and the Aintree Grand National are both massive pillars of jump racing culture, each with its own identity. Cheltenham is about prestige, excellence, and tradition – the very best of the sport on display – while the Grand National is about challenges, inclusivity, and national festivity, truly a race that belongs to the people.
It’s fitting that they occur just weeks apart in the spring: together they form the climax of the National Hunt season, and each year they create memories and legends that make the history of this sport in the UK even richer.
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