This year’s Cheltenham Festival is coming to an end on Friday, 13 March, but if you thought Cheltenham Day 4 was going to be quiet and breezy, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. With the Festival’s largest and most prestigious race lined up to take place on this day, the rafts can’t sustain their anticipation.
In this article we will talk about the importance of Cheltenham Friday, take a look at the Cheltenham Day 4 races, and see what the race cards have in store.
What Is Gold Cup Day?
The Gold Cup Day is the fourth and final day of the annual Cheltenham Festival. It typically falls on Friday and culminates in the Gold Cup, the most anticipated race of the Festival and of the entire National Hunt season in Britain.
With the event of such magnitude and importance, it is no wonder that the entire day is centred around the Cheltenham Gold Cup, including the name it is commonly referred to by. Gold Cup is considered the most prestigious race of the National Hunt calendar, with some of the best horses, jockeys, and trainers competing for the honour of taking the winner title home.
Horse race betting is an indispensable attribute of Gold Cup Day. Sports bettors are offered a wide selection of betting markets and odds on each of the seven races taking place on the fourth day of the Cheltenham Festival.
Cheltenham Day 4 Races (Full List)
The following are the Gold Cup Day races that will be conducted on Friday, 13 March.
JCB Triumph Hurdle
The Triumph Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race that accepts both male and female horses aged four years. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong (2 miles and 179 yards, or 3,382 metres) and includes 8 hurdles to be jumped. One of the leading events of the National Hunt calendar, it is open exclusively to juvenile hurdlers.
County Handicap Hurdle
The County Handicap Hurdle is a Premier Handicap National Hunt hurdle race that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong (2 miles and 179 yards, or 3,382 metres) and includes 8 hurdles to be jumped. For a long time, it was the last race conducted at the Festival, but since 2009 it has been moved to be run as the second race on the last day of the Festival.
Mares’ Chase
The Liberthine Mares’ Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt chase that accepts mares aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 1/2 furlongs (2 miles 4 furlongs and 127 yards, or 4,139 metres) and includes 17 fences to be jumped. It is a very young race that had its inaugural run in 2021.
Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
The Spa Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 3 miles (2 miles 7 furlongs and 213 yards, or 4,822 metres) and includes 12 hurdles to be jumped. It was included in the Cheltenham Festival race list in 2005 when a fourth day was added to the schedule.
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeple chase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 3 miles 2 1/2 furlongs (3 miles 2 furlongs and 70 yards, or 5,294 m) and includes 22 fences to be jumped. It is the most prestigious race of Britain’s National Hunt season and the most valuable non-handicap race.
Festival Hunters’ Chase
The St James’s Place Festival Hunter Chase is a National Hunt steeple chase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 3 miles and 2 1/2 furlongs (3 miles 2 furlongs and 70 yards, or 5,294 metres) and includes 22 fences to be jumped. It is held for amateur riders over the same course as the Gold Cup, and is sometimes known as the “amateur Gold Cup”.
Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle
The Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle is a National Hunt hurdle race that accepts both male and female horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 1/2 furlongs (2 miles 4 furlongs and 56 yards, or 4,075 metres) and includes 9 hurdles to be jumped. The race is conducted for conditional jockeys, i.e. apprentice National Hunt racing jockeys under the age of 26 with a specified number of wins to their credit.
Cheltenham Friday Feature Race – The Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeple chase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 3 miles 2 1/2 furlongs (3 miles 2 furlongs and 70 yards, or 5,294 m) and includes 22 fences to be jumped.
Established in 1924, the Cheltenham Gold Cup is not just the culmination of the Cheltenham Festival but of the entire National Hunt season in Britain. Winning the Cup is a lifetime achievement for any horse, jockey, or trainer. It is also the most valuable race in terms of prize money among non-handicap chases in Britain.
The latest winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup is bay gelding Inothewayurthinkin who was 7 years old at the time. While the 2025 win was his first, Inothewayurthinkin has already been announced to take part in this year’s race. Race goers are lining up to see if the now 8 year old will be able to repeat his success.
Inothewayurthinkin was trained by John McManus and led on the tracks by jockey Mark Walsh. Walsh was celebrating his first win at the Cheltenham Gold Cup, just like Inothewayurthinkin. For McManus, this was the first time to win the Cup as a trainer, however in 2012 Synchronised, the horse he owned, won the race led by jockey Tony McCoy and trained by Jonjo O’Neill.
This year the Cheltenham Gold Cup is scheduled to start at 4:00 pm on Friday, 13 March.
Currently, there are 28 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. The jockeys for the race are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders and their trainers runs as follows:
- Affordale Fury (age 8, trainer Noel Meade)
- Banbridge (age 10, trainer Joseph O’Brien)
- Envoi Allen (age 12, trainer Henry De Bromhead)
- Fastorslow (age 10, trainer Martin Brassil)
- Firefox (age 8, trainer Gordon Elliott)
- Gaelic Warrior (age 8, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Galopin Des Champs (age 10, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Gold Tweet (age 9, trainer Gab Leenders)
- Grangeclare West (age 10, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Grey Dawning (age 9, trainer Dan Skelton)
- Haiti Couleurs (age 9, trainer Rebecca Curtis)
- Handstands (age 7, trainer Ben Pauling)
- Heart Wood (age 8, trainer Henry De Bromhead)
- I Am Maximus (age 10, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Impaire Et Passe (age 8, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Inothewayurthinkin (age 8, trainer Gavin Cromwell)
- Jango Baie (age 7, trainer Nicky Henderson)
- Lecky Watson (age 8, trainer Willie Mullins)
- L’homme Presse (age 11, trainer Venetia Williams)
- Monty’s Star (age 9, trainer Henry De Bromhead)
- Myretown (age 9, trainer Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore)
- Nick Rockett (age 9, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Resplendent Grey (age 8, trainer Olly Murphy)
- Spillane’s Tower (age 8, trainer James Mangan)
- Stellar Story (age 9, trainer Gordon Elliott)
- The Jukebox Man (age 8, trainer Ben Pauling)
- Three Card Brag (age 9, trainer Gordon Elliott)
- Spindleberry (age 8, trainer Willie Mullins)
Cheltenham Friday Race Card
The daily race card for the Gold Cup Day of the Cheltenham Festival 2026 is as follows:
Friday, 13 March
Going: good to soft (soft in places)
| Time | Race | Distance | Conditions |
| 1:20 pm | THE JCB TRIUMPH HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1)(Grade 1) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about one furlong
(2m 179yds) |
4YO £150,000.00 |
| 2:00 pm | THE WILLIAM HILL COUNTY HANDICAP HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1) (PREMIER HANDICAP) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about one furlong
(2m 179yds) |
5YO+ £110,000.00 |
| 2:40 pm | THE MRS PADDY POWER MARES’ STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Registered as THE LIBERTHINE MARES’ STEEPLE CHASE) (Grade 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about four and a half furlongs
(2m 4f 127yds) |
5YO+ £130,000.00 |
| 3:20 pm | THE ALBERT BARTLETT NOVICES’ HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1)(Grade 1) (Registered as The SPA NOVICES’ HURDLE RACE) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | About three miles
(2m 7f 213yds) |
5YO+ £150,000.00 |
| 4:00 pm | THE BOODLES CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 1) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Three miles about two and a half furlongs
(3m 2f 70yds) |
5YO+ £625,000.00 |
| 4:40 pm | THE FESTIVAL CHALLENGE CUP OPEN HUNTERS’ STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 2) (CL 2) | Three miles about two and a half furlongs
(3m 2f 70yds) |
5YO+ £50,000.00 |
| 5:20 pm | THE MARTIN PIPE CONDITIONAL JOCKEYS’ HANDICAP HURDLE RACE (CLASS 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 2) | Two miles about four and a half furlongs
(2m 4f 56yds) |
4YO+ £75,000.00 Rating 0-145 |
The Gold Cup Day racecard is a source of information that is significant to both horse racing enthusiasts and sports bettors. It helps viewers understand the developments on the tracks and allows punters to make informed decisions when betting on Cheltenham races.
- Race time: Knowing the starting time of each race allows you to be at the tracks on time, but it also does much more than that. With this information at hand, you will know what time the declaration for the final runners will come in and when the trainers will make any announcements regarding non-runners.
- Horse number: The numbers horses receive before the start of the race are in no way connected to the odds and their perceived likelihood to finish the race in the top position. However, they are very helpful to keep the horse visible when moving at a fast pace, so that the viewers can follow the race from the enclosures. Bettors also often refer to these numbers when placing a wager on a horse of their choice.
- Jockey: Horse racing may look like an individual sport where each horse runs for itself, but in reality it is a team effort of the horse and the jockey that brings them both to the finish line. When the race card includes the names of jockeys, you can check their recent performance, see if they have ever ridden this horse before, or whether they have ever won at this particular race.
- Trainer: Another member of the team, the trainer might be staying off the tracks, but it is their continuous work that helps the horse achieve outstanding results at the race. Checking their records and overall experience is a good practice if you are planning to place a bet.
- Official rating: The official rating (OR) of a horse appears next to its name on the race card. This is an indication of the horse’s ability level. Better horses get a higher official rating, and in a competition it will determine how much weight each of them will be assigned. The higher the rating, the more the weight will be, in correlation of 1 additional pound per 1 OR point. But keep in mind that OR doesn’t reflect the odds or future guaranteed results. In fact, it can change depending on how well the horse performs in a race: it will increase after an outstanding result, drop if the outcome was poor, and stay the same if the horse performed largely as expected.
Cheltenham Runners on Friday – When Are They Confirmed?
The initial announcements for the Gold Cup Day races were made in the following chronological order:
- Cheltenham Gold Cup: January 6, 2026
- JCB Triumph Hurdle: January 20, 2026
- Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle: January 20, 2026
- Mares’ Chase: February 10, 2026
- County Handicap Hurdle: February 17, 2026
- Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle: February 17, 2026
- Festival Hunters’ Chase: February 24, 2026
While these were preliminary declarations, final Gold Cup Day runners will be announced 48 hours before the start of each race. If there are any non-runners after that, trainers can announce them on the morning of the race. Typically, they have the option to do so up to 1.5 hours before the actual beginning of the race, however in certain conditions later non-runner declarations can happen too.
Odds experience a significant change both after the final declaration and when the non-runners are announced. Other changes that can influence the betting market are ground conditions, weather conditions, replacement of jockeys, or, of course, cancellation of the race.
What Time Do Cheltenham Friday Races Start?
The current timeline for the Cheltenham Friday races is the following:
- Gate opening: 10:30 am
- First race: 1:20 pm
- Headline race: 4:00 pm
- Last race: 5:20 pm
Gold Cup Day Atmosphere & Festival Finale
Cheltenham racing Friday stages the grand finale of the country’s biggest National Hunt horse racing meeting. With the Gold Cup race in the spotlight and a number of other highly competitive and prestigious races on the race card, it attracts the biggest crowds of all the Festival days.
The Cheltenham runners on Friday are in for some intense rivalry that upholds the end-of-festival momentum. Apart from the heated action on the tracks, one of the biggest highlights of the day is the Gold Cup trophy presentation to the winner.
FAQ
When is Gold Cup Day?
Gold Cup Day is the last day of the Cheltenham Festival that usually takes place on Friday. This year it will be held on Friday, 13 March.
What races are on Cheltenham Friday?
Cheltenham Friday includes 7 out of the Festival’s 28 races. These are: JCB Triumph Hurdle, County Handicap Hurdle, Mares’ Chase, Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, Cheltenham Gold Cup (feature race), Festival Hunters’ Chase, and Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.
What time is the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
The pinnacle of the Cheltenham Festival, the Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase starts at 4:00 pm on Friday, 13 March.
When are Cheltenham Friday runners announced?
The preliminary Cheltenham Friday race card is officially released several weeks before the event. Usually this happens between January and February. For events of this scale, final runners are confirmed 48 hours before the start of the race. Non-runners can be announced on the morning of the race.
How many races are on Gold Cup Day?
The Cheltenham Festival annually hosts 28 races. They are evenly distributed over the four days of the Festival. Cheltenham Friday races include 7 races. These are: JCB Triumph Hurdle, County Handicap Hurdle, Mares’ Chase, Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, Cheltenham Gold Cup (feature race), Festival Hunters’ Chase, and Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.
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