As the famed Cheltenham roar fades over the Cheltenham Racecourse, it is time for the racing action to begin. After a packed day one, Cheltenham Day 2 brings you another day at the tracks full of fierce battles and, this time around, fashion.
In this article we will discuss what to expect on the second day of Cheltenham Festival, take a closer look at the races it includes, and review the race cards in detail.
What Is Cheltenham Ladies Day?
The Cheltenham Ladies Day is the second day of the Cheltenham Festival. While the tracks are hosting one tough Grade 1 action after another, the stands are holding a competition of their own. Renowned for its fashion, the second day of the Cheltenham Festival witnesses a parade of style, with some of the best outfits getting an award at the end of the day.
Also known as the Cheltenham Wednesday because of the day it is held on, Day 2 hosts one of the highlights of the Cheltenham Festival, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, which is the leading minimum-distance chase in Britain’s National Hunt calendar.
Known for strong attendance, Ladies Day continues the horse race betting tradition. Betting is available both at the venue and online with the majority of reputable bookmaking platforms that include horse racing betting markets.
Cheltenham Day 2 Races (Full List)
The following are the Ladies Day races that will be conducted on Wednesday, 11 March.
Turners Novices’ Hurdle
The Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 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 5 furlongs (4,225 metres) and includes 10 hurdles to be jumped. The race was named after the organiser of the first Cheltenham Festival in 1902.
Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 3 miles and half a furlong (3 miles and 110 yards, or 4,928 metres) and includes 20 fences to be jumped. Seven winners of this race went on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in subsequent years.
Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle
The Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle is a Premier Handicap 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 5 furlongs (4,225 metres) and includes 10 hurdles to be jumped. It earned its Premier Handicap status in 2023 after Grade 3 was renamed.
Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Steeple Chase
The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Steeple Chase is a National Hunt steeplechase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 3 miles and 5 1/2 furlongs (3 miles 5 furlongs and 56 yards, or 5,885 metres) and includes 32 fences to be jumped. It was added to the event when the Cheltenham Festival was expanded to four days. It is also one of three cross-country chases held at Cheltenham.
Queen Mother Champion Chase
The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles (1 mile 7 furlongs and 199 yards, or 3,199 metres) and includes 13 fences to be jumped. It is the leading minimum-distance chase in Britain’s National Hunt calendar.
Grand Annual Handicap Chase
The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles (1 mile 7 furlongs and 199 yards, or 3,199 metres) and includes 14 fences to be jumped. It holds the title of the oldest race at the Cheltenham Festival and the oldest chase in the current National Hunt calendar.
Weatherbys Champion Bumper
The Champion Bumper is a Grade 1 National Hunt flat race that accepts both male and female horses aged four to six years. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles and 1/2 furlong (2 miles and 87 yards, or 3,298 metres). It enjoys the reputation of the most prestigious flat race, also known as bumper, in the National Hunt calendar.
Cheltenham Wednesday Feature Race – Queen Mother Champion Chase
The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles (1 mile 7 furlongs and 199 yards, or 3,199 metres) and includes 13 fences to be jumped.
It is a relatively recent race that was established in 1959. Initially called the National Hunt Two-Mile Champion Chase, it received its modern name in 1980 to commemorate the 80th birthday of the Queen Mother who has always been a big supporter of jump racing.
The latest winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase is bay gelding Marine Nationale who was 8 years old at the time. The 2025 win was his first, but he has already been announced to participate in this year’s chase to try and take the trophy home one more time.
Marine Nationale was trained by Barry Connell and led on the tracks by jockey Sean Flanagan. For both of them, this was their first win in the race.
This year the Queen Mother Champion Chase is scheduled to start at 4:00 pm on Wednesday, 11 March.
Currently, there are 18 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:
- Brookie (age 9, trainer Anthony Honeyball)
- Calico (age 10, trainer Dan Skelton)
- Captain Guinness (age 11, trainer Henry De Bromhead)
- Found A Fifty (age 9, trainer Gordon Elliott)
- Il Etait Temps (age 8, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Irish Panther (age 9, trainer Eddie and Patrick Harty)
- Jonbon (age 10, trainer Nicky Henderson)
- JPR One (age 9, trainer Joe Tizzard)
- L’eau Du Sud (age 8, trainer Dan Skelton)
- Libberty Hunter (age 10, trainer Evan Williams)
- Majborough (age 6, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Marine Nationale (age 9, trainer Barry Connell)
- Quilixios (age 9, trainer Henry De Bromhead)
- Saint Segal (age 8, trainer Jane Williams)
- Senecia (age 9, trainer Vincent Halley)
- Solness (age 8, trainer Joseph O’Brien)
- Thistle Ask (age 9, trainer Dan Skelton)
- Only By Night (age 8, trainer Gavin Cromwell)
Cheltenham Wednesday Racecard
The daily race card for the Ladies Day of the Cheltenham Festival 2026 is as follows:
Wednesday, 11 March
Going: soft (good to soft in places); cross country: soft (good to soft in places); old course hurdle: soft (good to soft in places), old course chase: soft (good to soft in places)
| Time | Race | Distance | Conditions |
| 1:20 pm | THE TURNERS NOVICES’ HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1) (Grade 1) (Registered as The BARING BINGHAM NOVICES’ HURDLE RACE) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about five furlongs
(2m 5f) |
4YO+ £150,000.00 |
| 2:00 pm | THE BROWN ADVISORY NOVICES’ STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 1) (Registered as The BROADWAY NOVICES’ CHASE) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Three miles about one furlong
(3m 1f) |
5YO+ £200,000.00 |
| 2:40 pm | THE CUP HANDICAP HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1) (PREMIER HANDICAP) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about five furlongs
(2m 5f) |
4YO+ £110,000.00 |
| 3:20 pm | THE GLENFARCLAS CROSS COUNTRY STEEPLE CHASE (A LIMITED HANDICAP) (CLASS 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 2) | Three mile five furlongs and 56 yards (3m 5f 56yds) | 5YO+ £75,000.00 |
| 4:00 pm | THE BETMGM QUEEN MOTHER CHAMPION STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 1) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | About two miles
(1m 7f 199yds) |
5YO+ £400,000.00 |
| 4:40 pm | THE DEBENHAMS JOHNNY HENDERSON GRAND ANNUAL CHALLENGE CUP HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (PREMIER HANDICAP) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | About two miles
(1m 7f 199yds) |
5YO+ £150,000.00 |
| 5:20 pm | THE WEATHERBYS CHAMPION BUMPER (IN MEMORY OF SIR JOHNNY WEATHERBY) (A STANDARD OPEN NATIONAL HUNT FLAT RACE) (CLASS 1) (Grade 1) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about half a furlong
(2m 87yds) |
4-6YO £80,000.00 |
Like any race card, the Cheltenham Wednesday racecard is more than just a timetable and a list of horses. It provides race goers and bettors with all the necessary information to understand and enjoy what they are about to see and make informed decisions if they want to make a bet on Cheltenham races.
- Race time: It shows when the race is scheduled to start. If you know the rules for declaring non-runners and the timeframe in which it can be done, knowing the starting time helps you decide when to place a wager.
- Horse number: All Ladies Day runners are assigned a number before the start. These numbers have nothing to do with the odds or how likely the horse is deemed to win. However, as it is displayed on the side of the saddle, it helps viewers identify the horse while it is on the move. Bettors also use these numbers to place a bet.
- Jockey: The jockey and the horse are a team on the tracks, and it is their common effort that determines the result of the race. Knowing the jockey who will lead the horse you want to back, you can check their recent performance and historical records in this race.
- Trainer: Not only does each trainer have their individual style of preparing the horse for the race, they also can perform better at some races than others.
- Official rating: OR indicates the horse’s ability level. The weight a horse is assigned in a handicap race directly corresponds to the official rating. The higher the OR the better the horse is considered to be and will be assigned an additional pound for each OR point. However, it is not a prediction of a possible result but rather an assessment of their previous performance. Official rating can change depending on the horse’s performance: increase after an impressive result, drop after a poor performance, or stay the same if the result was expected.
- Betting odds: Every bookmaker will include their betting odds on the race card to indicate how likely they think each horse to come to the finish line first and how much a bettor stands to win if they predict the outcome correctly.
Cheltenham Day 2 Runners – When Are They Confirmed?
The initial announcements for the Ladies Day races were made in the following chronological order:
- Queen Mother Champion Chase: January 6, 2026
- Turners Novices’ Hurdle: January 20, 2026
- Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase: January 20, 2026
- Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle: February 17, 2026
- Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Steeple Chase: February 17, 2026
- Grand Annual Handicap Chase: February 17, 2026
- Weatherbys Champion Bumper: February 24, 2026
The final declarations for the confirmed Cheltenham runners on Wednesday will be made within a 48 hour window before the start of each chase. On the day of the race, trainers can still withdraw their horses for a number of reasons (for example, medical issues or unfavourable ground conditions) up until 1.5 hours before the start of the race. In certain cases, later withdrawals are also allowed.
All available updates, including non-runners, ground conditions, weather conditions, or cancellation of a race are announced on the morning of the race. Be sure to check them before you decide to place a bet on any horse or betting market.
What Time Do Cheltenham Wednesday Races Start?
The current timeline for the Cheltenham Wednesday races is the following:
- Gate opening: 10:30 am
- First race: 1:20 pm
- Headline race: 4:00 pm
- Last race: 5:20 pm
FAQ
What is Cheltenham Ladies Day?
The Cheltenham Ladies Day is Cheltenham Festival Day 2. It takes place on Wednesday and includes 7 prestigious races as well as a fashion focus for the attendees, with a “best dressed” award in a number of categories.
What races are on Cheltenham Wednesday?
Cheltenham Day 2 races include Turners Novices’ Hurdle, Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, Cup Handicap Hurdle, Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Steeple Chase, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Grand Annual Handicap Chase, and Weatherbys Champion Bumper.
What is the main race on Day 2?
The main race of Cheltenham Day 2 is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. One of the highlights of the Cheltenham Festival, it is also the leading minimum-distance chase in Britain’s National Hunt calendar.
When are Cheltenham Wednesday runners announced?
The early runners are announced several weeks in advance, between January and February. The final declarations for confirmed runners are made 48 hours before the start of the race. Non-runners are announced on the morning of the race.
What time does Cheltenham Day 2 start?
The gates open at 10:30 am on Wednesday, 11 March. The first race will start at 1:20 pm, while the last one will begin at 5:20 pm. Be sure to check the start time before the beginning of the event for any changes.
Betting is only available to participants aged 18 years and over. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org