In a little over a month, the Cheltenham Racecourse will open its gates to one of the biggest events of the National Hunt season, the Cheltenham Festival 2026. But before that, another meeting that takes place at the end of January will slightly raise the curtain over what you can expect at the Festival.
Festival Trials Day is an important event in Cheltenham’s and the entire National Hunt season calendar. Of course, anything at all can happen during the Festival, but records show time and time again that the horses that show their best during the Festival Trials Day come back in March to write their names in history.
There is a good reason why the Cheltenham Racecourse is known as the home of jump racing in Britain. Located at Prestbury Park, it hosts 16 race meetings throughout the National Hunt season from October to April, where the Cheltenham Festival alone includes 14 Grade 1 races.
Interestingly, the history of the Cheltenham Racecourse started in 1815 with minor flat races. It was only in 1834 that the Grand Annual Steeplechase was run for the first time, and not until 1914 that the races every horse racing enthusiast knows began to take their modern shape.
This year, the Festival Trials Day will take place on Saturday, 24 January. The Timeform Novices’ Handicap Steeple Chase will open the day as its first race, while The Ais Novices’ Hurdle Race will close the event.
The Betfair Cotswold Steeple Chase, the featured race of the event, will be held in the second half of the meeting.
Key Dates & Timings
The Festival Trials Day 2026 meeting will be conducted in the fourth week of January and last for one day. The event will include eight races. It owes its name to the fact that the races here serve as trials for the upcoming Cheltenham Festival.
Day One: Festival Trials Day
- When: Saturday, 24 January 2026
- Gate opening: 10:30 am
- First race: 12:05 pm
- Headline race: 2:25 pm
- Last race: 4:10 pm
The daily race card for the Festival Trials Day 2026 is as follows:
Saturday, 24 January
Going: cross country course: soft (good to soft in places); new course: hurdle: soft; chase: soft
| Time | Race | Distance | Conditions |
| 12:05 pm | THE TIMEFORM NOVICES’ HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 2) (GBB RACE) | 2m 5f 2y
(2m 4f 127y +95y) |
5YO+ £40,000.00 |
| 12:40 pm | THE JCB TRIUMPH TRIAL JUVENILE HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1)(Grade 2) (Registered as the FINESSE) (GBB RACE) | 2m 1f 15y
(2m 179y +56y) |
4YO £80,000.00 |
| 1:15 pm | THE BETFAIR EXCHANGE HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (PREMIER HANDICAP) (GBB RACE) | 2m 5f 2y
(2m 4f 127y +95y) |
5YO+ £100,000.00 |
| 1:50 pm | THE GLENFARCLAS CROSS COUNTRY HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 2) (GBB RACE) | 3m 5f 56y | 5YO+ £35,000.00 |
| 2:25 pm | THE BETFAIR COTSWOLD STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 2) (GBB RACE) | 3m 1f 182y
(3m 1f 56y +126y) |
5YO+ £125,000.00 |
| 3:00 pm | THE UNIBET HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1) (REGISTERED AS THE INTERNATIONAL HURDLE RACE) (Grade 2) (GBB RACE) | 2m 1f 15y
(2m 179y +56y) |
4YO+ £125,000.00 |
| 3:35 pm | THE PERTEMPS NETWORK CLEEVE HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1) (Grade 2) (GBB RACE) | 3m 105y
(2m 7f 213y +112y) |
5YO+ £70,000.00 |
| 4:10 pm | THE AIS NOVICES’ HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1) (Grade 2) (Registered as the CLASSIC Novices’ Hurdle Race) (GBB RACE) | 2m 4f 140y
(2m 4f 56y +84y) |
4YO+ £80,000.00 |
Headline Races at the Festival Trials Day
The Festival Trials Day 2026 meeting includes 8 races conducted during one day of the event. They offer a magnificent spectacle that includes all kinds of tracks, conditions, and runners, so that every horse racing enthusiast who visits the Cheltenham Racecourse on 24 January will enjoy their experience and find something of interest.
The Betfair Cotswold Steeple Chase (Saturday, 24 January)
The Betfair Cotswold Steeple Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeple chase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over the distance of about 3 miles and 1 ½ furlongs (3 miles 1 furlong and 156 yards, or 5,172 metres) and includes twenty one fences to be jumped.
Established in the modern day, Cotswold Chase first ran in 1980. The horse to win the inaugural race was 7 year old chestnut gelding Raffi Nelson. He was led by jockey Steve Smith Eccles who would go on to become one of the three jockeys to win the Cotswold Chase three times. Interestingly, the famed trainer Nicky Henderson who trained Raffi Nelson would not repeat his success until 2020 when he won the race with Santini and then again in 2022 with Chantry House.
Serving as a trial for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Cotswold Chase is a good indicator of how the events can potentially unfold on the tracks of the Cheltenham Racecourse later in March.
Currently, there are 4 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Some of the jockeys for the race have already been announced, others are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders, their jockeys, and trainers runs as follows:
- Grey Dawning (age 9, jockey Harry Skelton, trainer Dan Skelton)
- L’homme Presse (age 11, jockey Charlie Deutsch, trainer Venetia Williams)
- Flooring Porter (age 11, jockey Keith Donoghue, trainer Gavin Cromwell)
- Spillane’s Tower (age 8, jockey Jack Kennedy, trainer James Joseph Mangan)
The AIS Novices’ Hurdle Race (Saturday, 24 January)
The AIS Novices’ Hurdle Race is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race that accepts both male and female horses aged four years or older. It is run over the distance of about 2 miles and 4 1⁄2 furlongs (2 miles 4 furlongs and 56 yards, or 4,074 metres) and includes ten hurdles to be jumped.
Inaugurated in 2005, it was (and still remains) registered as Classic Novices’ Hurdle but carries the current name due to sponsorship reasons.
In the 20 years of its existence, no horse has managed to win this race more than once during their career. The jockey with the most number of wins is Barry Geraghty with 4 wins (Ambobo 2005, Bobs Worth 2011, Yanworth 2016, Birchdale 2019). Two trainers share the honour of winning the Classic Novices’ Hurdle 4 times each: Nicky Henderson (Aigle d’Or 2008, Bobs Worth 2011, Santini 2018, Birchdale 2019) and Alan King (Batonnier 201), Ordo Ab Chao 2015, Yanworth 2016, North Lodge 2022).
The latest winner to finish the race first in 2025 is Nigel Twiston-Davies’s charge Potters Charm who was led by jockey Sam Twiston-Davies.
Currently, there are 8 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Some of the jockeys for the race have already been announced, others are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders, their jockeys, and trainers runs as follows:
- Act Of Innocence (age 6, jockey Nico de Boinville, trainer Nicky Henderson)
- Adonedeal (age 6, jockey Gavin Sheehan, trainer Olly Murphy)
- Fortune Timmy (age 6, jockey Freddie Gordon, trainer Chris Gordon)
- Heads Up (age 6, trainer John McConnell)
- Kripticjim (age 6, jockey Brendan Powell, trainer Joe Tizzard)
- Open Secret (age 5, jockey Jack Kennedy, trainer Gordon Elliott)
- Taurus Bay (age 5, jockey Ben Jones, trainer Ben Pauling)
- The Blue Room (age 6, jockey Sean Bowen, trainer Olly Murphy)
The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Steeple Chase (Saturday, 24 January)
The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Steeple Chase is a Class 2 National Hunt steeple chase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over the distance of about 3 miles and 5 ½ furlongs (3 miles 5 furlongs and 56 yards, or 5,885 metres) and includes thirty two obstacles to be cleared.
In 2005 a fourth day was added to the Cheltenham Festival, and that is when the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase was first run. While officially it is run during the Cheltenham Festival in March, a couple of times it was moved to the Festival Trials Day due to unsuitable weather and ground conditions, and this is the case this season too.
Starting as a handicap race, Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase became a condition race in 2016 until in 2025 it returned to being run as a handicap.
The horse who holds the record of winning this race more than others is Tiger Roll with 3 wins (2018, 2019, 2021). All three times he was led by jockey Keith Donoghue who also became the most successful jockey of the race with 5 wins (Tiger Roll 2018, 2019, 2021, Delta Work 2023, Stumptown 2025).
Two trainers share the title of the most successful trainer with 5 wins each: Enda Bolger who trained the very first winner of the race (Spot Thedifference 2005, Heads Onthe Ground 2007, Garde Champetre 2008, 2009, Josies Orders 2016) and Gordon Elliott (Cause of Causes 2017, Tiger Roll 2018, 2019, Delta Work 2022, 2023).
The 8 year old brown gelding Stumptown won the latest race in 2025. He was trained by Gavin Cromwell and led by jockey Keith Donoghue.
Currently, there are 16 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Some of the jockeys for the race have already been announced, others are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders, their jockeys, and trainers runs as follows:
- Favori De Champdou (age 11, jockey Jack Kennedy, trainer Gordon Elliott)
- Final Orders (age 10, jockey Keith Donoghue, trainer Gavin Cromwell)
- Latenightpass (age 13, jockey Gina Andrews, trainer Tom Ellis)
- Annual Invictus (age 11, jockey Freddie Gordon, trainer Chris Gordon)
- Homme Public (age 9, jockey Toby Wynne, trainer Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero)
- Iceo Madrik (age 8, trainer David Cottin)
- Tommie Beau (age 11, jockey Paul O’Brien, trainer Jeff Mullins)
- Placenet (age 9, trainer David Cottin)
- J’arrive De L’est (age 7, jockey Donagh Meyler, trainer Emmet Mullins)
- Where It All Began (age 10, jockey Sean Bowen, trainer Gordon Elliott)
- Escaria Ten (age 12, jockey James Best, trainer Martin Keighley)
- Unanswered Prayers (age 10, jockey Charlie Deutsch, trainer Chris Gordon)
- Some Scope (age 8, jockey Gavin Sheehan, trainer Richard Hobson)
- Peaches And Cream (age 11, jockey Alex Harvey, trainer Gavin Cromwell)
- Miralago (age 8, jockey Finn Lambert, trainer Georgina Nicholls)
- The Big Breakaway (age 11, jockey Paddy Hanlon, trainer Syd Hosie)
Betting at Festival Trials Day
Horse race betting has long become a tradition, especially if you are visiting the racecourse for the event. Sure enough, the Cheltenham Racecourse doesn’t fall behind on this issue and offers its guests various options for betting on the Festival Trials Day.
You can try your luck in the multiple betting facilities available in the venue or the bookies located at the tracks operating old school odds boards. Naturally, you can also bet online.
Before you place your wager on any of the available markets make sure to check available information on the runners, their training, and current physical conditions with trustworthy sources. If you are at the racecourse, visit the Parade Ring to check out the horses for yourself.
At 7bet, we offer a wide range of horse race betting markets both for domestic and international events.
Please note that odds for the Festival Trials Day 2026 will be available closer to the event date.
Betting at the Festival Trials Day 2026 includes various horse betting markets, with some of the most popular ones being:
- Win: Just as in any other type of sports betting, the aim of this betting market is to predict the outcome of the competition. If you place a wager on a horse, it means you see this horse as potentially capable of winning the race. If it turns out you were correct and your chosen horse does finish the race first, you will qualify for a payout proportional to the offered odds and your stake size. Since this betting market is in direct connection with the main outcome, it remains the most popular one both among seasoned bettors and beginner punters. Besides, it is a good place for newbies to try their hand at horse race betting until they acquire experience.
- Place: The betting mechanism behind this market is somewhat similar to the previous one but it follows a different objective. When you place your wager on a horse here, you don’t predict that it will win the race, but rather come to the finish line within the winning top. In horse racing, this is called “placement”, hence the name of the market. The winning top varies from top two to top four depending on how many runners were announced to participate in the race. This betting market is considered slightly lower risk for two reasons. First, a horse has more opportunities to be placed than win due to the number of qualifying places. Second, you don’t need to predict its exact placement, as any place in the winning top will bring you a win and a payout. This bet works especially well when the horse you are betting on competes against strong rivals and the results can be unexpected.
- First Two (or First Three): Are you interested in placing a wager on the entire winning top instead of one horse? In that case this betting market may be a good fit. Same as with the previous bet, the number of horses within the winning top depends on the number of horses who entered the race and will be defined before the start. You will be able to bet on either the first two or the first three horses to come to the finish line. However, you are not placing separate wagers on each horse. Rather, you place one bet on the entire winning top, and that is the main risk factor of this bet. Not only do you have to name all the horses correctly, you also need to predict their exact placements. If one of the horses misses the winning top or they come to the finish in a different order, you will lose your wager.
- Two From Three: This betting market is similar to the previous one but offers lower risks. Here you are predicting any two of the first three horses to reach the finish line. Your risk lowering factor is that your task doesn’t include predicting their exact placement. As long as the horses you named finish the race within the winning top three, it doesn’t matter which place they took. What will make you lose your wager is if one of the two horses falls behind and doesn’t get a top three placement.
Always remember to gamble responsibly and treat betting as a form of entertainment and not means for financial gain.
Cotswold Chase Past Winners
Since its very first run in 1980, the Cotswold Steeple Chase has seen team after team of star horses, exemplary jockeys, and trainers well versed in creating new champions.
The original 2021 fixture at Cheltenham was abandoned due to waterlogging and later took place on Saturday, 6 February at the Sandown Park. The horses who won the Cotswold Chase in the past 6 years since 2020 were the following:
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2020 | Santini | 8 | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson |
| 2021 | Native River | 11 | Richard Johnson | Colin Tizzard |
| 2022 | Chantry House | 8 | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson |
| 2023 | Ahoy Senor | 8 | Derek Fox | Lucinda Russell |
| 2024 | Capodanno | 8 | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins |
| 2025 | L’Homme Presse | 10 | Charlie Deutsch | Venetia Williams |
For the 10 year old bay gelding L’Homme Presse it was his first Cotswold Steeple Chase trophy. From the very start he was viewed as the star of the show and betting market favourite, even though he was contending against such strong competitors as Gentlemansgame and Stage Star (both 9 years old at the time).
The latter was the biggest challenge, especially in the early stages of the race. Many were sure that he would go on to win the chase, but in the last stretch, L’Homme Presse, masterfully led by jockey Charlie Deutsch, gained advantage and finished the race with a winning margin of three quarters of a length.
This victory also marked the first win in this competition for jockey Charlie Deutsch and trainer Venetia Williams. Unfortunately, L’Homme Presse didn’t bag any more wins in the Cheltenham Festival in the same season.
Now 11 years old, L’Homme Presse has already been confirmed to participate in this year’s chase, with Charlie Deutsch in the saddle.
Cotswold Chase Records
The Cotswold Chase race accepts horses of both genders aged five years or older. This means that any horse can keep coming back to the tracks every year and potentially win the competition more than once in their career.
The most successful runners, jockeys, and trainers to win the Cotswold Chase multiple times were as follows:
- Leading horse: See More Business (jockey Timmy Murphy 1998, 2001) and Many Clouds (jockey Leighton Aspell 2015, 2017); both with 2 wins
- Leading jockey: Steve Smith Eccles (Raffi Nelson 1980, Misty Spirit 1986, Sibton Abbey 1993), Tony McCoy (Cyfor Malta 1999, Exotic Dancer 2007, Neptune Collonges 2011), and Richard Johnson (Behrajan 2003, Smad Place 2016, Native River 2021); each with 3 wins
- Leading trainer: Paul Nicholls with 5 wins (See More Business 1998, See More Business 2001, Taranis 2010, Neptune Collonges 2011, Frodon 2019)
Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org