Horse Racing
How to watch the Cheltenham Festival 2025: ITV Racing to show first six races each day
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The Cheltenham Festival is the biggest show in town for jump racing in the UK and Ireland – here’s how to watch all four days live from Prestbury Park.
The pinnacle of National Hunt racing is right around the corner with the first day of action kicking off on Tuesday, March 11 and finishing on Friday, March 14.
Cheltenham is viewed as the ‘be-all-and-end-all’ for most involved with the sport as trainers, jockeys and owners aim to fulfil their dreams of landing a coveted prize in the Cotswolds.
There are 28 races in total to look forward to at the Cheltenham Festival with seven each day. 13 are staged over fences with an additional 13 over hurdles, a cross-country chase and one bumper (flat race).
13 of the 28 are Grade 1 contests – viewed as the highest honour in jump racing – with five Grade 2s, six Grade 3s and the remaining four are listed races.
There is £4,930,000 to be won in Cheltenham prize money across the four days of action in 2025, increasing by £115,000 from last year. The richest race is the Cheltenham Gold Cup with £625,000 on offer and £351,688 to the winner.
Racing begins at 1:20pm each day and the final contest is staged at 5:20pm, with 40 minutes in between each.
Cheltenham Festival Dates 2025
📅 Dates: Tuesday, March 11 – Friday, March 14 2025
⌚ Race Times: 1:20pm – 5:20pm
🏇 Racecourse: Cheltenham
💰 Total Purse: £4,930,000
📺 TV: ITV / RacingTV
ITV Racing Will Show Six Cheltenham Races Each Day, 24 In Total
Terrestrial TV adds an extra four races to its schedule in 2025, with ITV bumping the number up from five to six live races every day.
Until this year, races like the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Tuesday), Grand Annual Handicap Chase (Wednesday), Plate Handicap Chase (Thursday) and Hunters’ Chase (Friday) were not shown on ITV.
The final races each day – the National Hunt Chase (Tuesday), Champion Bumper (Wednesday), Kim Muir Handicap Chase (Thursday) and Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle (Friday) – will only be shown on RacingTV.
All 28 races are shown on RacingTV so if you don’t want the hassle of having to change the channel for the final race, you can stay there all day long with live coverage.
Full Cheltenham Festival TV Schedule 2025
Tuesday, March 11 2025:
- 1.20: Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1), 2m, ITV & RacingTV
- 2.00: My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase (Grade 1), 2m, ITV & RacingTV
- 2.40: Ultima Handicap Chase, 3m1f, ITV & RacingTV
- 3.20: Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1), 2m4f, ITV & RacingTV
- 4.00: Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1), 2m, ITV & RacingTV
- 4.40: Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, 2m, ITV & RacingTV
- 5.20: National Hunt Chase (Novices’ Handicap), 3m6f, RacingTV
Wednesday, March 12 2025:
- 1.20: Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1), 2m5f, ITV & RacingTV
- 2.00: Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, 3m, ITV & RacingTV
- 2.40: Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle, 2m5f, ITV & RacingTV
- 3.20: Glenfarclas Cross Country Limited Handicap Chase, 3m5f, ITV & RacingTV
- 4.00: BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1), 2m, ITV & RacingTV
- 4.40: Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase, 2m, ITV & RacingTV
- 5.20: Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Grade 1), 2m, RacingTV
Thursday, March 13 2025:
- 1.20: Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2), 2m1f, ITV & RacingTV
- 2.00: Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap Chase, 2m4f, ITV & RacingTV
- 2.40: Pertemps Network Final (Handicap Hurdle), 3m, ITV & RacingTV
- 3.20: Ryanair Chase (Grade 1), 2m4f, ITV & RacingTV
- 4.00: Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1), 3m, ITV & RacingTV
- 4.40: Trustatrader Plate (Handicap Chase), 2m4f, ITV & RacingTV
- 5.20: Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase, 3m2f, RacingTV
Friday, March 14 2025:
- 1.20: JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1), 2m, ITV & RacingTV
- 2.00: William Hill County Handicap Hurdle, 2m, ITV & RacingTV
- 2.40: Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (Grade 2), 2m4f, ITV & RacingTV
- 3.20: Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1), 3m, ITV & RacingTV
- 4.00: Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1), 3m2f, ITV & RacingTV
- 4.40: St James Place Festival Hunter Chase, 3m2f, ITV & RacingTV
- 5.20: Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, 2m4f, RacingTV
Also Watch The 2025 Cheltenham Festival Through The Best Bookmaker Sites
Not only can you watch the 2025 Cheltenham Festival on the box through ITV and RacingTV, all of the best horse racing betting sites in the UK give you the option to stream every race on their mobile apps or websites.
With some platforms, you can watch every race for completely free if you have signed up for an – and with others, they require you to place a small wager in order to unlock the stream.