The festive period is over, Blue Monday has been and gone and now it is time to look to the future and savour everything that 2025 has in-store for us. In terms of horse racing there is an awful lot to look forward to, The Grand National and Royal Ascot to name but a few.
Personally however, our highlight of the racing calendar has always and will always be the Cheltenham Festival. If you’re like us and can’t get enough of this Gloucestershire-based celebration of equine excellence then read on to find out everything you need to know about Cheltenham Festival 2025…
Where is Cheltenham Festival?
Before you start rolling your eyes and muttering “Cheltenham dummy”, we’re talking more specifically. Cheltenham Racecourse is just a couple of miles from the centre of Cheltenham and is up past the University of Gloucestershire.
If you’re travelling from London you can make it there in around two and a half hours by car if you miss traffic, but the best bet is to go via public transport which will take roughly the same length of time.
Access from further north in the country is easy enough too with Cheltenham being served by the M5, but again, if you can, do try to make your way there via public transport as it will be less stressful and allow you the opportunity to enjoy more than a few glasses of champagne once there.
When is Cheltenham 2025?
Gates open at this year’s festival at 10.30am on Tuesday 11th March. On opening day – otherwise known as Champion Day – there are seven races scheduled with the first, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdles starting at twenty past one. The final race of the day will be the National Hunt Novices’ Chase, a 3 mile race which starts at twenty past five.
Style Wednesday – Ladies Day in old money – starts at the same time and has a further six races, the highlight of which is the Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase which sees runners jump over 12 fences along a 2 mile course.
St. Patrick’s Thursday is the day that you’ll be praying for the luck of the Irish, particularly if you’ve backed a long shot in the Cheltenham odds. This is traditionally the day that gets the pulses racing with the Steeple Chase and the Stayer’s Hurdle always guaranteed to bring plenty of drama and excitement.
The final and most prestigious day is the Friday, better known as Gold Cup Day. As ever the day starts at twenty past one, this time with the Triumph Hurdle and ends at twenty past five with the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockey’s Handicap Hurdle rounding off the events. The main attraction is the Gold Cup Steeple Chase that starts at 4pm sharp and will see the winner take home the prestigious Gold Cup itself.
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(All the action from Gold Cup Day 2024.)
The Runners and Riders
Traditionally in articles like this, huge paragraphs are dedicated to predictions of which jockey will win which particular race. At the time of writing however it is the middle of January, so looking that far ahead would be foolish.
Instead we’ll share with you our greatest piece of horse racing advice – do your research. If you’re hoping to back a winner, keep an eye on the form of all the jockeys at Cheltenham in the weeks and months leading up to the festival.
Then make sure you back someone who is in good form and is well suited to the conditions at Cheltenham. If you do all this you still might not win, but you’ll have a much better chance!
Style Guide
Now for something much, much more important – the fashion guide. Unlike other races, there are no formal style guides that you have to strictly adhere to at Cheltenham. There is however an expectation that everyone dresses as well as they can, particularly on Style Wednesday.
One thing to bear in mind however is that it’s March in England and contrary to wicked rumours about sunny springtime, March in England can be pretty chilly and rainy too. On top of that the majority of the car parks are on grass, so think about that before investing in nine-inch hails or shiny brogues.
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(Here’s an idea of how to dress for Style Wednesday.)
Moving up from the feet, what sort of style should you be going for? Well if you’re a man think somewhere between a member of the Peaky Blinders and a classic country gentleman. Flat clap, tweed and maybe even a roll neck jumper.
If you’re a lady, layer up first and foremost, try and encapsulate that same country vibe with perhaps a tweed blazer and most importantly, wear a hat!