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This guide covers Cheltenham free bets and bookmakers' offers for new and existing customers during the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, March 10-13
Please keep returning for the best Cheltenham Free Bets as they are released, or check our bookmaker's news section for breaking offer news.
The Cheltenham Festival, held from March 10th-13th march 2026, is a premier horse racing event featuring many world-class races, including the best of them all: The Cheltenham Gold Cup. Known for its thrilling atmosphere, the festival attracts thousands of attendees and millions of viewers and bettors annually.
Free bets and promotions provide betting options, offering incentives to try new bookmakers for the first time. With betting sites rolling out Cheltenham-specific deals, they’re an excellent way to gain some free bets at the start and potentially for each event day.
This guide is perfect for bettors seeking the best Cheltenham offers. Find new bookmakers for Cheltenham and discover top deals, expert tips, and strategies to make the most of these promotions for Cheltenham 2026.
Year after year, we can expect the big betting brands to come out all guns blazing with Cheltenham free bet offers. Paddy Power is famous for its marketing and promotional activity in the run-up to and during the festival.
Not far behind, major brands like Betfred, Ladbrokes, Coral, and William Hill will be making as much noise as possible. Expect newer brands in the market to get involved just as BetMGM did in 2024. Betting Exchanges like Betfair will promote their alternative markets, as will sports spread betting sites like SpreadEx.
Claiming free bets is simple: sign up with a bookmaker, deposit the required amount, and place a qualifying bet. Follow the terms carefully to ensure eligibility and unlock your free bet reward.
These strategies maximize value by leveraging early bonuses and race-specific promotions effectively.
Claim early offers to secure better deals, but check for race-day boosts, which can offer extra value on high-profile Cheltenham races.
Claim a welcome offer just ahead of the festival of “Bet £10, Get £50” free bet offer a week before Cheltenham begins to secure bonus funds. On each day, use more different bookmakers to secure more promotions like “Money Back if Your Horse Finishes Second” for additional coverage.
Use multiple bookmaker promotions strategically, combining free bets and boosts for maximum returns across different races.
Use a new bookie's enhanced odds on a favourite for the Champion Hurdle and combine this with a free bet from another bookie's “Bet £10, Get £30” promotion to cover another runner in the same race.
Keep track of claimed offers, their terms, and expiry dates using a simple list or spreadsheet to avoid missing valuable opportunities.
Example: Create a spreadsheet with columns for the bookmaker name, offer details (e.g., “Bet £10, Get £30”), expiry date, and terms (e.g., minimum odds). Update it daily during Cheltenham to track which offers are active and when they expire, ensuring no missed opportunities.
Bookmaker | When to open an account | Offer | Special Terms | Expiry | Max Value |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bookie 1 | Before event | Deposit £10 get £40 | Minimum odds | 7 Days from registration | £40 |
Bookie 2 | On the day of the bet | Bet £10 get £20 | Free bet must be full stake | 7 Days | £20 |
Bookie 3 | On Day | Odds Boost 10/1 | Maximum Stake £1 | n/a | £10 |
Bookie 4 | On Day | Cashback if 2nd to Favourite | Maximum £25 benefit | n/a | £25 |
Read the terms and conditions thoroughly. Watch for restrictions like minimum odds, wagering requirements, and expiry dates to maximize the value of your free bets.
Expect to find a host of different betting offers for the Cheltenham Festival as bookmakers clamour for your business, hoping you sign up and use them to place all your Cheltenham bets for the festival week and beyond.
Navigating through the various types can be confusing, so here we break down all that you might find and how they are best used to the maximum effect. It is also important to be aware of those to avoid when a better offer with the same bookmaker may be available.
Offer Type | Aimed At |
---|---|
Free Bets Matched Deposit | New Customers |
Cashback Welcome Offers | New Customers |
First Bet Matched Offers | New Customers |
Risk-Free Welcome Offers | New Customers |
Free Betting Credits | New Customers |
Enhanced Odds Offers & Price Boosts | Everyone |
Profit Boosts | Everyone |
Money Back Special Free Bets | Everyone |
Offer will come in two categories:
Arguably the best offers for new customer registrations with bookmakers come in the run up to the Cheltenham festival, one of the most anticipated and bet upon racing meeting of all of the year-round horse racing calendar and by far the biggest event of the national Hunt season.
Almost every bookmaker and online betting site will offer enhanced incentives for potential customer to sign up and register a new account to use foe the duration of the four day event.
From enhanced odds offers, larger than normal deposit matches, and the offer of making one bet on the first race of the day to receive free bets on the remainder of the races on that days card, it can be tricky to figure out which are best. below we will run through everything you may come across and the pros and cons of each.
Many of the big odds bosts, and larger deposit match offers will only apply to customer opening an account with a specific bookmaker for the first time - This custs out the benefit for people who already hold accounts with these bookmakers, so in an attempt to service loyal customers, betting sites can and will offer other Cheltenham betting offers for existing account holders in some of these forms.
Matched Deposit Bonuses boost your betting bankroll by matching your initial deposit with bonus funds, ranging from 50% to 100%. Be aware of any wagering requirements before diving in, as they can be substantial, although often lowered for the Cheltenham Festival.
Cashback offers, though often misnomers, provide a portion of your losses back as bonus funds rather than direct cash. These are valuable, especially from exchanges or spread betting firms, but always review the terms.
First Bet Matched Offers give you a free bet matching your initial wager when opening a new account. The qualifier is your first bet, often requiring specific odds or sports. Maximum matching limits and conditions vary, so read the fine print!
Deposit Match Variations offer betting credits instead of direct bonuses. These credits function like free bets, enhancing your betting experience with unique terms. Always review the offer details, as conditions and maximums can differ.
Enhanced Odds and Price Boosts offer bigger odds on popular bets, especially during major events. While winnings often come as free bets, they boost your returns. With a £1 stake, you might see odds jump from 4/1 to 24/1—ideal for low-risk enthusiasts!
Now let's look at the type of offers available for customers already registered with accounts with the main betting site brands and what they can expect in terms of offers if they do not want to open more new betting app accounts.
Bookie | Price boost | Money back | Extra places | Non runner no bet | Acca insurance | BOG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
bet365 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Paddy Power | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Betfair | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
BetMGM | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Tote | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Ladbrokes | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Lots of bookmakers will offer enhanced odds – and therefore greater value – on specific, selected horses in a race. Most of the time these are horses that are among the favourites, with quite short odds to begin with, in an attempt to attract users. That said, sometimes the offer centres around a price boost that you can give to a horse of your choice, although this is less common.
This is a fairly common offer that can be seen across multiple sports, not just horse racing, but is still worth knowing about. If one of your legs loses, but the rest win, although you don’t win your bet you’ll usually get your stake back as a free bet. Bookies will set a minimum amount of legs for this offer to count, with four legs being fairly standard.
Each way betting is obviously a very popular way for punters to make some money, particularly on those horses with longer odds, and the general standard for paying out is three places. During Cheltenham bookies will increase the number of places up to four or five for some races, and even to as many as eight places for some of the big handicaps that get run during festival week.
Money back offers at Cheltenham can take several forms, but essentially revolve around minimising your risk when placing bets, and getting your money back as a free bet. The methods for this vary, but popular among these are money back if your horse finishes second to the race’s favourite, or if it falls during the race.
Most betting at Cheltenham is done on the day, but there are still plenty of punters placing antepost bets in advance, especially if they’re trying to get more value. You may have bet on a horse weeks, or even months, ahead of the actual race and that horse may not eventually run. If that is the case bookies can choose to give you your stake back as part of a Non Runner No Bet offer.
Faller insurance is a type of bet that offers some safety to your stake should the horse that you’ve backed not finish. This means falling at a fence (rather than being pulled up) but, if your horse falls at a jump/hurdle you’ll get your stake back refunded as a free bet.
Both BetGoodwin and Quinnbet offer this promotion, so with such competitive jump racing on offer, these could be excellent accounts to hold for the day to day betting throughout the festival.
BetGoodwin are one of the best racing bookies, can be found on the rails, and offer valuable faller insurance at Chelteham
Not a huge brand but rated #2 horse racing betting site on OLBG
Punters are always looking for value, for angles, for different ways of maximising their profit when betting on horse racing and BOG is a brilliant way to lock that in. As with most betting, shopping around can really boost value, and Best Odds Guaranteed is probably the best example of that and a key thing to consider when placing bets given how markets can shift. With that in mind, it’s important to know who’s the best around for your horse racing tips and what makes them that in the first place.
Betting Site | BOG Rating/50 | Multiples | Time? |
---|---|---|---|
bet365 | 33 | 8.00 AM | |
BetVictor | 32 | ✅ | 9.00 AM |
talkSPORT BET | 32 | ✅ | 9.00 AM |
Netbet | 32 | ✅ | 9.00 AM |
Virginbet | 31 | ✅ | 10.00 AM |
888Sport | 30 | Day Of The Race | |
Coral | 30 | Day Of The Race | |
BetGoodwin | 28 | ✅ | 10.00 AM |
BetUK | 28 | ✅ | 11.00 AM |
FAFABet | 28 | ✅ | 8.30 AM |
BetFred | 28 | 8.00 AM | |
BetWay | 27 | 9.00 AM | |
GrosvenorSport | 27 | ✅ | 9.00 AM |
SKYBET | 27 | 9.00 AM | |
SportingBet | 26 | ✅ | 8.00 AM |
Ladbrokes | 25 | ✅ | 8.00 AM |
Paddy Power | 25 | ✅ | 8.00 AM |
BetDaq Sportsbook | 25 | Day Of The Race | |
Unibet | 23 | 8.00 AM | |
QuinnBet | 23 | ✅ | 8.30 AM |
William Hill | 23 | ✅ | 8.00 AM |
The Pools | 22 | ✅ | 10.00 AM |
BWin | 21 | 8.00 AM | |
Betfair | 20 | 8.00 AM | |
Boylesports | 20 | 8.00 AM |
bet365 is the leading UK bookmaker for Best Odds Guaranteed, specifically for horse racing in the UK and for the Cheltenham festival, the feature is activated at 8.00am.
Top rated by OLBG users for years. Ranked as best bookie in more categories than any other. See below for latest account opening offer 18+ t&c's apply, gambleaware.org #ad
For a full, detailed rundown, check out our best bookies for Best Odds Guaranteed.
At OLBG, our Cheltenham free bets section has been created and is maintained by a specialist team of staff who have been hand-picked for their experience. Their collective efforts ensure we provide top-notch, informative, and user-friendly content. Let's dive into the various roles and discover each team member's invaluable contributions to our sports betting sites section.
Our team’s dedication and expertise ensure that OLBG remains a trusted source for sports betting information. Each member's meticulous work supports the overall quality and reliability that our users expect and appreciate. Explore our sports betting section and gain insights from the best in the industry.
Luke Bradshaw Lee
Senior sports betting editor
Andy Powell
Content editor
Steve Madgwick
Editor-in-chief
In addition to their long experience working within the sports betting industry, all our contributors are keen Cheltenham festival fans and anticipate the week as much as you. They each have many years of experience betting with multiple online betting sites and work daily to bring that experience you can trust.
Tuesday is the opening day, with the Champion Hurdle feature race. There will, however, be plenty of Supreme Novice Hurdle free bets to be had as the opening race of the week.
Day 1 is here and so are the EPIC betting offers! 🎁 Free bets, boosted odds, and faller insurance flying in from every direction. 📲 Don’t miss your chance to start strong!
The The Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) kicks off the Cheltenham Festival and will be the race most offers will be focussed on, along with the Champion Hurdle later in the day. With betting offers, focus on runners with strong placing history and competitive market positions.
10Bet Is running with a Get £10 back as a free bet if your horse finishes 2nd in the Supreme
AK bets promise best odds on the favourite in the opening race.
The Arkle Chase at Cheltenham highlights novice stars. you should leverage Cheltenham offers, focusing on horses with high RPR ratings, recent strong performances, and favourable market positions for the best betting strategies.
The Ultima handicap will be the first big field race of the Cheltenham festival and is a candidate for bookmakers to offer extra places for each way punters. Focus on contenders with recent wins and runs within 100 days, competitive odds, and strong stamina for optimal predictions.
The Close Brothers Mares Hurdle, now a Grade 1 event, shows strengthened competition in the UK. You could use free bets to focus on recent winners with solid performance history and shorter odds, given the record of past winners of this race.
The Champion Hurdle, a top Grade 1 event at Cheltenham, will always have many betting offers for new and existing customers. Use then and consider trends suggest favouring horses with recent wins, impressive track records, and shorter odds
The Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, introduced in 2005, sees even competition between GB and IRE trainers. Use Cheltenham free bets and examine trends for well-handicapped young hurdlers, favouring those with recent wins and favourable odds.
The National Hunt Chase reduced its distance and fences in 2020. Use Cheltenham offers to place bets on young chasers, considering trends that highlight well-performing horses with competitive odds and recent place finishes.
Day 2 of the Cheltenham Festival is Champion Chase Day, now known as Style Wednesday. With Day 1 out of the way, Bookmakers offer for day 2 of Cheltenham often focus on the primary race of the day with boosted odds on the favourite.
The Baring Bingham Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham offers promising future champions like previous winners Faugheen and Yorkhill. Using Cheltenham betting offers, remember favourites don't have an excellent record in the race, and the last twenty winners were not beaten more than nine and a half lengths on debut.
The Brown Advisory Novices Chase at Cheltenham, a key race for future stars, offers a chance to leverage Cheltenham betting offers, although traditional welcome offers are more likely than race-specific offers. Assess trends like past performances and consider runners below 16/1 as no runner over that price has won in 20 years.
The Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham often sees big gambles, with longshot winners being common. Employing Cheltenham betting offers and analyzing race trends can enhance your chances in backing a successful outsider.
The Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham, known for its specialist appeal and famous winners like Tiger Roll, offers chances to use extra place offers with race trends in this obstacle-rich event.
The Queen Mother Champion Chase, a Grade 1 event and 3rd feature race of the week at Cheltenham, demands precise jumping at speed. There will be a host of race-specific Cheltenham betting offers for this high-stakes, fast-paced race.
The Grand Annual Chase at Cheltenham, a historic handicap event, involves strategic betting opportunities. Analyse race trends such as weights and recent performances, and use betting site welcome offers in what can be a very iunpredictable race.
The Champion Bumper at Cheltenham is a key race for tracking future stars, often featuring entries from top trainer Willie Mullins. Using Cheltenham betting offers combined with trend insights can aid in making bets on this high-profile national hunt flat race which last year was won by the favourite for the first time in ten years.
The Stayers Hurdle is the 3rd of the 4 Championship races and take place on Day 3 of the Cheltenham festival
The Dawn Run Mares Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham focuses on mares and fillies over 2m1f. This may be a race either to save your free bets for a more competitive event or take advantage of the good record of favourites winning the last three renewals.
For the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, the Golden Miller Novices Chase has been replaced by a Novices Limited Handicap Chase, now a Grade 2 event over 2.5 miles, this might be the starting point for using free bets on Thursday
The Pertemps Final Hurdle at Cheltenham, a key three-mile handicap race, has proven pivotal for future winners. By using Cheltenham betting offers for this race you can potentially lower your risk ina. race that is generally as wide open as can be, with big-priced winners a regular feature.
The Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham, a Grade One race since 2008, attracts top fields with the potential for future champions. Analyzing winning trainer locations, 13 from GB, 7 Irish trained could be a way to approach using your free bets.
The Stayers Hurdle at Cheltenham, a test of stamina and endurance, has seen 13 GB and 7 IRE winners. Using Cheltenham betting offers alongside trends, like recent form and RPR achievements, can be an approach to making most of the offers available for the third feature race of the week.
The Festival Plate at Cheltenham, historically strong for trainers like Venetia Williams and David Pipe, features a competitive field over 2m4½f. Leveraging Cheltenham betting offers with insights on trainer success and trends can be an optin on your approach to the penultimate race on Thursday.
The Kim Muir, a handicap chase at Cheltenham for amateur jockeys, has been a precursor to Grand National success. Analyzing trends such as Irish success in recent years and top trainers like David Pipe and Gordon Elliott can be a guide to where to use your Cheltenham betting offers.
The day everyone looks for is the final day and the Cheltenham Gold Cup
The JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham, a prestigious race for four-year-old novices, demands precise selection. Utilizing Cheltenham betting offers and understanding race trends like recent achievements and breaks can lead you to the leading contenders; Favourites are never far away here.
The County Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham, known for its fast pace, offers opportunities to use Cheltenham betting offers and reviewing important trends like weights and recent performances can optimize your strategy for this competitive Grade 3 race.
The Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase at Cheltenham features top mares over a 2.5-mile journey. 2026 will be only the 6th renewal of the race, and there has yet to be a winning favourite.
The Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham tests young stayers over three miles. You may want to save your Cheltenham free bets for other races on the final day. This Grade 1 race regularly has a winning favourite and when they don't win they are not far away.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the premier test for elite chasers over three miles. You can expect lots of betting offers, free bets, odds boosts and extra places for the final feature race of the week. This iconic race has been won by the favourite in half of the last 20 years. For this reason any money back for finishing second to the favourite, or odds boosts on the favourite are preferred offers to take advantage of.
The Festival Hunters Chase at Cheltenham challenges amateur riders over the Gold Cup distance. Using free bets for this Cheltenham race could be argued as a good idea, given there have recently been two 66/1 winners. A sizeable field and amateur riders highlight the difficulty in finding the winner.
The Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle in the closing race of the Cheltenham festival. Cheltenham betting offers may just about used up by this time, but you can still collect a new customer free bet to use strategically.