How to watch Cheltenham Festival 2026 live from anywhere in the world

Watch Cheltenham Festival on TV next week and witness “the greatest show on turf” with the added bonus of excellent angles and expert commentary.

There’s Grade One races galore throughout the Cheltenham Festival, with the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday, 13 March at 4pm.

At a glance

• Cheltenham Festival dates: 10–13 March 2026
• TV coverage: ITV (UK, FREE) or Racing TV
• Watch Cheltenham from anywhere: Use this NordVPN deal (73% off)

How to watch the Cheltenham Festival

ITV will screen most of the action live and for free, while Racing TV (Sky channel 424/Virgin Media 536) will broadcast via its subscription-based service.

Free ITV coverage

ITV Racing will broadcast racing from Cheltenham Racecourse on 10–13 March from 12:30pm–5pm. You can watch on TV or online via ITVX.

The first six races on each day of the Cheltenham Festival will be broadcast live on ITV1 (and can be streamed on ITVX). The ITV coverage is limited, however, to the first six races as it will only run between 12:45pm and 5pm. This means that the final race of each day (starting at 5:20pm) will not be available on ITV.

There is also “The Opening Show” each morning (9–10am) where they will preview the day’s racing. This is shown on ITV4 and ITVX.

How to watch the Cheltenham Festival live from anywhere

Coverage on ITVX is geo-blocked outside the UK. A VPN, though, will get you your usual coverage from anywhere in the world.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, where you can get 73% off, which offers a 100% risk-free money back guarantee. If you’re not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

Cheltenham Festival 2026 race times

Day 1: Champion day – Tuesday, 10 March

• 1.20pm | The Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
• 2.00pm | The Singer Arkle Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
• 2.40pm | The Hallgarten and Novum Wines Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
• 3.20pm | The Ultima Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
• 4.00pm | The Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1)
• 4.40pm | The TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
• 5.20pm | The Princess Royal National Hunt Novices’ Handicap Chase

Day 2: Ladies Day – Wednesday, 11 March

• 1.20pm | The Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
• 2.00pm | The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
• 2.40pm | The Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
• 3.20pm | The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase
• 4.00pm | The BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1)
• 4.40pm | The Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
• 5.20pm | The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Grade 1)

Day 3: St Patrick’s Thursday – Thursday, 12 March

• 1.20pm | The Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2)
• 2.00pm | The Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (Grade 2)
• 2.40pm | The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
• 3.20pm | The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
• 4.00pm | The Ryanair Chase (Grade 1)
• 4.40pm | The Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap.)
• 5.20pm | The Rosconn Group Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase

Day 4: Gold Cup Day – Friday, 13 March

• 1.20pm | The JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1)
• 2.00pm | The William Hill County Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
• 2.40pm | The Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (Grade 2)
• 3.20pm | The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
• 4.00pm | The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1)
• 4.40pm | The Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase
• 5.20pm | The Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle

To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout the Cheltenham Festival and other major events, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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