Rightly or wrongly, the Cheltenham Festival in 2020 was a relatively normal event. One thing is for certain though, 2021 is going to be an entirely different kettle of fish.

All eyes will be on the event in 2021, not just given that it will be one of the first major sporting events in the UK potentially allowing fans, but also because there are new races and of course plenty of action to bet on!

Of course, there’s still four months until Cheltenham, but that’s not stopping people already talking about it, particularly when it comes to the favourites.

Below you’ll find all you need to know right now about Cheltenham, including the format changes and the early favourites…

When Is Cheltenham 2021?

Of course, let’s start with the basics. The Cheltenham Festival in 2021 will take place between Tuesday March 16 and Friday March 19, when the Cheltenham Gold Cup takes place.

As usual, it will take place at the Cheltenham Racecourse, the same as it has since 1904, when the meet first took centre stage at Prestbury Park. The Stayers’ Hurdle is the oldest race, first established in 1912, while the Gold Cup has been the central race of the festival, although it initially started life as a supporting race for the County Hurdle.

Of course, it’s reputation has grown ever since and it’s now a race in which millions of pounds are bet on it every year.

How The 2021 Cheltenham Festival Schedule Has Changed

However, we will see a slight change to the schedule this year with the Mares’ Chase replacing the Novices’ Handicap Chase. This was first announced back in 2019 in a bid to further the cause of female horses and it’s being considered a major step forward for the sport.

It’s a Grade 2 race and will be sponsored by Paddy Power, with the event taking place on Gold Cup Day.

The rest of the schedule looks relatively similar to usual, with the following races expected on each day…

Day One:

• Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
• Arkle Challenge Trophy Steeple Chase
• Handicap Steeple Chase
• Champion Hurdle
• Mares’ Hurdle
• National Hunt Steeple Chase Challenge Cup

Day Two:

• Novices’ Hurdle Race
• Novices’ Steeple Chase
• Coral Cup Hurdle
• Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase
• Cross Country Steeple Chase
• Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race
• Champion Bumper

Day Three:

• Novices’ Chase
• Pertemps Network Final
• Ryanair Steeple Chase
• Stayers’ Hurdle
• Stable Plate
• Festival Mares Novices’ Hurdle
• Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase

Day Four:

• Triumph Hurdle
• County Handicap Hurdle Race
• Novices’ Hurdle Race
• Cheltenham Gold Cup
• Foxhunter Steeple Chase Challenge Cup
• Grand Annual Handicap Chase
• Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle

*Subject to change.

Will Cheltenham 2021 Allow Fans In?

One of the big talking points ahead of this year’s festival is whether spectators will be allowed to attend the race.

Last year was the last major sporting event before lockdown and it’s still up in the air as to whether they will return this time around. At present, tickets are being sold for the event, including hospitality but there hasn’t been confirmation as to whether it will be full capacity, reduced or behind closed doors.

It’s expected a decision will be made on this in the new year.

Cheltenham Gold Cup 2021 Favourites

All the biggest bookies are already offering odds on Cheltenham, and the latest from expert racing tipsters is that they expect Album Photo to be challenging for a hat-trick of Gold Cups.

The Willie Mullins trained horse is priced at 4/1 with the bookies, ahead of Santini (13/2) and Minella Indo (8/1) who are second and third favourite respectively.

Champ and Lostintranslation are also being tipped with a number of pundits, with both backable at 10/1, while Presenting Percy is being seen as one of the outsiders to back at 20/1.