Cheltenham Racecourse

The 2026 Cheltenham Festival will once again welcome hundreds of thousands of spectators to the Prestbury Park racecourse, who are attracted to the iconic ‘Cheltenham roar’ and seeing the best National Hunt talent up close and personal. With extensive coverage of Cheltenham on Racing TV, horse racing fans across the country will already be studying the form books ahead of 'The Greatest Show On Turf'.

This iconic four-day festival of racing culminates in the grand finale of the Gold Cup, which attracts the very best Cheltenham betting offers open to new and existing customers ahead of Cheltenham 2026. Read on to discover all the latest Cheltenham free bets available to you right here at Racing TV. 18+ Please gamble responsibly.

Cheltenham Festival Free Bets

Spanning four days of thrilling horse racing action, the Cheltenham festival is one of the most prestigious and popular events in the horse racing calendar every year. With legendary races such as the Cheltenham Gold Cup taking place in this festival, it is no wonder that Cheltenham holds a significant spot for horse racing enthusiasts and bettors alike. 

Due to this immense popularity, bookmakers and sports betting sites offer their own unique Cheltenham free bets and other betting offers in relation to the annual meeting. These bonuses provide various betting opportunities to both new users of a site and existing ones. Therefore, we here at Racing TV have compiled all the best Cheltenham festival free bets and offers all in one place for the upcoming festival, highlighting all of the promotions available. 

Types of Cheltenham Free Bets

It is worth noting, though, that free Cheltenham bets come in a whole multitude of different forms, each of which can be tailored towards individual betting preferences. To potentially identify which Cheltenham Festival betting offers best suit a user's betting style, however, it is key to understand the different types of Cheltenham free bets and how exactly they work. 

Free Bets 

Beginning with the general concept of free Cheltenham bets , these are effectively free stakes to put towards any race during the Cheltenham Festival. Horse racing free bets can be awarded after making initial deposits or simply signing up as a new customer ahead of the Cheltenham Festival.

Huge Odds-On Hot Favourites 

Instead of receiving a Cheltenham free bet to place on whichever horse a bettor would like at the festival, certain bookmakers will offer massive odds on red-hot pre-race favourites. These Cheltenham Festival betting promotions could be applicable to an odds-on favourite available at 10/1, for example; however, there will likely be a maximum stake that bettors can use at these inflated odds.

Risk-Free Bets 

Risk-free promotions are some of the most readily available Cheltenham free bet offers. Essentially, a user must place a real-money wager of their own on a Cheltenham Festival race. If the selection does not go on to win, the bet stake will be refunded either in cash or with a certain amount of free bet credits to potentially use on future races in the festival, making them some of the best Cheltenham betting offers in the process. This may only be limited to select Cheltenham Festival results however.

Bet-Through-the-Card Offers

One of the most popular forms of Cheltenham free bet promotions are the “bet-through-the-card” offers. These simply allow bettors to place a wager on the first race of a day, and then they receive various Cheltenham free bets for all other races on the same race card. With seven races a day at this festival, bettors can place one bet and receive up to six additional free punts if they wish to watch horse racing throughout the day.

Ambassador-Related Offers and Promotions

Some online bookmakers will have brand ambassadors with direct links to the Cheltenham Festival. They could be linked with trainers or jockeys, but either way, bookies are known to unveil Cheltenham betting offers relating to their brand ambassador. Types of Cheltenham free bets that fall within this category can include free credits on all races featuring a certain jockey or even enhanced odds on all of the horses a certain jockey rides.

Enhanced Offers

Speaking of enhanced offers, it’s possible that some bookmakers will run Cheltenham Festival betting bonuses to enhance the price of certain horses in headline races at the festival. The horse may not necessarily be the odds-on favourite or one frequently featuring in horse racing tips, but one that is still fancied in the betting.

Non-Runner No Bet

One of the best Cheltenham free bet offers for those looking to get optimal value is to take the non-runner no bet promotions. This means the bettor is fully refunded in the case their ante-post selections aren’t eventually entered in the Cheltenham Festival.

Existing Customer Offers

Some of the best Cheltenham betting offers are existing customer promotions. If someone was particularly loyal to a chosen bookmaker, they might find that they can get their hands on certain reload bonuses from that same site. These require the user to either reload their account with additional deposits or simply place another wager to trigger a free bonus bet to use throughout Cheltenham.

New Customer Offers

In addition to this, most bookmakers reach out to new potential customers ahead of and during the Cheltenham Festival. Those looking for a new reputable bookie may be able to open accounts with multiple new bookmakers to potentially claim various different sign-up bonuses and other Cheltenham Festival betting offers just in time for the meeting.

Trifecta Bet

A Trifecta bet is one that requires the bettor to correctly predict the outcome of the first three horses in a race. They will need to decide which three horses will finish first, second and third, respectively. Some bookmakers offer Cheltenham free bets exclusively for Trifectas, with this being the same for some other bet types as well! 

Best Cheltenham Free Bets

In an attempt to stand out from all other bookmakers and sports betting sites, platforms will offer their own Cheltenham free bets and promotions surrounding this horse racing event. As a result, we have picked out some of the best Cheltenham betting offers in time for this year's meeting.

    • Bet365 Cheltenham Free Bets: Available for new customers to the sites, making a £10 qualifying bet could see the user receive £30 in Cheltenham festival free bets.     • Paddy Power Cheltenham Free Bets: By placing a stake of £5 on a section with minimum odds of 1/1, users could receive £30 in free bet credits.    • Betfred Cheltenham Free Bets: By betting £10 with Coral, users could receive up to £50 of free bets for Cheltenham.    • Coral Cheltenham Free Bets: Available for both new and existing customers during the festival, wagering up to £50 with Coral at minimum odds of ½ could see £50 in free bets be added to a bettors account.     • BetVictor Cheltenham Free Bets: By opting into the promotion upon signing up to BetVictor, placing an initial £20 bet could qualify new users for £40 in Cheltenham festival free bets. 

However, these Cheltenham free bets are just a brief glimpse into the extensive array of options available for this year's festival. So many alternative bookmakers also have their own respective promotions, though it is worth remembering to read up on all applicable terms and conditions before potentially claiming any for yourself. 

Cheltenham Sign-Up Offers

Especially for new bettors, Cheltenham sign-up offers are among the most popular promotions available during this event. As there are so many of these Cheltenham Festival betting offers available around the time of this horse racing festival to potentially claim, it is key to understand how these typically work.

Cheltenham free bets upon registration are arguably the most common type of sign-up promotion. After a user has created an account and made their first deposit, sports betting sites and bookmakers often reward their new users with free bet credits. It is worth noting, however, that these are not directly withdrawable and often come hand-in-hand with specified wagering requirements. 

Match deposit bonuses are another interesting way in which free Cheltenham bets are provided to new sign-ups. These bonuses generally offer a 100% match on a user's initial deposit, with this often being limited up to a certain amount. For instance, depositing £20 upon creating an account could see the bookmaker add £20 in free bet credits on top of this deposit due to the 100% offer they run. Once again, though, the additional Cheltenham free bet credits cannot be withdrawn immediately; instead, they have to be used on one of the many races over the 4-day festival.

Certain Cheltenham sign-up offers may come with certain wagering requirements, which we have briefly already mentioned. This means that the bonus bet amount that may be accredited to a new user must be re-wagered a certain number of times before any potential returns can be withdrawn from the account. 

Cheltenham Betting Offers For Existing Customers

Despite the range of sign-up promotions, it is not just new customers who could claim Cheltenham free bets; there is also a myriad of alternative Cheltenham Festival betting offers available for existing customers! Reload bonuses are arguably the most prevalent form of Cheltenham existing customer offers, which work similarly to the aforementioned deposit bonuses. With these bonuses, bookmakers could add additional free bet credits to a bettor's account should they deposit a certain amount during or in the lead-up to the festival.

As there are so many races that take place at Cheltenham, accumulator bets are extremely popular amongst bettors, too. In alignment with this, sportsbooks will often run Cheltenham existing customer offers, which see the odds of accumulators boosted should they reach a minimum odds threshold. Similarly, they may also offer insurance for Cheltenham accumulators, which can refund bettors for their stake should their accumulator lose in a certain fashion. 

Bookmakers can extend the number of places that may be paid out for each-way bets, especially when it comes to major races like the Gold Cup. These are pretty straightforward Cheltenham betting offers for existing customers, and the same applies to loyalty programs. Should a bettor place a certain amount of bets throughout the festival, they can receive additional free bet credits due to their regular participation on a site.

Where To Bet On Cheltenham

With the prestige of the festival, betting on Cheltenham can be done at almost every major sportsbook in the UK. When it actually comes to deciding where to bet on Cheltenham, this simply comes down to your own preferences. Factoring in aspects such as the odds a site presents, the overall user experience offered by a platform, and the series of Cheltenham free bets on offer could help you make said decision. To make things a whole lot easier, though, all these vital pieces of information and insight into different bookmakers can be found conveniently here at RacingTV. 

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