The Cheltenham Festival, the biggest meeting of the National Hunt season, will return in March 2025. It’s the pinnacle of the season with four top days of non-stop action, featuring the leading jockeys, trainers and horses from the UK, Ireland and beyond.
The 2025 Cheltenham Festival begins on Tuesday, March 11th and runs through to Friday, March 14th and there are twelve Grade 1 races in total across the Festival. Here is a breakdown of what top Grade 1 action punters and race fans have to look forward to:
The big feature race of the entire meeting is Friday’s Cheltenham Gold Cup, and there is a potential hattrick bid happening in 2025. Galopin Des Champs, ridden by Paul Townend and trained by Willie Mullins, has scored the last two renewals, but is only the ante-post second favourite in 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup betting.
His stable-mate Fact To File has been heading up the market after a good score in last year’s Brown Advisory at the Cheltenham Festival, ahead of another 2025 contender, Monty’s Star.
The 2025 Grand National is booked for April 5th, and the ante-post racing markets continue to provide plenty of interest during the big build-up. The Grand National is a racing spectacle like no other, and trainer Willie Mullins has confirmed that last year’s winner, I Am Maximus, will be back looking for a double.
I Am Maximus was the 7/1 joint-favourite in Grand National betting last year, which had 32 runners, the smallest field since 1999. It’s the most valuable jumps race in Europe and the likes of Intense Raffles, Corbett’s Cross and Minella Cocooner could pose threats to the returning champion in the 2025 Grand National.
The Grand National is one of the most highly-anticipated fixtures in racing, and draws a lot of public interest due to its unique challenge. It’s run at a marathon distance of 4 miles 514 yards, and features 30 fences, including special ones like Becher’s Brook and The Chair.
The longest-priced winner of the famous race in the last decade was Noble Yeats who defied 50/1 odds to land the victory in 2022. Three of the last five renewals have been won by a favourite/joint favourite. The Grand National itself is part of a three-day festival at Aintree on Merseyside. Opening day on Thursday sets the tone nicely, followed by Ladies’ Day on Friday.
You won’t just benefit from this invaluable iCard technology, either. We also offer live streaming of the race when you bet on it.
UK Horse racing betting online continues to canter towards the front of the field, with people who bet on other sports such as football betting also showing increasing interest.
On Grand National day each spring, the whole of the UK seems to come to a standstill as veteran and first-time punters alike put money on their favourite horses and jockeys.
Whether you reserve your horse racing bets for these annual events or want to enjoy regular responsible flutters during the National Hunt calendar, we can provide you with the latest odds and tips – and some other offers too.
From your first experience with us – whether that’s betting on horse racing or another sport betting – we offer a great welcome package for new customers (T&Cs apply). You can place your free bet stakes on lots of different horse racing bets
Existing customers can also receive horse racing promotions all year round as well – not to mention the latest odds on the market. (T&Cs apply).
Our experts bring you all the latest news and info to broaden your knowledge – and help you make informed choices.
Whether you’re looking to learn about the greatest jockeys of all time, the top 10 National Hunt meetings, we’ve got all the insights you could want.
Check out all our horse racing betting tips on the 888sport blog.
Something of an institution in UK sport, horse racing has so many popular racecourses and events across the nation you’ll be spoiled for choice.
Some of the most famous dates in the calendar include Cheltenham Festival, the Grand National and Royal Ascot.
These attract punters fresh and experienced each and every year – and you don’t need to be dressed up to the nines at the course to get involved!
Check things out from the comfort of your own home, or wherever you are, with us. Download our mobile app for added convenience and flexibility.
To make it simpler for our customers to find the betting odds for races at popular events and courses, we’ve even created dedicated pages:
Early prices are available each day in 888Sport horse racing. By backing early odds horse racing selections, longer prices can potentially be taken on the runners. That’s because the opening odds for a race haven’t been swayed by heavy public interest, which typically happens closer to the time of the start of races.
There is a difference between ante-post and early horse racing prices. Ante-post racing odds are a longer-term view of betting options on a particular race and these too can be found at 888Sport. Ante-post prices are particularly common for major future races like the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Grand National and the Epsom Derby.
The horse racing early prices in contrast are the opening prices on the day of a fixture posted early in the morning. Early odds horse racing is part of the great coverage at 888Sport that includes Timeform Tips, promotions, expert insights and our handy Bet Finder tool.
Early horse racing prices at 888Sport can be found at all UK and Irish racing meetings throughout the year. So you can study the early prices on the leading Flat and National Hunt contests and also use them in whatever way you like.
All early horse racing prices for example, can be selected as each-way options and be included in popular bet types like accumulators, doubles and full cover racing bets. We also have a great range of racing betting markets like ‘Insure 3 Places’, ‘Place Only’ and ‘Bet Without’ across domestic fixtures.
Betting on races online is quite similar to how you would bet if you were at the racecourse – only you don’t have to be there in person.
Once you have found a race you’re interested in, simply click on the card to discover the latest racing odds and then choose the horse you feel you want to wager on.
You will then be able to view your betting options, place your stake, and click through to bet.
When it comes to betting on horse races, you’ll quickly discover there are many different types. Probably the most common is a single bet, which involves just one race and one outcome. However, there are many other options too.
Another popular bet is an each-way bet, which is essentially split into two parts with one half involving a win and the other a place in a pay-out position. It’s possible for punters to put a stake on multiple races too, with bets such as an accumulator, double and single, or even placepots and jackpots involving a whole day’s racing at one course.
When you’re looking at the latest odds for betting at horse racing, the number presented represents the amount of money you can expect to win as a return.
For example, if a horse’s odds are 10/1, for each ‘unit’ you bet, you will receive 10 in return plus your stake – if you win. So if successfully you bet £1 for a horse to win at 10/1, you’ll receive £10, plus your £1 stake, totalling £11.
Although there are no exchange bets available, you can use your free bets stakes on all different horse racing markets at 888 Sport. Check out the terms and conditions for included markets and free bet expiry dates.
| Horse Racing Markets | All Major Markets Available |
| Popular Horse Racing Events | Cheltenham Festival, Grand National and Royal Ascot |
| Horse Racing Odds | Fractional, Decimal or American Odds |
| Minimum Deposit | £10 |
| Withdrawal Limits | Depends on the withdrawal policy |
| Deposit Options | Visa, MasterCard, Paypal, Apple Pay, Neteller & More |