Cheaper Guinness, more car parking spaces, smaller crowds… it’s going to be all change at the Cheltenham Festival next March.
And the Jockey Club has announced further changes too, with two races at the four-day meeting switching places in the schedule.
It means that day three of the Cheltenham Festival, which coincides with St Patrick’s Day on the Thursday, will have another Grade 1 race for punters and spectators to enjoy.
Having a Mare
The most eye-catching of the changes for the Cheltenham Festival will see the Mares’ Hurdle moved in the schedule.
Typically held on the opening day of the meeting, as it has been since 2009, the renewal – named after legendary trainer David Nicholson and currently sponsored by finance firm Close Brothers – will be switched to the New Course and contested at 2:40pm.
It means that day three of the festival will now have a trio of Grade 1 races, with the Mares’ Hurdle joining the Stayers’ Hurdle and the Ryanair Chase in the middle section of the card.
It also means that the opening day of the festival will now be reduced to three Grade 1 races too, with the Champion Hurdle following the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the Arkle.
The Tuesday schedule will be fortified by the addition of the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase, which will be run at 4:40pm.
Jon Pullen, who serves the dual role of Jockey Club head honcho and clerk of the course at Cheltenham, commented on the changes.
“Having previously been run on Champion Day, the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle was always somewhat in the shadow of the Unibet Champion Hurdle,” he said.
“By moving to St Patrick’s Thursday, it’ll receive more attention and receive the coverage a race of its status merits. We also believe this change enhances the overall race programme across the festival, with each of the four days now having at least three Grade 1s.”
The Mares’ Hurdle has delivered some unforgettable moments at the Cheltenham Festival over the years, from Quevega’s record-breaking six straight wins to headline-making victories for Rachael Blackmore aboard Honeysuckle.
At the March meeting, Lossiemouth could be looking to make it a hat-trick of wins for Willie Mullins after striding to victory in both the 2024 and 2025 editions.
And punters shouldn’t sleep on Tuesday’s new race, either. Although the Plate Handicap Chase can be a tough puzzle to solve – like all of the festival’s handicap renewals, there can be some excellent value prices to be savoured.
Seddon and Coole Cody won at 20/1 and 22/1 respectively in 2022 and 2023, while 100/1 outsider Mars Harper finished in the places in the 2025 renewal to score a handsome return for his each way backers.
Splitting the G (For a Fee)
One of the biggest complaints at the Cheltenham Festival this year was the price of Guinness, which reached an eye-watering £7.80 per pint.
The good news is that festival chiefs have taken note and will reduce the price of their Guinness taps in 2026… albeit by a paltry 30p, bringing the price to £7.50 per pint.
That will still sound excessive to many, but the Jockey Club’s argument is that it’s the same price – or even cheaper – than other major sporting events on UK soil; a pint at Wimbledon, for example, sets tennis fans back a cool £8.45.
Cheltenham organisers have also revealed that the daily capacity at the festival will be reduced from 68,500 to 66,000 people. Ticket sales at the meeting have generally been decreasing over the years, although Gold Cup Friday remains a draw for punters and race lovers – it was sold out again in 2025.
However, patrons complained of long queues for toilets and hospitality, as well as gridlock trying to get out of the car parks – festival chiefs hope that reducing Friday’s capacity will help to alleviate some of those issues.
Another item of the agenda has been accommodation for racegoers that want to stay in Cheltenham overnight. Although racecourse bosses have no authority on the prices charged at hotels and private rentals, they have begun partnering with local firms in a bid to make stopovers more affordable.
All of these changes have been devised to make Cheltenham Festival more appealing as an event, with attendances on the slide over the past five years.
Some have even taken to heading abroad, to destinations like Benidorm, to watch the racing on the big screen – it’s cheaper than attending in person, goes the argument, and the weather in Spain is, typically, much more agreeable than at Prestbury Park.