The Jockey Club have announced that there will be £4,930,000 in prize money on offer at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, an increase of £115,000 from the meeting in 2024. The change makes it one of the most lucrative horse racing events in the sport.
With 28 races across the four days, there are lots of opportunities for owners, trainers and jockeys to all pick up a piece of the prize pot. It will also have a big impact on the British Trainers’ Championship, as there is less than £700,000 separating the top two in the standings.
Gold Cup Remains Richest Race of The Week
Known as the Blue Riband event in the sport, the Cheltenham Gold Cup remains the richest race of the week at the Cheltenham Festival. There is a prize fund of £625,000 for the day four feature, with just over £350,000 going to winning connections.
Last year’s winner Galopin Des Champs is bidding to add his name to the history books by becoming just the second horse this century to win the race three times. Best Mate was successful in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and after wins in the contest in 2023 and 2024, the Irish horse gets the opportunity to achieve something special.
15 horses have entries in this year’s Gold Cup, and the final field will be declared on Wednesday, 12th of March. It is expected to include a strong contingent from Ireland, with Fact To File, Banbridge, Corbetts Cross, Monty’s Star and Grangeclare West all likely to make the trip across the Irish Sea with the defending champion.
Owners Given Special Access at Cheltenham Festival
Many owners in horse racing dream of having a runner at the Cheltenham Festival. Those who are fortunate to have a horse involved this year will have the opportunity to enter the parade ring at the racecourse, have access to the owner’s and trainer’s lounge and will enjoy a complimentary lunch.
Cheltenham offer owners six badges to the day’s meeting, while syndicates receive eight badges per runner. The appeal of having a runner at the Festival is one of the reasons why many racing fans take up racehorse ownership in a syndicate. It includes many of the benefits a sole owner would get, but the costs are much lower, with shares available from as little as £34.
Attendance and Terrestrial Coverage
There are expected to be over 220,000 spectators in attendance across the four days at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, with Friday anticipated to be the busiest day of the week. In 2024, 71,500 were there on day four to see Galopin Des Champs win his second Gold Cup.
For those not travelling to Cheltenham, all four days of the meeting can be caught on ITV Racing. The terrestrial broadcaster, who is signed up to the sport until at least 2026, have extended the number of the races they are covering from 20 to 24 this year.
The opening day of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival takes place on Tuesday, the 11th of March, with the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle set to be the first of 28 races.
