Cheltenham Festival 2022: tips, weather forecast, offers and all the news in the build up to the Gold Cup

The Cheltenham Festival 2022 starts today (Tuesday March 15).

It will be the first time punters return to the racecourse after 2021’s showpiece was closed to the public because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cheltenham features in the National Hunt racing calendar which means the horses jump obstacles and fences.

The Cheltenham Racecourse has hosted the prestigious horse racing festival for more than 100 years.

In terms of the prizemoney available, Cheltenham is second only to the Grand National which is held in Aintree.

Irish jockey, Rachael Blackmore, became the first woman to be crowned the festival’s top rider in 2021 when she won six races.

Blackmore also became the first woman to win the Grand National when she rode Minella Times to victory in 2021.

How long does the festival last?

The Cheltenham Festival 2022 will run from Tuesday March 15 to Friday March 18.

There are seven races on each of the four days - these races take place each day at 1.30pm; 2.10pm; 2.50pm; 3.30pm; 4.10pm; 4.50pm and 5.30pm.

The main race on Tuesday is the Champion Hurdle; on Wednesday it is the Queen Mother Champion Chase; on Thursday it is the Stayer’s Hurdle and on Friday it is the festival’s number one race, the Gold Cup.

What tips are there for Day One of the festival?

We have had a look at each of Tuesday’s seven races and think the following horses can do the business: 1.30pm: Mighty Potter; 2.10pm: Blue Lord; 2.50pm: Death Duty; 3.30pm: Honeysuckle; 4.10pm: Echoes in Rain; 4.50pm: Ebasari and 5.30pm: Stattler.

What is the weather forecast for Day One?

As a direct result of it being dry overnight, the official going is good to soft on the old course and good to soft, soft (in places) on the new course

The Met Office says the weather will be: dry and bright on Tuesday, but some rain on Wednesday.

Today:

Low cloud and fog patches will clear during the morning, to leave a fine and dry day with bright skies and hazy sunshine. It will feel pleasantly warm in the sunshine during the afternoon, with light winds. Maximum temperature 14 °C.

Tonight:

A fine end to the day for many, although cloud thickening from the south this evening with some patchy light showery rain developing overnight.

Staying generally mild and frost-free. Minimum temperature 5 °C.

What are the best offers?

Virtually every betting website will be attempting to entice punters with a variety of special offers and promotions - here are some of the best we have seen:

Bet365 is offering best price guaranteed for all races shown live on ITV.

Also if you pick a winner at 4/1 or more, place a bet on the next live ITV race you will get your money back if it loses.

Bet365 are also offering a free £5 bet each day of the festival - this offer is open to “new and eligible customers only”.

PaddyPower is offering three lucky punters a £50 free bet if they reply to a tweet predicting the winner of the 1.30pm Supreme Novices Hurdle on Tuesday.

BetVictor will provide everyone with a free £5 bet every time jockey Rachael Blackmore wins a race at Cheltenham (Blackmore won six races last year).