As of Sunday at 9: 15 a. m. ET, the four-day Cheltenham Festival is scheduled for Tuesday 10 to Friday 13 March, with the Cheltenham Gold Cup at 4: 00 p. m. GMT (12: 00 p. m. ET). For U. S. readers tracking cheltenham 2026, coverage and headline race times are confirmed, while full running lists are not included in the published schedule.
presenters, Jukebox Man, and the confirmed Cheltenham race timings
Radio 5 Sports Extra will carry commentaries of all 28 races from Monday 10 March to Friday 13 March, with feature races and Gold Cup day also on Radio 5 Live. Gina Bryce will present Tuesday through Thursday, with Mark Chapman hosting Friday; analysis comes from former Gold Cup-winning jockeys Andrew Thornton and Paddy Brennan, plus Welsh Grand National winner Charlie Poste, and John Hunt will lead commentary. Separately, Harry Redknapp’s Jukebox Man, winner of the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day, is set to attempt to become the first British-trained winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup since 2018, with the race scheduled as Friday’s fifth at 4: 00 p. m. GMT (12: 00 p. m. ET).
Seven races are slated each day during the meeting. The first race is scheduled for 1: 20 p. m. GMT (9: 20 a. m. ET), and the final race is scheduled for 5: 20 p. m. GMT (1: 20 p. m. ET). These daily bookends frame the primary broadcast window for U. S. -based viewers following the festival in ET.
Cheltenham 2026 schedule in ET: headline races and start windows
For cheltenham 2026 viewers in the United States, these are the confirmed race times for selected contests, shown in local time first with ET conversions:
- 1: 20 p. m. GMT (9: 20 a. m. ET) — The Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
- 2: 00 p. m. GMT (10: 00 a. m. ET) — The Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy Steeple Chase
- 2: 40 p. m. GMT (10: 40 a. m. ET) — The McCoys Contractors Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race
- 3: 20 p. m. GMT (11: 20 a. m. ET) — The Trustmarque Ultima Handicap Chase
- 4: 00 p. m. GMT (12: 00 p. m. ET) — The Unibet Champion Hurdle
- 5: 20 p. m. GMT (1: 20 p. m. ET) — The National Hunt Steeple Chase Challenge Cup
- 2: 00 p. m. GMT (10: 00 a. m. ET) — The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
- 2: 40 p. m. GMT (10: 40 a. m. ET) — The BetMGM Cup Handicap Hurdle
- 3: 20 p. m. GMT (11: 20 a. m. ET) — The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Steeple Chase
These time slots establish the confirmed ET viewing windows across the first half of the meeting, culminating Friday with the Gold Cup at 4: 00 p. m. GMT (12: 00 p. m. ET). Daily updates will continue throughout March 10–13.
Cheltenham Gold Cup entries and the daily racecards that will settle them
What remains unresolved is the complete set of race fields. Beyond Jukebox Man’s planned bid in Friday’s feature, the full list of runners for individual contests is unconfirmed as of 9: 15 a. m. ET within the schedule details provided. Live text coverage, racecards, and results will publish each day during the meeting and will formally confirm who runs each race.
The Gold Cup sits at the center of that uncertainty. Friday’s fifth race begins at 4: 00 p. m. GMT (12: 00 p. m. ET), and the finalized racecard will determine the depth of opposition to Jukebox Man’s attempt to end the British-trained drought dating back to 2018. Daily racecards will serve as the primary trigger for clarity on all 28 contests, including the Champion Hurdle and Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.
For viewers planning in ET, the structure is fixed: seven races per day, with opening contests at 1: 20 p. m. GMT (9: 20 a. m. ET) and closers at 5: 20 p. m. GMT (1: 20 p. m. ET). Yet, the competitive picture hinges on the declared fields that will appear in those daily racecards and the accompanying broadcaster updates throughout the festival.
The next fixed milestone is the opening contest at 1: 20 p. m. GMT (9: 20 a. m. ET) on Tuesday, 10 March. If Jukebox Man lines up for Friday’s 4: 00 p. m. GMT (12: 00 p. m. ET) Cheltenham Gold Cup, he is expected to bid to become the first British-trained winner of the race since 2018.
