Cheltenham Betting Offers & Free Bets 2023

The waiting is almost over. The 2023 Cheltenham Festival gets under way on Tuesday March 14, and the best jump racing horses in the world are gathering for four scintillating days of unmissable horse racing betting action.

You can make the most of the Cheltenham Festival by taking advantage of the best Cheltenham betting offers. Our experts have brought together the most appealing free bet offers that can add extra value and enjoyment to your Cheltenham betting. 

Let’s look at the top free bets and other offers you can access by signing up at Cheltenham betting sites from the best UK bookmakers and Irish betting sites.

Top 6 Cheltenham Betting Offers Today

As you can see, this is a fantastic week to open one, two, or more accounts with bookmakers. The Cheltenham Festival takes place this year on March 14-17, and there are 28 thrilling races on which you can enjoy Cheltenham betting offers.

It’s a great opportunity to use your Cheltenham free bets across four action-packed days. If you are a Cheltenham betting fan, you can get so much more firepower at your disposal by registering as a customer and triggering a welcome bonus that will add to your appreciation of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival. However, always check carefully the terms and conditions that apply to every offer.

Day 1 Cheltenham Best Bets

Race 7 – The favorite here is the best horse in the race, no doubt, but betting short prices in novice chases is a surefire way to lose your bankroll. This is certainly a riskier pick, but give me Chemical Energy at 13/2 odds. Heavy favorite Gaillard Du Mesnil has only ran 29 furlongs once, finishing 3rd. Chemical Energy is a Godfather-trained horse that will be rode by Jamie “J J” Codd, who happens to be one of the best jockeys at Cheltenham. 

The Pick – Chemical Energy 13/2 at William Hill ➜

Race 5 – Let’s pivot to a favorite that is a bit underpriced in Marie’s Rock. Not only is Marie’s Rock running with undoubtedly the best form, but the solid and deep competition is holding the number down. While there is always the chance for massive upsets at Cheltenham, race 5 is the one I peg as least likely. Marie’s Rock has successfully completed each of her last 14 races, which is a very important factor for a favorite. I will take Marie’s Rock all the way to $3. 

The Pick – Marie’s Rock 5/2 at Betfred ➜

More Best Cheltenham Betting Offers 

Best Cheltenham Betting Offers 2023

Leading Cheltenham betting sites view the Cheltenham Festival as an outstanding opportunity to attract new customers. As a result, they make a huge range of Cheltenham Festival free bets available to encourage you to wager on four days of brilliant action. Let’s look in detail at how some of the best Cheltenham betting offers work.  

William Hill Cheltenham Betting Offer

William Hill is one of the oldest names in the sports betting industry, and it offers a solid free bet offer to new customers. Open a William Hill account, stake at least £10 at minimum odds of 1/2 or better, and you will receive £30 in the form of three £10 free bets.

Those free bets expire after 30 days, but we’re guessing that you’ll find plenty of use for them at the Cheltenham Festival. If this sounds like the right bonus for you, claim the William Hill Cheltenham betting offer. ➜

bet365 Cheltenham Betting Offer

Bet365 has risen in spectacular style over the last couple of decades to become the biggest single betting operator in the world. At the heart of that meteoric progress has been outstanding customer experience, and a commitment to offering a huge choice of sports to wager on.

The brand is also dedicated to delivering a host of excellent promos and bonuses – as you will see if you claim the et365 Cheltenham betting offer. ➜

Make a qualifying deposit of between £5 and £10 and stake that amount to unlock £30 in bet credits. Those credits can be used in bets, at min odds of 1/5, of the same amount as your initial deposit and will sit in your account for up to 90 days.    

Betfred Cheltenham Betting Offer

When you claim the Betfred Cheltenham betting offer ➜, you can receive a total of £40 in bonuses in return for an initial stake of £10 or more.  

However, please note that only £30 of those bonuses is made up of free bets that you can use on the Cheltenham Festival and other sporting events. The other £10 is in the form of a casino bonus.

There are a couple of other terms and conditions you need to know about. Your qualifying bet must be at minimum odds of even money or better, and you have to use your free bets within seven days.

Tote Cheltenham Betting Offer

The Tote is the traditional home of pool, or pari-mutuel, betting in the UK and Ireland, which adds a bit of a twist if you claim the Tote Cheltenham betting offer. ➜

In return for opening a new account and staking at least £10 on racing pools, you receive £40 in Tote Credit. You have seven days to use that credit, and it comes in two parts. You receive £20 to stake on win/place racing bets, and £20 to use on exotics – these are pools such as the Tote’s UK and Irish placepot bets, exactas, jackpots and more.

Betfair Cheltenham Betting Offer

Betfair made its name as a pioneer of exchange betting, and is still at the forefront of peer-to-peer wagering. However, if you claim the Betfair Cheltenham betting offer, your reward will be usable only on the brand’s outstanding sportsbook.

Open a new account, deposit a minimum of £10 and place a £10 bet at minimum odds of 1/2 or better. Once that bet settles, you will receive a £30 free bet to be used on the sportsbook.

You can use that wager only on straight bets – no accas or full-cover multiples – and you have 30 days to make your play. 

UPDATE: This offer is no longer available. We recommend taking a look at the BetUK Cheltenham betting offer instead. BetUK is offer a Bet £20, Get £60. Click “Visit Site” to get started.

Paddy Power Cheltenham Betting Offer

Paddy Power first caught the eye as an irreverent brand with a marketing style all of its own that sailed perilously close to the wind on occasions.

The naughtiest kid in the classroom has now grown up and is a well-established operator – but it still likes to go big and bold with its promos, as you’ll see when you claim the Paddy Power Cheltenham betting offer.

Open a new account, deposit at least £10, then place a bet of a minimum £10 at odds of 1/2 or longer, and when it settles you receive £50 in the form of five £10 free bets to use at the Cheltenham Festival.

UPDATE: This offer isn’t available right now, but William Hill is offering a Get £30 In Bonuses when you stake £10 ➜ deal for Cheltenham.

Most Popular Cheltenham Offers & Free Bet Types

Across the range of Cheltenham Festival betting offers, there is a strong focus on attracting new customers with promotions including free bets and deposit boosts. But some of the available bonuses can be enjoyed by both new and existing customers.

The Cheltenham Festival represents an opportunity for sports betting brands to maximise their engagement with clients – and there are a host of ways and bet types that enable them to do this.

Cheltenham Free Bets Offers

Most of the headlines you’ll see on bookies’ adverts during the Cheltenham Festival will relate to free bets. There’s a simplicity to the offer – a line like “Bet £10 and get £40 in free bets” doesn’t need too much explaining.

In a week with so many enticing events, the chance to use free bets to wager on them is undeniably attractive. Some offers can be used by existing customers; for instance, Paddy Power is offering a £5 free bet to existing customers on each of the first three days.

However, the main focus is on attracting new clients. If you started the week of the Cheltenham Festival without any betting accounts, and then went on a sign-up spree, you could stack up several hundred pounds’ worth of free bets with a host of operators. You’d then have a seriously boosted bankroll to finance your Cheltenham Festival betting.

However, please be aware that T & Cs apply to all Cheltenham free bet offers, so make sure you check them. Some will be standard, such as the fact that free bet stakes are not returned as part of your winnings; other qualifying bet restrictions differ, such as the minimum odds or the length or time you have before your free bets expire.

Cheltenham Ante-Post Offers

Ante-post betting is a traditional way of getting longer odds about a Cheltenham Festival selection by backing your fancy well in advance.

The risk is, of course, that if your pick is pulled out, you lose your money. The rise of NRNB betting (see below) has made ante-post betting less popular, but many people still like to try their luck in the months before the big event.

You will, for instance, be able to place wagers on the 2024 Cheltenham Festival almost as soon as the final race of the 2023 meeting is ended.

Check the prices that are being offered by bookies at this point about horses you fancy to win again next year – you could be holding some incredibly valuable betting slips in just under 12 months’ time.  

Cheltenham Money Back Offers

There are ways for existing customers to get money back on your racing bets at the Cheltenham Festival. Sky Bet, for example, has historically offered to refund your stake if your selection in the first race each day is beaten.

The operator is repeating this for the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, though it is capping refunds at £2.

Look around for special promotions, such as a refund of your stake, either as cash or a free bet, if the horse you back is runner-up in a particular race. 

There may also be risk-free bet offers you can use, which give you your stake back as a free bet if your selection is beaten.

Cheltenham Enhanced Odds Offers

Given the intense focus on the big races at the Cheltenham Festival, an offer that massively enhances the odds about a favourite is guaranteed to attract plenty of attention. There will be several such offers around the 2023 Cheltenham Festival.

For instance, Sky Bet is offering 40/1 about Constitution Hill to win the Champion Hurdle. The horse in question is long odds-on, so this is an eye-catching price; but before you get too excited, bear in mind that a) you have to be a new customer, and b) the most you can stake is just £1.

Similarly, new customers at William Hill can get an amazing 150/1 to win the Gold Cup about either A Plus Tard or Noble Yeats, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National respectively last year. Again, though, the maximum stake is £1.

Non-Runner No Bet

“Non-runner no bet” does exactly what it says on the tin. If you put money on a horse for the Cheltenham Festival well in advance and it is subsequently pulled out, you get your money back.

This has been used as a tool to attract customers and wagers for many years, and as a result there is plenty of competition around NRNB.

Whereas non-runner no bet used to be a sign of spring, like the first cuckoo, some operators will now go NRNB on the championship events at the turn of the year, and on all the other races shortly after.

The increased availability of NRNB has impacted significantly on the level of ante-post betting, but it is great news for racing fans who want to get their money on early without the risk of losing their stake.

The Cheltenham Festival 2023 Biggest Races

All 28 races at the Cheltenham Festival will grip the attention of jump racing fans – but there are four championship events that stand head and shoulders above the rest. Winning any of these guarantees a horse and its connections a place in the sport’s roll of honour.

Cheltenham Gold Cup

The Gold Cup is the keenly awaited climax of the Cheltenham Festival. The finest staying chasers will do battle over three-and-a-quarter miles on Friday March 17. Irish-trained horses have won six of the last seven renewals and another, Galopin Des Champs, is strongly fancied to add to that dominance.

His lack of experience may be a weakness – this will be only his seventh chase. But if Willie Mullins’s charge settles into a rhythm on the first circuit, his undeniable talent will make him hard to beat.

Stable-mate Stattler, last year’s Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard, and top English challenger Bravemansgame are all highly capable of exploiting any chink in the favourite’s armour.

Champion Hurdle

For many racing fans, the most eagerly anticipated event of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival is the Champion Hurdle. This is the big race on the first day, Tuesday March 14. All eyes will be on Constitution Hill, who has performed this season in the manner of a potential all-time legend.

The odds about Constitution Hill to win the Champion Hurdle over two miles are prohibitively short. What matters is the style in which this Nicky Henderson-trained star might win.

If he obliterates a field that also includes the very promising State Man, he could join the ranks of the great past winners of the Champion Hurdle – and who knows where Constitution Hill might go from there?

Queen Mother Champion Chase

The Queen Mother Champion Chase is the main event on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival, Wednesday March 15. This is one of the most thrilling spectacles of the week, with the best two-mile chasers duelling at top speed over this testing course.

It looks likely to be a high-octane shoot-out between last year’s winner, the Willie Mullins-trained Energumene, and the hugely promising Alan King charge Edwardstone. If you use one of your Cheltenham Festival free bets on this race, you should have a visual treat in store as you cheer on your selection.

Stayers’ Hurdle

Irish-trained horses look set to dominate the big race on the third day of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival on Thursday March 16. Flooring Porter, winner of the last two editions of the Stayers’ Hurdle, has every chance of making it a hat-trick for his trainer Gavin Cromwell.

But he faces stern opposition in the form of fellow raiders Blazing Khal, Teahupoo and Home By The Lee, while there is also an intriguing challenger from France in the shape of Gold Tweet.This promises to be one of the most exciting battles of the week, fought out over a demanding three miles.