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The Open Cheltenham Betting Sites & Event Review: Odds, Promos, and More

The Open Cheltenham Festival (not to be confused with the Cheltenham Festival which takes place in March) is a real highlight of the first half of the British jump racing season. Held annually in November at the world-famous Cheltenham Racecourse, it serves as a great early-season tester where a number of future stars are of the sport of kings are often born. Discover more about the Open Cheltenham betting sites right here in our dedicated review. Read More

Operator Welcome Offer Information About the Bookmaker Operator Rating Secure Link
£30 In Free Bets
  • Streams: Available
  • Specials: Yes
  • Form: Spotlight
5.00 ★ out of 5
betvictor.com Full T&Cs apply. 18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £5 at odds 1/1+ within 7 days of registering, no cashout. Get 2x £10 Free Bets, set events at odds 1/1+. Plus a £10 Slot Bonus, selected games, wager 20x to withdraw max £250. 7 day bonus expiry. Card payments only. T&Cs apply. begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly.
£30 Bet £10 Get £30
  • Streams: Available
  • Specials: Yes
  • Form: Timeform
4.50 ★ out of 5
www.888sport.com Full T&Cs Apply! Under the terms of this Promotion, eligible members will receive £30 in free bets at the Site. In order to receive the welcome offer, members must first place a qualifying bet. A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10 with odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater. Bets that are ‘Cashed Out’ do not qualify. First qualifying bet must be placed within 30 days of registration. Please gamble responsibly. 18+
£20 In Free Bets
  • Streams: Available
  • Specials: Yes
  • Form: Spotlight
4.50 ★ out of 5
lp.coral.co.uk Full T&Cs apply. 18+. UK+IRE only. Min first bet £5 at odds 1/2 or more. Tote and Pool excluded. Must be placed within 14 days of account reg. £20 credited as 4 x £5 free bets. Not valid with CashOut. Free bet valid for 4 days. Free bet stake not returned.

For some quick facts about what we believe are some of the better online bookmakers for wagering on this event, the table shown above will serve as a good starting point. You’ll be able to see how much money is on offer for the different welcome bonuses, whether or not they support live streams, and also see what kind of form guides are available. If you’re after more detailed info, which includes odds price reviews, general facts, figures and historical context, then be sure to continue reading through the rest of the article.

The Open Cheltenham Betting Offers and Promotions

Unfortunately, The Open Cheltenham betting offers aren’t quite as plentiful as one would hope, especially when compared to the Cheltenham Festival which occurs later in the season. The BetVictor Gold Cup, which is probably the most prestigious race at the festival, may sometimes feature the odd price boost deal courtesy of the official sponsor, BetVictor. For the most part, though, there won’t be a great number of different promotions available here.

One way to take advantage of this situation is to try signing up to a new operator and using the new-player welcome bonus to make a wager on one of the races in the festival. One of our favourites is the Bet £10 Get £40 offer at BetVictor where you can win a bonus of £30 after placing an initial wager of just £10!

The Open Cheltenham Betting Odds Levels

Overall, The Open Cheltenham betting odds levels can be very good – that is if you know where to look! As a starting point, be aware that all of the betting sites featured here on our site offer good value for money. That means that they all tend to offer payout prices that sit between 85%-86%. Coral can be just a little bit better than the rest but in general they are all good. Furthermore, you can always rest assured that you’ll be paid out at the very best odds price, regardless of when it is you choose to place your bet, as all the sites we’ve featured here offer best odds guaranteed deals as standard. This means that you’ll always get paid out at the best price even if the starting price turns out being higher than the one you originally took.

Some Interesting Facts

Did you know that the name of the Open Cheltenham was recently changed? In an effort avoid confusion with the Cheltenham Golf Open, the equestrian version opted to change its name to the Cheltenham Meeting in 2017.

Outside of the Cheltenham Festival, which takes place annually in March, the Open Cheltenham is the most important meet to take place at the Cheltenham Racecourse. It is built up as an early-season prelude to the festival in March, which is undoubtedly one of the biggest events, if not the biggest event, in the British horse racing.

Event Information:
First held: 1999
The Open Cheltenham logo The Open Cheltenham logo  The Cheltenham Racecourse opening bendThe turf at Cheltenham Racecourse
Top Prize: £160,000
Duration of Event: Three days
Track: Cheltenham Racecourse
Weight: Varied
Qualification: Varied
£30 Free Bet
  • Live streams shown
  • Form guides and tips
  • Special promotions
Full T&Cs apply. 18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £5 at odds 1/1+ within 7 days of registering, no cashout. Get 2x £10 Free Bets, set events at odds 1/1+. Plus a £10 Slot Bonus, selected games, wager 20x to withdraw max £250. 7 day bonus expiry. Card payments only. T&Cs apply. begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly.

The Open Cheltenham betting takes place over three days and features some top-feature races. The showcase event is the BetVictor Gold Cup, a Grade 3 National Hunt chase for horses of four-years-old or older. This race is worth around £160,000 – the winner normally takes home around £90,000 with the rest being divided among the winners – and has been won by a few big names, including the French-bred Al Ferof, the winner of seven major championships in his career with a career strike rate of 11 wins in 28 races.

The Story So Far

With the event first being held in 1999, The Open Cheltenham is a fairly new concept in British horse racing. All of the races in the festival were established in the mid 20th century or later, meaning that it doesn’t have quite the same cultural heritage as some of the other events we’ve reviewed. This hasn’t affected the public’s willingness to wager on the event, however, as The Open Cheltenham betting has become a major market for UK betting sites, with six-figure sums consistently being wagered at the track across the three days with a lot more wagered online!

Other noteworthy races that take place at The Open Cheltenham include the Greatwood Hurdle, a Grade 3 event for horses aged four years and above; the Sharp Novices’ Hurdle, a Grade 2 race of about 2 miles 110-yards and eight fences; the November Novices’ Chase, a Grade 2 National Hunt Chase of about two miles; and of course the feature race, the BetVictor Gold Cup, which is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 4½ furlongs.

Now that you’re clued up be sure to wager with one of the best The Open Cheltenham betting sites featured here on the page and get the very best value on the market! To read more fantastic reviews, head on over to our Horse Racing events hub.