Written by
Chris Flavell
Last time updated
08/30/2024
The Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of the jumps racing season in the UK. The event is also well covered by Australia’s best bookies. We have picked out the best Cheltenham Festival betting sites for you.
Aussie’s love their horse racing and the best online betting sites have everything covered, even for these top international meetings on the other side of the globe. We considered many factors when ranking the best.
There is plenty of choice for Cheltenham Festival betting sites but, in the end, we have ranked the brilliant bet365 as our number one option for this particular meeting. Unibet, Palmerbet and Betr should still be considered but it was hard for them to match the overall package bet365 has to offer.
If it’s long-range futures or competitive odds on the day of the race you want, bet365 has you covered. They price up Festival markets ahead of most competitors and are always among the first to go ‘non-runner no bet’ for the famous meeting.
It is not just competitive odds and a wide selection of markets that sets them apart. When you throw in their excellent live streaming, impressive app and additional betting offers, it’s easy to see why so many people pick them when looking to place their Cheltenham wagers.
A top Australian bookie app will give you access to Cheltenham Festival oddsfrom wherever you are. You can put your stake down on the horses you want, watch them in action, and cash out your winnings even when on the move.
When it comes to betting site apps it is hard to overlook bet365’s offering. As we have said, they are our number one choice for betting on the Festival and a big part of that decision was what their app offers customers too.
It is simple to navigate and makes betting from your mobile device as quick and easy as it could possibly be. It is also available for both Android and iOS devices.
The bet365 app is easy to use and is available on both iOS and Android devices. When teamed up with this bookie’s excellent live streaming offering it is a great feature for racing fans.
How to Place a Cheltenham Festival Bet
Betting on this exciting jumps meeting is simple. You can get your wager on in a matter of minutes once you have signed up with one of our recommended bookies.
Here is our quickguide to show you how simple the process is:
1
Choose an Aussie bookmaker from our recommended list
2
Register your details to open the account
3
Check out Cheltenham bonus offers
4
Deposit funds to your new account
5
Search for the latest Festival odds
6
Select your horse and enter your stake
Cheltenham Festival Odds
It’s vital to locate the best Cheltenham Festival betting odds ahead of this popular meeting. Different horse racing betting sites will be offering different odds on the same races, so make sure you get on at the best price you can!
Joining a bookie you know caters to the Festival will give you quick access to all the odds. This means you can monitor market moves and then compare them with other bookies.
Another key element to getting the best price is betting on your selection at the right time. Antepost or Futures betting is very popular ahead of the Cheltenham Festival and a number of key trial races will impact the price considerably.
Odds Comparison
There is no better way for us to underline the need to shop around for the best price than to show you ourselves.
Backing at a bigger price with one bookie can significantly increase any winnings should your selection power home in front. Multiply this over more and more races across the four days of the Festival and it becomes a very worthwhile exercise.
We looked at the top 10 in the Gold Cup betting market to highlight how prices can differ between bookies. Others are available at bigger prices and odds will shift closer to the race.
As you can see, if you think Fastorslow can beat short-priced favourite Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup 2024 then you’d be better to back him with bet365 instead of Unibet.
The Cheltenham Festival boasts a huge number of races you can bet on. Seven races per day across four days. It isn’t easy to find winners or even spot value prices hidden among big fields and competitive championship events.
Our experts have highlighted their top Cheltenham Festival tips ahead of the next event in 2024. These include predictions for the big championship races as well as a few other selection across the meeting.
Betting Strategy for The Festival
As well as following our tips, you can also boost your chances of finding your own Festival winners by following some important pointers:
Festival Form – Cheltenham is a pretty unique test of a horse’s ability. Its undulating track and uphill finish make it a testing course. It means horses that do well here are often able to repeat their wins. Look for horses with a proven track record.
Getting the Trip – Another element to consider is knowing that your horse is capable of seeing out the distance they are going to be racing at. That Cheltenham hill can find a few horses out, so knowing your pick as proven stamina is another positive.
Workable Mark – If you are going to find the winner of a big Cheltenham handicap race then you are going to have to be on something that is ahead of the handicapper. That means spotting horses that have improvement in them or have dropped to a handicap mark they can exploit.
Trainer Form – How well are a trainer’s other horses running at present? In racing you often see trainers hit a hot streak when their horses all seem in good health and are running good races. Check this before betting.
Past Race Analysis – Reading the form of a horse’s past results is the best way of understanding how good they are or could potentially be. If their last race has produced a host of winners the next time they ran then there is a good chance your selection can follow suit.
Popular Betting Markets
So many different races means a huge range of different betting markets. These could be available months before the first race or just open the night before the action.
Let us talk you through some of the most popular Cheltenham Festival bets you can make.
As mentioned previously, these bets get more and more popular. It involves backing horses weeks or even months before the actual event.
The ante-post markets for the Festival are likely to be available on bet365 and Unibet ahead of others but the likes of Palmerbet and Betr will also have them as the meeting nears.
This is a great way of backing horses at much bigger prices than you will get on the day, especially if your horse wins a few key races in the build-up to their Cheltenham target.
Be aware that these Futures Bets are ‘All-in’ which means you will lose your stake if the horse isn’t declared to run.
Non-runner no bet
Some bookies eventually offer ‘non-runner no bet’ on the Cheltenham Festival. This means that your ante-post bets can be made safe in the knowledge that you will get your stake returned should your horse fail to line up on the day.
This offer usually starts with the main championship races before the others follow suit later on.
Win/Place/Each-way Betting
The most popular and most straightforward bet to place on Cheltenham races.
Win and place bets are self-explanatory but each-way wagers are a mix of them both. They are classed as two bets in one and cost double the initial stake.
If your horse wins you will get paid out on the win part of the bet and the place part as well.
Remember, some Aussie bookies will give you the opportunity to bet on the National Tote market too, which sees winning bets returned at the best price across all three Totes. This is better for bigger-priced, less-fancied selections.
Without the Favourite
You can get some very short-priced favourites from time to time, so some people like to bet without the favourite. This sees bookies price up a new market that doesn’t include the favourite in the prices.
It means your horse needs to beat everything else in the race for you to collect. Do note that if you also happen to beat the favourite you will only get the price you took for this particular market rather than the bigger-priced general odds.
This could be a good wager if you really believe the favourite is going to win the race with ease, otherwise, a tentative each-way play could be better.
Exacta/Quinella/Trifecta
Fancy your chances at predicting the first and second horses home? Then this is for you. An exacta requires you to predict the correct order of the first two horses, while a Quinella requires the first two in any order. To land a Trifecta you need to correctly pick the first three.
In such competitive races, it is hard enough to pick the winner, let alone the first two. That said, this does come with much bigger odds if you can get it right.
Accumulator Bets
Some punters enjoy picking the winners of two or three races across the Festival programme and putting them in doubles or trebles to boost their possible winnings. These are known as accumulators or multi bets.
You can do this with as many selections as you like but all it takes is one leg to lose for you to lose your stake, regardless of if the others all go on to take victory. Putting two of your most fancied picks together in a double is not a bad idea though. We enjoy doing this in the hope of a big win.
Live Betting
It is not easy to place live bets online with general Aussie bookies. Regulations mean you need to get a code from the website and call up to place your wager over the phone.
For horse racing, even this is not possible at present. They will allow it for some sports but not racing. If this changes with any of our recommended bookies, we will be sure to inform you as soon as possible.
The only way to make this possible is by trying the Betfair Exchange. Because this site works by betting against fellow punters it means the same regulations don’t apply. It is the number one option for placing live bets online in Australia.
This is the only bookie in Australia where you can place live bets online without having to pick up the phone to get your wager accepted. If placing in-play bets on the Cheltenham Festival is important to your betting then this is the place to go.
One of the biggest draws of joining an online betting site in Australia is that you can take advantage of live streaming with the very best.
This is also the case when it comes to the Cheltenham Festival. You can watch all the action as it happens as long as you have an active account and positive balance.
When it comes to live streaming of the Cheltenham Festival, you need look no further than bet365 or Unibet. Both have excellent streaming services that should have everything you require.
The best bookies will offer punters a range of betting bonuses, especially when they register a new account. You may want to use any bonuses or free bets when betting on the Cheltenham Festival so make sure you check the promotions section of the bookmaker you join.
Betting regulations in Australia prevent bookies from advertising their offers to potential customers. Just because you can’t see them it doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Instead, you should pick your preferred betting sites based on other factors we have already discussed, such as live streaming or best betting app.
The Cheltenham Festival is the main jumps racing meeting in the UK and is held every year in March at Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire.
There are now a total of 28 races over four action-packed days, including prestigious Grade One races the Champions Hurdle, Stayers’ Hurdle, Champions Chase and Gold Cup.
Cheltenham Championship Races
The Cheltenham Festival has plenty of topraces to bet on. Each day top championship races, competitive handicaps, and a host of novice events will fill the card.
However, for each day of the Festival, there is one feature race that is the pinnacle of that particular distance and discipline and draws the most betting interest.
🥇 Champion Hurdle – This is the championship race for 2m hurdlers. It is the highlight of day 1 of the March Festival meeting.
🥇 Queen Mother Champion Chase – This is the main race for 2m chasers. Fast-paced with a premium on slick jumping, this is a thrilling contest on day 2.
🥇 Stayers’ Hurdle – This sees the best 3m hurdlers do battle on day 3. As the name suggests, stamina is key to this contest.
🥇 Gold Cup – The most sought-after prize in National Hunt Racing alongside the Grand National. All eyes are on the best 3m chasers on the fourth and final day of the Festival.
Summary
The Cheltenham Festival is a feast of jumps racing action that is popular across the world, not just in the United Kingdom and Ireland. As such the best bookies in Australia will also offer odds for the event. We have rated and reviewed the best choices to come up with a list of the best Cheltenham Festival betting sites for Aussie punters.
We have considered many different factors when compiling our list, including the standard of betting apps, live streaming, quality of odds and range of markets.
We believe that bet365 is the best Cheltenham Festival betting site. There are plenty of others to pick from so check out our top recommendations
What is the best Cheltenham Festival betting site in Australia?
We think bet365 is a great choice for betting on all races at the Cheltenham Festival. We have rated it as our number one recommendation. That doesn’t mean Unibet, Palmerbet or another on our list of the best Cheltenham Festival bookies won’t suit you as well.
Where are the best Cheltenham Festival odds?
The best Australian betting sites will bring you all the latest odds for the Cheltenham Festival. It pays to shop around for the best prices for each race and make sure you have the highest odds for your horse.
How do I place a Cheltenham Festival bet?
It is quick and easy to bet on any race at the Cheltenham Festival. Once you have signed up with your chosen bookie it will only be a few simple steps to putting down your wager. We have compiled a step-by-step guide to help you through this process.
Can I watch live Cheltenham Festival streaming?
Yes, the best bookies will provide a live streaming service for the Cheltenham Festival. We recommend bet365 or Unibet for this.
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