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Cheltenham Calendar

Here at FREEbets.org.uk we know that Cheltenham is to a punter what Christmas is to a child. Which is why we thought it only fair to create a Cheltenham Advent Calendar for the punter, to let you count down the days to the beginning of the Greatest Show on Turf. Why should the kids have all the fun?

We’ve teamed up with many of the top online bookmakers to bring you a series of exclusive enhanced odds, money-back specials, free bet giveaways and Cheltenham Festival tickets. Visit our Cheltenham Calendar in the days leading up to the Festival and find a new and unique offer behind each window.

The 2018 Cheltenham Festival Countdown Has Begun  

The Cheltenham Festival is Royal Ascot, Magaluf and Las Vegas all in one. It's a veritable feast of racing, drinking and gambling...all done in the best possible taste. It's a marathon not a sprint and it takes a huge effort to last the week of overindulgence. Backing a few winners or benefitting from some bookmaker offers takes the strain off the wallet and at Freebets.org we have your best interests at heart for the four days in jumps racing that matter most. 

National Hunt racing in the UK and Ireland features Graded races which are handicaps and conditions events for the best horses. Grade 1 races are for the cream and there are 39 during the season, 20 chases and 19 hurdle races. The importance of the Cheltenham Festival and the quality on show is reflected by the fact that there are 13 Grade 1 races at the meeting. That equates to one third of the top races over just four days. There are generally oversubscribed fields so you get quality and quantity. 

Some commentators believe Cheltenham is now too dominant and racing during the rest of the season suffers. It provides a wonderful climax and narrative to the season but its not the be all and end all. In fact there are now 11 Grade 1 contests at Aintree's Grand National meeting in April. Some horses are not entered at Cheltenham but run at Aintree. Both are left handed circuits but Cheltenham is undulating and Aintree is flat. Location wise they are also like chalk and cheese, rural and urban. 

Cheltenham related sites dominate sports sites in Google ranking during the first quarter. Positioning in the search engine listings is now the main indicator of importance. From January to March the major championship races at the Festival appear in millions of searches but we have all the bases covered here. From now until March there will be previews, statistics and trends to enhance your experience in addition to the Cheltenham Calendar which offers all sorts of goodies from February. 

But here are some betting facts about the 2017 Cheltenham Festival to whet your appetite: 

  • There were 10 graded chases
  • Five favourites obliged for a strike rate of 50%
  • Betting £100 on each favourite would have WON you £600.
  • That equates to a return on investment of 60%
  • There were 12 graded hurdle races
  • Two favourites obliged for a strike rate of 16.65%.
  • Betting £100 on each favourite would have LOST you £590.
  • That equates to a loss on investment of 49%.
  • So, ignore favourites in graded hurdle races but back the favourites in graded chases. 

Combining both disciplines produces the following outcomes: 

  • There were 22 graded races (excluding the bumper)
  • Seven favourites obliged for a strike rate of 32%
  • Betting £100 on each favourite would have WON you £10!
  • That equates to a return on investment of half a percent. 

If the battle between the punters and bookmakers revolves around the favourites it was just about honours even at the 2017 Cheltenham Festival. There were three odds-on favourites and two won. The average price of the winners of graded chases was 6/1 and for the equivalent hurdle races it was 13/1. The combined winning price for the two disciplines was 10/1. 

The countdown has begun for the 2018 Cheltenham Festival. Past results are not an indicator of future outcomes and there will be many twists and turns between now and March. Once Christmas is done and dusted excitement will rise to fever pitch and here you can enjoy loads of offers through the Cheltenham Calendar and plenty of news, analysis, stats and tips. Let the 2018 Cheltenham Festival party begin! 


Our Cheltenham advent calendar allows you to mark off the days until the beginning of the Cheltenham Festival with a new and exclusive betting offer each and every day. Over the course of the days leading up to the start of biggest meeting in world horse racing you’ll find the opportunity to get enhanced odds on a number of carefully selected horses, there’ll be free bets on the Gold Cup and other big races throughout the week, tickets to attend Prestbury Park and much, much more.

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