Cheltenham Festival 2026 - Day 2 (Ladies Day) Overview

Wednesday 11 March 2026 is day 2 of the Cheltenham Festival. Day 2 is also known as Ladies Day or Style Wednesday. Ladies days see the racecard stacked with another seven races that begin at 1:20pm.

The highlight of day 2 is the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase at 16:00pm, Each race day has at least one headline race that bookies and punters focus on. These types of races often provide some good Cheltenham Matched Betting opportunities.

Cheltenham 2026 Day 2 Race Schedule

1:20pm – Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)

The opening fixture of Cheltenham day 2 festival is the Turners Novices’ Hurdle, registered as the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle.

Raced over 2 miles 5 furlongs, this race is considered to be the premium race for novice hurdlers during the jumps season. This race is known for identifying future talent and is the perfect race for top-class hurdlers to show their worth.

The racecard features a huge field with over 50 entrants looking to run to victory over 10 hurdles.

You should expect to see a really competitive race as trainers use this race as a springboard to competing in big staying hurdle races later in the season.

2:00pm – The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)

The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (previously known as the RSA Chase) is race number two on Ladies Day.

The race covers just over 3 miles and is considered to be the premium race for staying novice chasers during the jumps season. This race is the equivalent of the Cheltenham Gold Cup but for novices. Several previous winners have gone on to win in the Gold Cup later on including Lord Windermere and Denman.

With a prize pot of £112,540 this race isn’t taken lightly and you can expect to see some big named trainers such as Willy Mullins, Gordon Elliot and Henry De Bromhead entering their horses. In fact, you can expect current Jump Trainers’ champion Mullins to load this race with his horses.

The 3 mile trip with 20 rolling fences will definitely test the technique and stamina of the competitors.

2:40pm – The Coral Cup Hurdle (The Cup Handicap Hurdle)

The third race of the day is the Coral Cup, a Premier Handicap hurdle.

Ran over 2 miles 5 furlongs, the race encounters 10 hurdles with a maximum of 26 runners. The Coral Cup is more about value and chaos than it is pedigree.

Thought of as one of the most competitive races at the meeting, in the last 10 years, this race has only produced one winner with single figure odds.

History tells us that this race is unpredictable and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some upsets. This makes the Coral Cup Hurdle ideal for each way betting.

3:20pm – The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Steeple Chase

The Cross Country Chase is the quirkiest race you’ll see at the Cheltenham Festival and arguably a favourite amongst the punters. The horses encounter different obstacles and fences on the cross country section before heading back on to the main course for the end of the race. 

The Cross Country Chase was a conditions race for many years but reverted back to a handicap status last year because it wasn’t competitive enough. They have also amended the weight range to 20lb to try and attract higher level chasers.

The race requires endurance and discipline as the competitors encounter variable terrain and sharp turns. It’s definitely a race that keeps the crowd entertained.

4:00pm – The BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1) – The Feature Race

Each day at the Cheltenham festival, there’s a championship race that is the main race of the day. The Queen Mother Champion Chase is the feature race for day 2 of the festival.

This is the most prestigious event in the jumps season for two mile chasers and attracts highly rated grade 1 horses.

Raced over 2 miles with 13 fences, this race will require a bit of everything. The distance will demand some endurance but it needs to be combined with precision and a big enough engine to find some acceleration at the end of the race.

Racing fans will see plenty of familiar horses lined up for this one including Jonbon, Il Etait Temps and previous winners, Captain Guinness and Marine Nationale.

4:40pm – The Grand Annual Handicap Steeple Chase Challenge Cup (Premier Handicap)

Also known as the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase, this race has the oldest history of any at the Cheltenham Festival.

This penultimate race of day two is run over an extended 2 miles and encounters 13 hurdles. You can be assured that the horses will be run at a fierce pace and tends to attract two mile handicap specialists.

Due to safety concerns, the BHA reduced the maximum amount of runners from 24 to 20 in 2019.

Interestingly, only two horses have ever won this event twice (Top Twenty and Dulwich). Therefore, make your decisions wisely as to whether this race is suited to single or each way bets.

5:20pm – The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Grade 1)

Day 2 of the Cheltenham Festival will conclude with the Champion Bumper. This is a highly regarded Grade 1 National Hunt race for horses aged four to six years old.

This race is the only race at the festival that doesn’t have any fences or hurdles. Therefore, punters can expect a combination of both stamina and speed over the extended 2 mile race.

The Champion Bumper is specifically for horses that haven’t started jumping yet and has involved plenty of previous entrants that have gone on to become top-class chasers and hurdlers.

Matched Betting at Cheltenham - Why Day 2 Matters

The Cheltenham Festival is massive in the UK racing calendar and attracts interest from all over the globe. This can help make it lucrative for those doing Matched Betting.

Because the event is so popular and so much money is bet on the event, bookies clamber over each other to attract customers. This can lead to extra places, odds boosts and generous offers.

Keep an eye out for special offers in the main race of day 2, The Queen Mother Champion Chase.

All the Outplayed members will be provided with details of all of the offers related to Cheltenham 2026. We’ll also give you instructions on how to complete them to try and make this the most profitable Cheltenham Festival yet.