THE biggest week in the National Hunt calendar is finally here, bringing 28 breathless races and endless opportunities for punters at Prestbury Park as the 2026 Cheltenham Festival gets underway.
Tuesday’s Champion Day card sets the tone for a truly classic week of jumps racing. Whether you are hunting for a banker or looking to uncover a massive handicap plot, there is plenty of value to be found on day one.
You can attack Tuesday’s brilliant card with a top-tier welcome package. New customers can grab £30 in Free Bets when they sign up with the Midnite promo code and place a £10 bet on the action.
The offer for Cheltenham Festival Day 1
Sign up before the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle kicks off at 1:20pm, and you can secure a versatile £30 bonus package perfect for the week ahead.
- Bet £10 > Get £30 in Free Bets
- The Breakdown: You will receive 1 x £10 Single Free Bet, 3 x £5 Bet Builder Vouchers, and 1 x £5 Accumulator Voucher. (Note: While builders/accas are great for football, your £10 single is perfect for a Festival flutter!)
- Code required: Ensure you use BETGET30 during registration.
To trigger the offer, simply register using the code, deposit £10, and place a bet on the match (min odds Evens/2.0).
The betting angle: Hunting the Tuesday value
While the Champion Hurdle grabs the headlines, the real betting value often lies elsewhere on the card.
In the Grade 1 Arkle Novices’ Chase (2:00pm), the stats are heavily stacked against the favourite Kopek Des Bordes. Instead, Nicky Henderson’s Lulamba looks like the standout bet. This strapping five-year-old boasts a flawless three-from-three record over fences, including an absolute demolition job in Grade 1 novice company. He stays incredibly well, and no one will be finishing as strongly as him up the famous Cheltenham hill.
If you are looking to swing for the fences in the notoriously tricky handicaps, Henry de Bromhead’s Zurich looks massively overpriced in the Plate Handicap Chase (4:40pm).
Course form is absolutely vital in this race, and Zurich is already a proven course-and-distance winner from the October meeting. He got bogged down in tacky ground last time out at Doncaster, but returning to a track he loves on vastly improved ground conditions makes him a phenomenal each-way prospect.
- The Banker: Lulamba to win the Arkle Novices’ Chase.
- The Longshot: Zurich (each-way) to win the Plate Handicap Chase.
How to use the Midnite promo code
- Click here to visit the Midnite offer page.
- Register your account using the code BETGET30.
- Deposit £10 via debit card (Note: Apple Pay deposits are fast, but debit cards are best for unlocking offers).
- Place a £10 bet on any Cheltenham Day 1 race at odds of Evens (2.0) or greater.
- Win or lose, you will receive £30 in rewards once your bet settles.
📺 How to watch Cheltenham Festival Day 1
- Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2026
- First Race: 1:20pm GMT
- Feature Race: Champion Hurdle (4:00pm GMT)
- TV Channel: ITV1 (Live coverage from 1:00pm) & Racing TV
- Streaming: ITVX App
About the author
Craig Mahood
Craig Mahood is an expert in sports betting and online casinos and has worked with the company since 2020. He joined the Betting & Gaming team at The Sun in June 2022 and works closely with the leading bookmakers and online gaming companies to provide content on all areas of sports betting and gaming. He previously worked as a Digital Sports Reporter at the Scottish Sun, covering Scottish football with particular focus on Celtic and Rangers, As well as football, he has covered horse racing, boxing, darts, the Olympics and tennis for the Sun.
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