Cheltenham Festival 2026: Free live follow as The Jukebox Man targets Gold Cup
The Jukebox Man, owned by Harry Redknapp, will attempt to be the first horse from British soil to win the Gold Cup since 2018 at the four-day Cheltenham Festival, and there is free live coverage for fans. The meeting runs from Tuesday 10 to Friday 13 March 2026, with seven races each day and 28 races in total. The Gold Cup is scheduled as the fifth race on Friday at 16: 00 GMT (12: 00 ET).
Free live coverage and how to follow
Organised live commentary will bring full race-by-race coverage across the four days, including the feature races and Gold Cup day. Presenters named for the coverage are Gina Bryce from Tuesday to Thursday and Mark Chapman on Friday. John Hunt will lead the commentary team, while former Gold Cup-winning jockeys Andrew Thornton and Paddy Brennan, alongside Welsh Grand National winner Charlie Poste, will provide analysis and insight. Fans can expect text commentaries, racecards and results updated throughout each day as the meeting unfolds.
Key races, daily schedule and ET times
The meeting runs Tuesday 10 to Friday 13 March 2026 with the first race each day listed at 13: 20 GMT (9: 20 ET). There are seven races daily — 28 in all — with the final race each day scheduled at 17: 20 GMT (1: 20 PM ET). The headline timings published for the meeting include:
– 13: 20 GMT — The Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (9: 20 ET)
– 14: 00 GMT — The Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy Steeple Chase (10: 00 ET)
– 14: 40 GMT — The McCoys Contractors Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race (10: 40 ET)
– 15: 20 GMT — The Trustmarque Ultima Handicap Chase (11: 20 ET)
– 16: 00 GMT — The Unibet Champion Hurdle (12: 00 ET) on Gold Cup day the feature Gold Cup sits as the fifth race at this slot
– 17: 20 GMT — The National Hunt Steeple Chase Challenge Cup (13: 20 ET)
Other named contests scheduled across the four days include the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, the BetMGM Cup Handicap Hurdle and the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Steeple Chase; organisers list those at the times shown in the programme.
Voices and form: what we know now
The Jukebox Man arrives at Cheltenham on the back of a King George VI Chase victory on Boxing Day. That win is central to connections’ hopes as the horse seeks to break the long run without a British-trained Gold Cup winner since 2018. Named members of the broadcast and analysis team are in place to guide viewers through the four days, with established former riders set to offer insight at key moments.
Quick context
The Cheltenham Festival is a four-day National Hunt meeting carrying seven races per day for a total of 28 contests. The 2026 meeting timetable places the Gold Cup as the fifth race on Friday at 16: 00 GMT (12: 00 ET).
What’s next
Attention now turns to final declarations and day-by-day confirmations as trainers name runners and the racecards crystallise; the meeting opens on Tuesday 10 March 2026. Expect updates to the running order, late withdrawals and expert analysis in the lead-up to each race, with continuous live commentary and results across the four days to track The Jukebox Man’s bid for Gold Cup glory.
