It’s the final day of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival and betting sites are gearing up for one last hurrah with a range of offers for the feature race of the meeting, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The Gold Cup is due off at 16:00 on Friday and the prize pot for this year’s race is a massive £625,000.
It’s one of the biggest races on the calendar and this year’s contest looks set to be fiercely contested with Gaelic Warrior leading the market on Cheltenham betting sites.
Bookmakers tend to roll out some good Gold Cup offers for the festival’s feature race and this year is no different with free bets, boosted odds, enhanced payouts, and extra places up for grabs.
Most horse racing betting sites will have a Gold Cup offer given the significance of the race, but there’s certainly a hierarchy of which ones are worth a punter’s time.
We’ve tried to select the Cheltenham Gold Cup offers from bookmakers that provide Best Odds Guaranteed, meaning punters can expect to receive the best price on any Gold Cup wagers as standard.
Here’s our pick for the best bookmakers when it comes to Cheltenham Gold Cup betting offers:
Paddy Power Gold Cup offers
Money back if 2nd, 3rd or 4th: Paddy Power are offering punters their money back as a free bet if their horse finishes second, third, or fourth in any race at Cheltenham on Friday, including the Gold Cup. Opt in to the promotion to unlock the money back token, which appears on the bet slip and must be selected when making a wager. Maximum £10 free bet refund.
Free bet for the Gold Cup: Paddy Power are giving bettors the chance to win a free bet for the Gold Cup via Paddy’s Wonder Wheel. Bettors get one free spin of the wheel each day during the festival, with prizes including free bets, scratch cards and cash.
Paddy’s Rewards Club: Regular bettors can unlock a free bet by wagering on Cheltenham via Paddy’s Rewards Club. Opt in and place a minimum of five bets, wagering at least £5 each time, to earn a free bet.
£40 sign-up offer: The Paddy Power sign-up offer is one of the best value welcome offers among online bookmakers. Wagering just £10 on any event after completing the sign-up process unlocks £40 in free bets, all of which can be used to bet on Cheltenham.
Bet365
Gaelic Warrior super boost: Bet365 have been running super boost offers throughout the festival and their super boost for the Gold Cup is to enhance Gaelic Warrior’s odds to finish in the top five to even-money (1/1) from 5/16. Maximum stake of £10.
£5 free bet: Bettors could be eligible for a £5 free bet for the Gold Cup by wagering on the opening race of the day, the Triumph Hurdle (13.20). Place a bet on that race and if your selection doesn’t win, bet365 will refund all losing wagers in free bets, up to a maximum of £5.
25% profit boost: Put together a bet builder for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and receive a 25 per cent winnings boost from bet365. The bet builder must feature three or more selections and have combined odds of evens. For bets placed each-way, the boost will be applied to the win part of the selection only.
Bet365 welcome offer: New customers can claim £30 in free bets to use on the Cheltenham Gold Cup via the current bet365 sign up offer. Just sign up, make a first deposit of £10 and wager at least £10 on any event on the bet365 sportsbook to unlock £30 in free bets, which can be used on any sport.
LiveScore Bet Gold Cup offers
Free Gold Cup bet: Bettors can claim a free bet for the Cheltenham Gold Cup by wagering on the first race of the day on Friday. Those who bet on the JCD Triumph Hurdle (13.20) will receive a free bet, the value of which will be personalised to each bettor, but will range from between £1 and £50.
£30 welcome bonus: The LiveScore Bet welcome offer is a bet £10, get £30 in free bets promotion, with £20 of that bonus available to wager on the Gold Cup. Sign up, deposit £10 and bet £10 on any sports market at odds of evens or more to secure £30 in free bets that are paid out within 24 hours of settlement of your qualifying wager. £20 can be spent on any market on the LiveScore Bet sportsbook, while the other £10 is only eligible for wagering on football bet builders.
Tote Gold Cup offers
Money back as a free bet: Tote are giving bettors their money back in free bets on every race at Cheltenham if their selection finishes second in any race, including the Gold Cup.
Stayers Club: Join Tote’s Stayers Club to earn up to £10 in free bets. The free bets can be used on the Gold Cup, or you could wager on the Gold Cup as part of your qualifying bets for the week. Stayers Club members also receive placepot insurance and a free 50p Placepot each day of Cheltenham.
Bet £10, get £40 in free bets: Open an account with Tote and wager £10 on racing pools to qualify for £30 in racing and Cheltenham Gold Cup free bets. The free bets are split into a £20 Tote credit, a £10 free sports bet and 2 x £5 free football accumulator bets.
QuinnBet Gold Cup offers
Free bet if second to SP favourite: QuinnBet are running a specialised Cheltenham Gold Cup offer, and punters looking to take on the favourite may want to take advantage of their money back Gold Cup offer. If your horse finishes second to the starting price favourite in any race at Cheltenham, QuinnBet will refund your stake in free bets up to a maximum of £10.
£5 free bet: Spend £25 or more on accumulators (3 or more selections), racing Yankees or Lucky 15s (2 or more selections), all at combined odds of 6/4 or bigger and receive a £2.50 free bet. Spend a total of £50 on those types of multiples and QuinnBet will credit you with a £5 free bet token.
Winnings boost: Include the Gold Cup in any forecast, tricast, or Yankee bet, and if it wins, QuinnBet will credit punters with a 10 per cent bonus. Each selection must have odds of 3/10 or greater, and the bonus will be credited as free bets.
BetVictor Gold Cup offers
Run for your money: In another specialised Cheltenham Gold Cup betting offer, BetVictor will issue cash refunds if your selection is deemed to have lost any chance of winning at the start of the race. That means if your horse were to refuse or whip around at the start, fail to come out or lose all chance at the stalls, you could be in line to receive your stake back.
£20 in Free Bets: The BetVictor sign up offer rewards new customers with £20 in horse racing free bets that can be used on the Gold Cup after depositing and betting £10.
Betfred Gold Cup offers
£40 in Free Bets: The Betfred sign-up offer is one of the biggest available at UK betting sites with £40 in free bets awarded to new customers who sign up, deposit and bet a minimum of £10. That £40 bonus is split into £20 in free sports bets and £20 in accumulator bets and all can be wagered on the Gold Cup, should a punter choose.
Bet £10, get £10 in free bets: Get £10 in free bets for the Gold Cup by opting in and wagering a minimum of £10 on Friday’s opening race, the Triumph Hurdle. Once the qualifying bet has settled, free bets will be credited the same day to use on the Gold Cup.
Free bet if 2nd: Get your money back as a free bet if your selection finishes second in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Maximum free bet refund of £10.
5x The Odds: Place a Cheltenham Lucky 15, 31 or 63 that includes the Gold Cup and if you only have one winner on your combination bet, you’ll receive up to 5x the odds on the sole winner.
Unibet Gold Cup offers
Money back on opening race: Bettors can get their money back in cash if their horse finishes second or third in the opening race of Gold Cup day. Opt in before placing your wager, and bettors are entitled to a £10 cash refund if their selection finishes in the top three but doesn’t win.
Uniboost: Boost the odds of your Cheltenham Gold Cup selection by using one of the three Uniboost odds tokens available each day of the Festival. There is a maximum bet value of £20.
Bet £20, get £40 in free bets: New Unibet customers can secure £40 in free racing bets to wager on the Gold Cup when they register and opt in to the racing welcome bonus. To qualify, open an account, opt in to the offer, deposit £20 or more using a debit card and bet the same amount on racing.
Bettors should always gamble responsibly, especially during Cheltenham Festival when there’s an uptick in betting offers. You should always stick to a budget and never exceed it.
Anyone can lose a bet, even if they know a lot about horse racing. Never chase your losses. Always remain in control of your time and budget.
Bettors should use responsible gambling tools provided by gambling sites such as deposit limits, loss limits and self-exclusion among others. These principles should apply whether you are using casino sites, slot sites, bingo sites, or any other gambling medium.
In the UK there are a number of gambling addiction charities ready and prepared to help you with counselling, support groups and practical advice on how to help you recover if you do lose control:
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