Cheltenham Festival 2025 LIVE: Day 2 tips and latest odds after snow hits course – UK Times

Sir Alex Ferguson spent a sporting career picking up trophies and it remains a trait he has maintained throughout his retirement.

The most decorated manager British football has ever seen has also enjoyed a successful link with horse racing stretching back decades, although unlike his management career, it hasn’t always been plain sailing.

A much-publicised 2003 dispute with Coolmore supremo John Magnier over unpaid stud fees regarding 2,000 Guineas winner Rock Of Gibraltar, ended in an ugly public row with matters complicated still further by Magnier and business partner JP McManus holding a near quarter share in Manchester United at the time.

The previously unbeaten hurdler, who was the odds-on favourite for the race of the day, looked poised to win, only to suffer a hard fall under jockey Nico de Boinville.

The dramatic race then looked set for a repeat of 2024 when State Man claimed the win, but Paul Townend was unable to successfully negotiate the last hurdle and also crashed out, leaving Golden Ace to pick up the shock win.

You can secure access for days two and three of the festival through a daily Club Enclosure ticket at £100.80, while Friday is more expensive at £117.90.

Tattersalls tickets will cost you £71.10 on each of the first three days, but Gold Cup day is up at £84.60.

The cheapest way to experience the festival is through the Best Mate enclosure with a day ticket priced at £51.30, while Friday will set you back £67.50.

All details can be found with tickets available to purchase through the Jockey Club here.

You can watch the first six races of each day at the Cheltenham Festival with the ITV1 broadcast, while full coverage of the meet, including the final race of each day is only available through a Racing TV subscription.

Both ITV and Racing TV provide live streams for the coverage through their apps and websites, while fans can of course tune on via the traditional television broadcast.

Several online betting sites will also be streaming the event, but in most cases a funded betting account is required.

The Cheltenham Festival starts on Tuesday, 11 March and concludes on Friday, 14 March. Fans will be glued to 28 races over four days, with seven races per day, including 13 races run over fences across the week, 13 over hurdles plus a bumper (flat race) and a cross-country chase.

The shortest run is a little under two miles, while the longest races almost reach four miles. Fans will look out for 13 of the races run at Grade 1 standard, while five are run as Grade 2s, six Grade 3s and the other four being Listed.

The first race is scheduled for 1:20pm GMT each day, with the final race starting at 5:20pm.

Golden Ace’s trainer Jeremy Scott said: “I think my team at home will be as flabbergasted as I am – they’ll definitely be reaching for the drinks cabinet. It’s amazing, absolutely amazing. I hope both Constitution Hill and poor old State Man are alright [both horses were fine].

“We’re lucky, we can give our horses time; my wife and family are all involved. Camilla does a lot of the work at home and she has the patience of a saint and she’s the genius, rather than me.

“Lorcan (Williams, jockey) is part of the team and we work really well together. He’s not had an easy season, as we haven’t really, and he’s just such a good horseman and he’s a good mate, so it’s really nice to do this. Give me a pinch and make sure this isn’t a dream!”

1.20: Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1 )

Winner: Kopek Des Bordes (4/6F); 2) William Munny (8/1); 3) Romeo Coolio (9/2)

2.00: My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)

Winner: Jango Baie (5/1); 2) Only By Night (25/1); 3) Majborough (1/2F)

2.40: Ultima Handicap Chase (Grade 3)

Winner: Myretown (13/2); 2) The Changing Man (7/1F); 3) Malina Girl (14/1)

3.20: Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1)

Winner: Lossiemouth (4/6F); 2) Jade De Grugy (5/1); 3) Take No Chances (22/1)

Winner: Golden Ace (25/1); 2) Burdett Road (66/1); 3) Winter Fog (150/1)

4.40: Boodles Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3)

Winner: Puturhandstogether (17/2); 2) Robbies Rock 50/1; 3) Liam Swagger (12/1 )

5.20: National Hunt Chase

Winner: Haiti Couleurs (7/2F), Rock My Way (16/1), Will Do (12/1)

The winner of yesterday’s champion race was Golden Ace after Constitution Hill and State Man both feel.

Jockey Lorcan Williams, who claimed his first ever Grade 1 win in the race yesterday, said: “I cannot believe it. She wasn’t travelling as well as I wanted in the latter part of the race; all I was thinking was that we could do with a bit further, then I thought, ‘We’re staying on well for second’, and things happened started to happen.

“I’m absolutely thrilled for the Jeremy Scott [Golden Ace’s trainer] team; it’s a massive team effort to come here and I’m lost for words as to what a pleasure it is to get it done.

“Getting to the line, I was just thinking, ‘I hope it comes pretty soon!’ I promise you, I did not know what to expect and nothing compares to how I am feeling now.

“I hope this day will never end. I’m shell shocked – every time I have come here and got a winner, it’s been a dream come true for me. To be a part of it is one thing – to end up winning here is another. I’m just grateful to be a part of it.”

The Jockey Club and course management team at Cheltenham have made some changes to the festival this year to improve the experience for spectators heading to the racecourse this week.

To aid the smooth arrival and departure of racegoers, the largest deployment of hard ‘trackway’ ever in Europe has been laid in the grass car parks with 18,000 aluminium trackway panels covering an area of 129,600 square metres.

Those will come in handy today with the snow wetting the ground and making it muddy.

A new park and ride system has also been launched with around 1,000 spaces available and the Jockey Club has partnered with National Express to offer coach travel direct to Cheltenham Racecourse from more than 20 pick-up locations, doubling the number of coaches running to the venue.​

In March every year jockeys, trainers, owners and fans flock to Prestbury Park for the ultimate horseracing show as the Cheltenham Festival brings the National Hunt jump racing season to a thrilling conclusion.

Each day there’s a champion race, with Tuesday hosting the Champion Hurdle, Wednesday the Queen Mother Champion Chase, Thursday the Stayers’ Hurdle and Friday culminating with the Cheltenham Gold Cup.