🐎 Cheltenham Festival · Starts Tuesday 16 March 2027
Cheltenham
Festival
Sweepstake 2027
A Cheltenham Festival sweepstake gives each person in your group a random horse for a race, such as the Gold Cup or Champion Hurdle, and the winner is whoever draws the winning horse. SquadGames is adding free horse-draw sweepstakes for the Festival, so you can run one for any race with friends. The 2027 Festival starts on Tuesday 16 March.
Cheltenham Festival 2027 Key Facts
Starts
Tuesday 16 March 2027
Length
Four days
Venue
Cheltenham Racecourse
Biggest race
Gold Cup (traditionally Friday)
The Headline Races
- Champion Hurdle — traditionally the opening day, Tuesday.
- Queen Mother Champion Chase — traditionally Wednesday.
- Stayers' Hurdle — traditionally Thursday.
- Cheltenham Gold Cup — traditionally the final day, Friday.
Check the racecourse's official schedule for confirmed race days and times closer to the Festival.
How to Run a Cheltenham Sweepstake
- 1Download SquadGamesFree on iOS and Android. Sign in with Google, Apple or your phone number.
- 2Create your squadName it after your group chat, family or office team.
- 3Invite everyoneShare the invite link into WhatsApp or add people from your contacts.
- 4Let the draw happenEveryone is drawn at random. No hat, no spreadsheet, no arguments about fairness.
- 5Watch and cheerFollow the action together and see who wins the bragging rights.
Fields Are Smaller Than the Grand National
Festival races usually have fewer runners than the Grand National, so a big group can run out of horses. Either give some people more than one horse, or run a separate sweepstake for each big race so everyone gets a go. Final runners are declared in the days before each race, so do the draw once they are confirmed.
If you are planning ahead, our Grand National sweepstake guide covers the April race (Saturday 10 April 2027).
Free, With No Money Involved
SquadGames is a no-money, no-gambling app, so the prize is bragging rights. If your office adds a small prize, handle that separately and keep it friendly.
Frequently Asked Questions
The 2027 Festival starts on Tuesday 16 March and runs for four days at Cheltenham Racecourse.
SquadGames is adding free horse-draw sweepstakes for the Cheltenham Festival ahead of the 2027 meeting.
Any race. The big ones are the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Stayers' Hurdle and the Gold Cup.
Give some people two horses, or run separate sweepstakes for different races.
Yes. There are no entry fees and no real money involved.
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