The oh-so popular meeting is now a four day festival and with more and more people betting online these days we have put together some fascinating facts about the famous occasion and a pointer as to where to use your free bets to the maximum.

1) If studying the form for the Gold Cup make sure your horse is 10-years-old or younger. No recent winner of Cheltenham's showcase race has been above this age.

2) Winners of the famous marathon hurdle race the World Hurdle tend to be serial winners. Check if your selection has won the race before. If not find out whether it has competed in the race in the past.

3) Irish-trained horses, although successful recently in the Gold Cup through Kicking King and War of Attrition, have not got such a good record in the race. English trained horses for some reason tend to do well in this event.

4) If looking for a free bet on the Triumph Hurdle on the closing day of the meeting then pay particular attention to those horses close to the head of the betting market. These are the horses who win!

5) An incredible 21 out of the last 24 winners of the Champion Hurdle was winners last time. Not got a 1 next to it's name then forget it!

6) The Supreme Novices Hurdle is open to horses aged four years and upwards, but 30 of the last 33 winners were aged five or six.

7 Only two Irish-trained horses have won the Royal and SunAlliance Chase in the past 20 years.

8) Ignore all tips before the Festival starts and especially once it is underway. Stick with your own gut feeling and be happy in the knowledge that all horses at Cheltenham will be trying their hearts out.

Bet Now at Betfair and get a free £25 bet on Cheltenham

 

Cheltenham Festival Free Bets