Mullins Magic in March: Best Betting Sites for the Cheltenham Festival and Lucky 15 Selections

Amidst a sea of 2026 sporting highlights, the magnificent Cheltenham Festival sails into view in its traditional March slot. Four days of action and 28 quality contests lie in wait to light up the lives of horse racing fans once more. Tuesday, 10 March, is the date in the diary for the start of the meeting around which the jumping world revolves.

When it comes to thrills, spills, and the sheer class of the stars on show, this March marvel never disappoints. Happily, the ever-willing bookmakers are always ready to enhance the entertainment with an array of promotions and offers. Here, we highlight a selection of the best value bonuses for the Cheltenham Festival. Finally, using analysis presented by NewBettingSites.uk, we pick out a Lucky 15 bet using runners hailing from the yard of the most successful trainer in Cheltenham Festival history.

Cheltenham Festival 2026: Great Value Welcome Offers

For racing fans, there is no better time to boost the betting bankroll than ahead of the most spectacular meeting of the year. Happily, those looking to add some ammo to their Cheltenham Festival attack aren’t short of options. From a raft of appealing sign-up bonuses, the following represent great value and are brought to you by operators renowned for their excellent horse racing product:

• Tote – Bet £10 to Get £40 in Free Bets - Sign up using Code: B10G40F to take advantage of this Cheltenham Offer. Having opened an account, stake £10 at odds of Evs (2.0) or greater to receive £20 Tote Credit, a £10 Free Bet, and 2 x £5 Football Acca Free Bets.
• BetMGM – Bet £10 to Get £40 in Free Bets - BetMGM are also rolling out the red carpet for the Cheltenham Festival with this top value deal. Open a new account and place a bet of £10 or more at odds of Evs (2.0) to receive 2 x £10 Sports Free Bets and 2 x £10 Free Bet Builder Bets
• BestOdds – Bet £20 to Get £25 in Free Bets - BestOdds are living up to their name by offering the Best Odds on EVERY runner in the feature race on each day of the Cheltenham Festival! Sign up using Code: 20x5fb and place a bet of £20 or more at odds of Evs or greater to receive 5 x £5 Free Bets
• Sporting Index – Bet £10 to Get £60 Free Bets - This simply outstanding deal comes from one of the leading Fixed Odds and Spread Betting operators. Bet £10 at odds of 1/2 (1.50) or greater to get 3 x £10 Free Fixed Odds Bets, 3 x £5 Free Total Goals Football Spread Bets, 3 x £5 Free Winning Favourites Spread Bets, and a £1 Free Race Index Spread Bet
• Highbet – Bet £10 to Get £30 in Free Bets - An excellent option for racing fans, Highbet run a Racing Club that gives you a chance to earn 3 x £3 Free Bets every week. Sign up and stake £10 at odds of Evs (2.0) or greater to get 2 x £10 Horse Racing Free Bets and 1 x £10 Football Acca Free Bet.

See the relevant operator sites for a full list of terms and conditions for all offers.

Make it Mullins: 2026 Cheltenham Festival Lucky 15 Selections

There are many angles to take when approaching the Cheltenham Festival. In recent years, one of the most successful strategies has been to simply side with the Irish runners – specifically those hailing from the yard of Willie Mullins.

Of course, it isn’t quite as simple as backing everything Mullins sends to Prestbury Park - at the time of writing, the Closutton colossus boasted over 130 entries across the four days! However, with a little research and reading between the lines of which runners are likely to appear in which races, we have placed our faith in the following Mullins-trained quartet.

Tuesday, 10 March – 1:20 Skybet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

We will kick things off in the opening event on Day 1. Market leader Old Park Star and the speedy El Cairos from the Gordon Elliott operation make the shortlist, while Talk The Talk looks a solid each-way option. However, no horse in the field has impressed us as much as the JP McManus-owned Mighty Park. By one of our favourite sires in Walk In The Park, he appeared to only be doing a half-speed on yard debut at Fairyhouse, yet still scored by 38 lengths. This demands more, but the visual impression of that outing, paired with his owner/trainer/sire combo suggest Mighty Park may be something a little out of the ordinary.

• Recommended Bet - Mighty Park to Win @ 11/4 with Sporting Index

Tuesday, 10 March – 2:00 Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase

Nicky Henderson is never to be dismissed lightly in a 2m chase contest, and it’s easy to see why the market has latched onto the five-timer seeking Lulamba. However, he looks short enough in the market for a horse who finished only second in the four-year-old-only Triumph Hurdle at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival. In contrast, Kopek Des Bordes stayed on to land what looked to be a significantly stronger race in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Having opened his chase account with a 13-length success at Navan, the son of No Risk At All gets the vote in race 2 on the opening day.

• Recommended Bet - Kopek Des Bordes to win @ 11/8 with Sporting Index

Thursday, 12 March – 1:20 Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle

Sticking to the theme of runners who scored at the 2025 meeting, we suspect Bambino Fever may be very tough to stop in this contest. A perfect four from four in her bumper season, we loved the way she handled the Cheltenham Hill to forge clear in the closing stages of the Champion Bumper. Whilst beaten by the reopposing Oldschool Outlaw on her debut over hurdles, she didn’t look fully fit that day and bounced back with a 12-length romp at Fairyhouse in January. With proven form at the track, this likeable mare can claim a second Festival success.

• Recommended Bet - Bambino Fever to win @ 8/11 with Sporting Index

Friday, 13 March – 1:20 JCB Triumph Hurdle

Having begun the week with a JP McManus-owned runner, we end with another. With no fewer than 15 entries, Mullins fans are spoilt for choice in the opening event on the final day. However, for our money, the clear standout is the ex-French runner Proactif. An easy winner on his sole start in his homeland, he scored in style on his Irish debut in January, whilst giving the strong impression that he had more in the tank. Mullins has won five of the past six editions of this and can improve that record still further in 2026.

• Recommended Bet - Proactif to win @ 3/1 with Sporting Index

A £1 Lucky 15 at the above odds returns £217.61 if all four horses win.