How to Bet Ante Post on the Cheltenham Festival Updated for June 2025

Updated: 6th June 2025

Ante-post betting on Cheltenham is a great way to land much better odds, especially when you’ve done your homework in preparation for the festival.

Best Bookies to Bet Ante Post on the Cheltenham Festival 2024

For several reasons, markets are opened for a vast number of horses, not all of which will ultimately make it to the starting line.

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And unlike regular outright betting, your stake for ante-post bets is not returned in the event of a non-runner.

Ante-post bets are, therefore best placed on horses you feel confident will run, and also will put in the performance you need to come good on your bets.

But how do you actually place these bets for the Cheltenham festival?

Where to Ante Post Bet for Cheltenham Festival 2024

BetGoodwin is a horse racing specialist powered by Goodwin Sports, the biggest telephone betting operator in the UK, with over 25 years in the game.

So it’s a natural starting point for ante-post betting ahead of this year’s festival. Their online and app-based markets are already quoting ante-post bets for each of the 28 races so that you can back your runners today for the best possible price.

Betfred is another and one of the major UK bookies going big on Cheltenham this year. Their ante-post betting markets are amongst the most comprehensive, with great odds available for horses shaping up for this year’s event.

Also check out Betfred, for a comprehensive list of ante-post betting options in time for the Festival kicking off on 14th March.

Backing and Laying Ante-Post on Betting Exchanges

There’s also the option to lay horses ante-post, i.e., bet to lose or not to run on betting exchanges.

These work slightly differently from regular sports betting platforms in that you’re not playing against the bookie but against another gambler matching your bet.

This means that for every bet to win, there’s a corresponding bet to lose, with the difference between the two quoted odds and commission heading to the exchange.

This provides more flexibility so far out from the event and allows you to take bets that might not otherwise be available through regular sports betting sites.

Is Ante Post Betting Worthwhile for Cheltenham?

Ante-post betting is always riskier than backing a horse the night before.

Whether through injury or withdrawal, a horse pulling out will end your bet, and there’s no returning your stake in this eventuality.

However, when you consider that the odds on winners coming good are so much greater when you back them ante-post than at the starting price, this often pays for the additional risk – provided your picks are well chosen.

As with everything in betting, you’re only as good as your bets, and you’ll be even more reliant on a bit of luck with ante-post than with backing a horse at the starting line.

But with the more generous rewards on offer, ante-post can and does reward the bold.

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