The 2025 Cheltenham Festival race meeting recently ended, and for the first time in decades, a light dusting of snow fell on the racecourse. However, it didn’t affect the four-day festival, and races went on as usual.

The question being asked here is, how often has it happened since the Cheltenham Festival was first held over 150 years ago? Let’s dive straight in to find out.

When was the last time it snowed on the racecourse at the Cheltenham Festival?

The last time it snowed on the racecourse at the Cheltenham Festival was back in 1978 on day one. The only two races that were affected were the County Hurdle and Festival Trophy. The rest of the races took place as normal.

Prior to 1978, it also snowed in 1955, and the wintry conditions caused several of the races to be cancelled. However, most of the Cheltenham Festival races this year went ahead as usual.

The Cheltenham Festival was also hit by snowfall a couple of times in the 1940s. After returning to normality at the end of WWII and resuming for the first time in 1946 since war broke out, it snowed on the course in 1947 and again in 1949. Both events went ahead, and only a few races were cancelled due to the snow.

Who were the biggest winners at the Cheltenham Festival in 2025?

The 2025 Cheltenham Festival was a good year for some of the jockeys, horses, trainers, and even many sports bettors, the latter of which were able to pick up some highly competitive Cheltenham odds on a handful of fully licensed and regulated online sportsbooks for many of the favourites.

There were 28 races altogether, and the defining races of the festival were the Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Let’s now take a quick look at some of the biggest race winners, which includes the name of the event, horse, jockey, and trainer:

Race: Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade I). Winning horse: Kopek Des Bordes. Trainer: W P Mullins. Jockey: P Townend

Race: Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Grade I). Winning horse: Golden Ace. Trainer: Jeremy Scott. Jockey: Lorcan Williams

Race: Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade I). Winning horse: Marine Nationale. Trainer: B Connell. Jockey: S W Flanagan

Race: Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade I). Winning horse: Bob Olinger. Trainer: Henry De Bromhead. Jockey: Rachel Blackmore

Race: Gold Cup (Grade I). Winning horse: Inothewayurthinkin. Trainer: Gavin Patrick Cromwell. Jockey: M P Walsh

Are there any other major horse racing events still to come in 2025?

If you are wondering if there are any other major horse racing events still to come in 2025, one of the most notable upcoming events is The Grand National Festival at the Aintree Racecourse from April 3-5, 2025. The biggest spectacle at this event will be The Grand National on the last day.

There’s also the Epsom Derby Festival at Epsom Downs from June 6-7 and Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse from June 17-21, to name just a few major upcoming UK horse racing events.

Further afield, you can also look forward to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Racetrack in Kentucky, the United States, on May 3. Next up is the Preakness Stakes on May 17 at the Pimlico Race Course in Maryland, US, and the Belmont Stakes on June 7 at Belmont Park in New York.

Final thoughts

It’s highly unlikely that there will be snow at any of these upcoming events, even at next year’s Cheltenham Festival (for many more years, possibly decades). Instead, you should be able to enjoy fairly decent weather based on the typical climate in each location at the time of the year when those events are usually held.

Finally, if you decide to place wagers on any of these upcoming events, always remember to do so on fully licensed and regulated sites controlled by globally renowned operators.