By HRI Foreign Staff — Very soon horse racing fans will return to the racetracks and most of the big races will happen when the weather turns, and the UK gets back to some kind of normality.

This year’s major events begin in just a week’s time with the impressive Cheltenham Festival getting the ball rolling this March followed by the Grand National at Aintree next month March, then the action just continues into May as the Guineas Festival rolls into action. And why stop there, because June is going to bumper month with both the Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot! To wit:

The Cheltenham Festival (Cheltenham) 16 to 19 March

 It has been the most talked about event of the year so far as the Cheltenham Festival comes our way. Of course, the highlight of the show is the Gold Cup with a massive prize of £625,000 waiting in the winds! As they say, always save the best until last. Well, it’s not quite last because the prestigious Gold Cup is the fourth race out of seven for the day and the traps will open at precisely 3.05pm in one of the most talked about Steeplechase races so far this year.

A gruelling three-mile encounter with Al Boum Photo the clear favourite looking to make it 3 wins in this exciting race. Although the Gold Cup is always the most polarised event of Cheltenham, there are still 4 days of 28 races to ponder. That’s 100 of horses to bet on and an unfathomable number of markets to consider where best to put your money.

Luckily today’s online sportsbooks are sports betting encyclopaedia of information and that’s where you should start your research for Cheltenham 2021 betting tips if you fancy a flutter on any of the races.

Instead of wandering into the bookies scratching your head fearing you might look like a fool because you don’t know which bets are available, get online and find some of the top free bets for Cheltenham 2021. Sites like Paddy Power are offering £20 risk free bet with no deposit required. You will find many of the bets also have ‘Odds Guaranteed at Cheltenham Festival’, plus enhanced odds bets so you can get better odds compared to other sportsbooks. Also, online sportsbooks offer better bonus bets than retail options!

The Grand National (Liverpool) 8 to 10 April

Perhaps the UK’s most well-known horse racing event. Families come together, sweepstakes come out at work, and the excitement boils over every time as this three-day event brings over forty runners, and is one of the toughest UK horse racing courses in the UK.

In the main event ‘The Grand National’ race over forty runners will battle it out jumping 30 fences. There are knocks, clashes, falls, and the odd jockey will need a few days or week off work as this is also one of the riskiest races in the country.

All eyes are on Tiger Roll as this monster of a horse has claimed two convincing wins and this year the stable already confirms the horse will be there looking to make it number three! If you don’t believe in ‘third time lucky’, then at least try placing a free bet on this horse via a free deposit offer.

Now the icing on the cake here is that the prize money up for grabs for the main event is no small feat. It is £1 million giving the stable that wins a huge windfall, which is exactly why this event brings so much attention to itself. Even the Dubai World Cup has nothing on this race despite its much larger winner’s prize.

Guineas Festival (Newmarket) 1 to 2 May

Again, Newmarket brings out the big guns and there are more hefty windfalls for the winners of the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas, both dishing out a tidy £500k each to the winners. This is certainly a great way to get any stables’ flat race season off to a flying start and often defines the rest of the season and how the bookmakers set their margins for future races on the horses that shine at Newmarket!

With stables entering different horses into both races, there is a chance for the first time the same stable takes the entire pot and walks away with a £1 million bankroll—and that is 100% worth including in your accumulator bets if that’s what tickles your fancy.

The big 2,000 Guineas race comes first and is famed for winners such as Sea The Stars, Frankel, and Dancing Brave. The very next day, the 1,000 Guineas will come around classified for three-year-old fillies, which by all accounts is always a fast-paced race that sends the crowd wild.

Epsom Derby Festival (Epsom) 4 to 5 June

If it’s prize money that is the judge of the pillar of UK horse racing, then the Epsom Derby 2021 will steal the show with a phenomenal £1.5 million prize pay-out. The 2-day event runs from 4 to 5 June with the 1 mile 4 furlongs and 10 yards Oaks and then the Britain’s richest race ‘The Derby’ always stealing the show. Both races are exactly the same distance

There are some notable records for this event as the ‘The Oaks’ is a special race for that man Frankie Dettori, who has 5 wins under his belts. Meanwhile, the Epsom Derby is special for Aidan O’Brien who has claimed eight successful training victories!