Cheltenham Festival survey: Coral reveals 46% of fans lie to employers

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A survey commissioned by, popular UK bookmaker, Coral, has found that around half of Cheltenham Festival fans lie to their workplaces to watch the four-day event.  

More than 1,000 users were polled by Coral between 21-24 February ahead of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, which is set to get underway on 11 March. Of those asked, over 450 (46%) said they would lie or have previously been dishonest regarding their whereabouts in order to follow the action. 

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Of those asked, 48% acknowledged that they would watch races at work, while 26% of survey respondents would prioritise the Cheltenham Festival over family events. 

The Champions League, Six Nations and the British Grand Prix were held in lesser regard compared to ‘the greatest show on turf’ by half of those solicited by Coral – evidencing the strong bond between bettors and the major annual racing meeting. 

Coral’s head of PR, David Stevens, expressed empathy for those who opt to fabricate stories in a bid to catch up on Cheltenham’s action-packed week: “Whilst we would never condone lying to the boss, we do understand that the Cheltenham Festival is such a special event, some people might tell a fib in order to follow the action!”

The Entain-owned bookmaker will provide coverage throughout the racing festival – with several Cheltenham-centric boosts available on Coral’s website. 

One of the most popular races among Coral punters, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, takes place on 14 March. To mark the occasion, Coral financed an enormous balloon in the shape of the Gold Cup trophy to float above Cleeve Hill; the location of the inaugural Gold Cup race in 1819. 

For perspective, this balloon contains the same amount of air as around 900 traditional party balloons. 

The Gold Cup race is set to start at 4:00pm on the Cheltenham Festival’s final day, and victor of the last two outings — Galopin Des Champs — is Coral’s strong favourite to make it a hat-trick this time around. 

David Stevens commented on the potential for a Gold Cup three-peat, as well as Coral’s jumbo balloon, in the lead up to the meeting: "It’s always a great week, but this year we have Galopin Des Champs going for the Gold Cup hat-trick, something only four horses have previously achieved, so next Friday’s feature race really will be too big to miss, a bit like the giant Gold Cup we flew over Cleeve Hill!”

Bettors who attend the 2025 Cheltenham Festival — whether by way of falsehoods or other means — can look forward to accessing on-site betting terminals courtesy of Playtech Sports and Racecourse Media Group. Revealed in the weeks preceding the festival, this new technology allows punters to bet on the meeting’s races as they unfold.