Best bets & tips (2026)

THE wait is over and the day has finally come: the 2026 Cheltenham Festival is here.

Over the next four days, 28 races will determine who writes their name into jump racing history in what is shaping up to be a truly classic Festival. As the clock ticks down to the opening roar of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, we’ve got a brilliant afternoon of racing to decipher.

Let’s get right to it and take a deep dive into the seven thrilling matchups that make up Tuesday’s card, bringing you our essential Cheltenham day one tips.

🏇 Cheltenham Festival day one tips

• 1:20 El Cairos 7/1 (each way)
• 2:00 Lulamba 15/8
• 2:40 Dignam 16/1 (each way)
• 3:20 Handstands 8/1 (each way)
• 4:00 Lossiemouth 5/2
• 4:40 Zurich 12/1 (each way)
• 5:20 Newton Tornado 6/1 (each way)

*Odds are subject to change

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Cheltenham Festival 1:20 – Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – 2m 1/2f

A cracking opening to the Cheltenham Festival with all the key players taking their chance. Old Park Star has been the ante-post favourite for the Supreme for a long time now, and it has been for all the right reasons. The form he has shown is best on show, but there is an air of the unknown with some of the very talented and lightly raced rivals lower down in the betting.

Mighty Park has been the talking horse ever since his thirty-eight length demolition job over Roc Dino, who is currently the favourite for the Martin Pipe Hurdle. However, it may be a lot to ask for any horse, no matter how talented he is, to come into a Grade 1, let alone the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, and take it all in his stride. He may be the most talented horse to come out of this race, but this may come too soon in his career.

The ones who look valuable in the race are Talk The Talk, who comes in here on the back of a Grade 1 win at the Dublin Racing Festival, and the speedy and hugely talented EL CAIROS.

The Gordon Elliott-trained six-year-old has had a lofty reputation when trained in the UK, and the way his current connections speak about him, he looks sure to deliver on it. He technically fell at Leopardstown over Christmas, but he got his front and back hoof caught on the landing side when going to bolt up in a maiden hurdle. He then won a maiden at Thurles, but a final flight mistake has put many off him for today’s race.

However, the setup of today’s race looks sure to suit him. There’s going to be a strong pace set, and this will enable Jack Kennedy to conserve El Cairos until after the last, where I am sure they will not make their challenge until they land over the last upsides a rival. If Jack can time his challenge, then there is no horse in the lineup that will be able to produce the turn of foot that El Cairos possesses. At the prices, El Cairos is the clear value pick.

• Selection: El Cairos 7/1 (each way)
• Danger: Talk The Talk 5/1

➡️ Bet on EL CAIROS for the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at 7/1 with bet365

Cheltenham Festival 2:00 – Grade 1 Arkle Novices’ Chase – 2m 1/2f

There has been a lot of toing and froing of opinions over the Arkle Novices’ Chase, and the majority of the talk has revolved around Kopek Des Bordes. Last season’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner has only been seen once over fences this season, and with only two winners in the history of the Arkle Novices’ Chase having only one run over fences prior to their win, the stats do not speak favourably for the current favourite.

I would be totally against him and see Kargese as Willie Mullins’s main hope here. She is a high-class mare in her own right and won the County Hurdle here last season. When last seen, she was narrowly denied by Romeo Coolio at Leopardstown, and given that Kopek Des Bordes and Steel Ally look sure to take each other on, this free-going mare will get a lead into the race.

However, she may have to settle for a supporting role to Nicky Henderson’s LULAMBA. This strapping five-year-old is three from three over fences, which includes an over nine-length win in Grade 1 novice company, and a Grade 2 win in open company. His form is the clear best, and given how well he stays, the setup of the race should play to his strengths. If he is within shouting distance coming to the last, no one will be finishing as strongly as him up the Cheltenham hill.

• Selection: Lulamba 15/8
• Danger: Kargese 5/1

➡️ Bet on LULAMBA for the Grade 1 Arkle Novices’ Chase at 15/8 with bet365

Cheltenham Festival 2:40 – McCoy Contractors Juvenile Handicap Hurdle – 2m 1/2f

The “Fred Winter” is the first handicap of the Cheltenham Festival and the most difficult to solve. Twenty-two unexposed four-year-old hurdlers will line up with any amount of improvement lying beneath. But the task of finding the one with the most improvement up their sleeves is the difficult part.

The Padraig Roche-trained Saratoga is the obvious one in the lineup. He has been tenderly handled in his three qualifying runs, and the 92 flat-rated hurdle looks to have a bit up his sleeve off a hurdles mark of 130. But given his price, it’s worth looking elsewhere for more value in a race of this nature.

Madness d’Elle won well on his third start, and the fast pace of the race should help him settle and unlock more improvement. He, along with Ammes, Glen To Glen, and Ole Ole, look to have standout each-way chances.

But the one who looks worth taking a chance on is the Joseph O’Brien-trained DIGNAM. A winner of three of his four starts over hurdles, with his only defeat coming at Grade 1 level in France back in November. Since that defeat, Dignam has been gelded, which in theory, the procedure may eke out even more improvement. He has plenty of experience, travels well, and his flat rating gives him every chance of improving on his current mark. He’s one of many who look sure to go very well in this setup.

• Selection: Dignam 16/1 (each way)
• Danger: Madness d’Elle 14/1

➡️ Bet on DIGNAM for the McCoy Contractors Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at 16/1 with Betfred

Cheltenham Festival 3:20 – Trustmarque Ultima Handicap Chase – 3m1f

Interestingly, both the JP McManus-owned Jagwar and Iroko take their chance here, and on jockey booking, Jagwar looks to be the first choice. A winner at last season’s Cheltenham Festival, Jagwar is stepping up in distance to three miles for the first time in his career, but given his style of racing, the trip should be well within range.

But the new distance will need to unlock more improvement if he is to make it back-to-back Cheltenham Festival wins. Myretown was an impressive eleven-length winner of last season’s renewal off 127, but he has yet to reach anywhere near that kind of form in his three starts this season off his new mark of 142. His form figures this season read F4P, and that massively dampens his chances of making it back-to-back wins in the Ultima.

The Paul Nicholls-trained Quebecois had a “we have another day in mind” ride when sent off the odds-on favourite for a three-runner race at Newbury last month. And today is the other day that connections have in mind. He is given huge respect, as is the Mags Mullins-trained Blaze The Way.

He was an impressive winner on the new course back at Cheltenham in December, and that earmarked a crack at the Festival. He was underwhelming when last seen at Naas, but that was on deep ground, and given the much more favourable ground conditions, he won’t be far away.

However, there is a classy individual who has shown glimpses that he may be about to return to form, and that’s HANDSTANDS. His career over fences started well with four wins on the bounce last season, which included a Grade 1 win over the Gold Cup favourite, Jango Baie.

He returned this season with an odds-on defeat at Carlisle, and then ran no race behind Grey Dawning in the Betfair Chase. Even though he was beaten over six lengths on his latest start at Windsor, it was a run full of promise. He took up the lead a long way out and seemed to just tire and then run on again at the finish. That should leave him spot on for today, and given his clear class, he has what it takes to win off a mark of 155.

• Selection: Handstands 8/1 (each way)
• Danger: Quebecois 10/1

➡️ Bet on HANDSTANDS for the Trustmarque Ultima Handicap Chase at 8/1 with SBK

Cheltenham Festival 4:00 – Grade 1 Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy – 2m 1/2f

In what was shaping up to be an underwhelming Champion Hurdle, it has now been given a spark of life with the decision to run Lossiemouth here instead of the Mares Hurdle on Thursday. That leaves three mares lining up, which includes the defending champion, Golden Ace. Yes, she was a very lucky winner of last year’s running, and her luck was on show once again in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle as both Constitution Hill and the opposing The New Lion both fell.

But if she is to retain her crown, she will need a lot to go right for her once again. The former is somehow the favourite for the Champion Hurdle on the back of beating Newmen Lion and Brentford Hope last time out, and his overall form leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to winning a Champion Hurdle.

Brighterdaysahead had the perfect setup last season to win the Champion Hurdle, but she failed to capitalise on a golden opportunity. That defeat marked the second Festival in a row that Golden Ace has beaten Gordon Elliott’s mare, and even though she is a high-class mare, she is hard to trust around Cheltenham.

However, the opposite can be said about LOSSIEMOUTH, who is four from four at Cheltenham. It was a case of now or never if Lossiemouth was going to win a Champion Hurdle, and despite her defeat to Brighterdaysahead at the Dublin Racing Festival, she is the one that they all have to beat here.

From the drop of the flag at Leopardstown, she was not going a yard, and now back on a track that clearly brings the best out of her, along with better ground, and the application of first-time cheekpieces, Lossiemouth looks to have standout credentials to make it five from five at Cheltenham.

• Selection: Lossiemouth 5/2
• Danger: Brighterdaysahead 5/1

➡️ Bet on LOSSIEMOUTH for the Grade 1 Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy at 5/2 with bet365

Cheltenham Festival 4:40 – Sun Racing Plate Handicap Chase – 2m4f

Madara has been sitting at the top of the betting ever since his runner-up finish at Kempton, where he was never put into the race, and finished with a lot left in the tank. The Skeltons have become notable for the handicap plot jobs, and they may have another one on their hands here with Madara.

But given the depth of this race, there is no value in his current odds. The same can be said of McLaurey, who hasn’t been missed in the betting, and even though he looks like a typical JP McManus plot job, he needs to find a lot more.

Horses that have previously won at Cheltenham have an outstanding record in this race, and the Henry de Bromhead-trained ZURICH fits that profile. A winner over course and distance at the October meeting, which he won in the style of a horse who is nowhere near reaching the ceiling of his ability, looks set to go close once again. He got stuck in tacky ground at Doncaster on his last run, but his course form and back on better ground is a massive plus.

The fact that he can travel powerfully off the pace and jump well bodes well for a setup we already know he can win in. He ticks a lot of boxes, and even though Darragh O’Keeffe has chosen to ride Downmexicoway, that should not put you off siding with Zurich out of the two De Bromhead runners. Booster Bob and Will The Wise are others to note.

• Selection: Zurich 12/1 (each way)
• Danger: Downmexicoway 12/1

➡️ Bet on ZURICH for the Sun Racing Plate Handicap Chase at 12/1 with Midnite

Cheltenham Festival 5:20 – National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase – 3m6f

Formerly, only amateur jockeys were permitted to ride in the National Hunt Challenge Cup; however, it has since been open to professional jockeys. In recent years, this has been a race where you could write off the vast majority of the field; however, this season looks like a deeply competitive renewal. Backmeorsackme did well to win from where he was positioned at the Dublin Racing Festival, but he doesn’t have the profile of a horse that you want to be relying on, especially at his current odds.

Added to the fact that he will be racing on vastly different underfoot conditions, he’s a favourite that is there to be taken on. Wade Out was a winner at the November meeting, but, like Backmeorsackme, that was on deep ground, and he is one who always seems to be outpaced in his races. Unlike when he won here in November, the ground will not be slowing down his rivals, and his chances will lie on him keeping in touch with the field, as there are no worries about his staying power.

The booking of Sean Flannagan to ride the Rebecca Curtis-trained NEWTON TORNADO is a big plus. He’s currently two from four over fences, and was still travelling powerfully when coming down four out behind Zurich here in October, and put that mishap to bed when winning by nine lengths.

You can forgive him for being pulled up at Newbury as he lost his action, but then was right back in form with a powerful staying performance at Doncaster. The step up in distance looks sure to bring out even more improvement, and he can make back-to-back wins in the race for Rebecca Curtis.

• Selection: Newton Tornado 6/1 (each way)
• Danger: Wade Out 8/1

➡️ Bet on NEWTON TORNADO for the National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase at 6/1 with bet365 here

Frequently asked questions: Cheltenham day 1

1. What is the feature race on Cheltenham day 1?

The main event on Tuesday is the Grade 1 Unibet Champion Hurdle, which goes to post at 4:00 PM. With defending champion Golden Ace returning and Willie Mullins’s star mare Lossiemouth stepping up to the challenge, it is the must-watch race of the afternoon.

2. Who are the best Cheltenham day one tips?

Our racing expert Craig Mahood has picked out strong contenders across the entire Tuesday card. The standout tips include El Cairos (7/1) in the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Lossiemouth (5/2), who brings an unbeaten course record into the feature Champion Hurdle.

3. What is the NAP of the day for Tuesday at Cheltenham?

Our strongest bet (NAP) for Day One is Lossiemouth in the Champion Hurdle. Despite a recent defeat at Leopardstown, she is a flawless four-from-four at Cheltenham. Back on her favourite track with first-time cheekpieces, she is the one they all have to beat.

4. What time does the first race start on Tuesday?

The 2026 Cheltenham Festival kicks off at 1:20 PM with the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, accompanied by the famous “Cheltenham Roar” from the crowd.

5. How many races are there on Day One of the Cheltenham Festival?

There are seven races scheduled for Champion Day (Tuesday). The action begins at 1:20 PM and concludes with the National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase at 5:20 PM.

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