2025 Cheltenham Festival day one: race by race betting guide

THE WAIT is over, nothing more can be done. It’s now time to put it all on the line, the 2025 Cheltenham Festival is here.

Seven races, four Grade 1s, and a lifetime of memories await connections as their pride and joys take to Cheltenham’s holy grail.

Get the best Cheltenham Festival free bets and betting offers from the leading online horse racing betting sites here.

Cheltenham 1:20 Grade 1 Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – 2m½f (4yo+) (Old Course)

• Selection: Kopek Des Bordes 1/1
• Danger: Workahead 9/1 (e/w)

The famous Cheltenham roar awaits the 12-strong field as they charge toward the first hurdle in the Supreme Novices Hurdle, and we can not wait.

Workahead for last year’s winning trainer, Henry de Bromhead, hasn’t been seen since winning his maiden at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival, but it has been by design. The form of that win worked out quite well. The 7-length 2nd William Munny (runs here) has since gone on to win a listed hurdle. The 3rd Spring De La Mare has won back-to-back chases since then, and the 4th Jacob’s Ladder has won two on the bounce, including a Grade 3 win.

He has every chance to go close here, but even with that form working out so well, he and the rest of his rivals may find it hard to contain the impressive Dublin Racing Festival Grade 1 winner, KOPEK DES BORDES.

Coming into the Dublin Racing Festival, we were all thinking that Willie Mullins didn’t have a stand-out Supreme Novices contender, but just as quick as we questioned the master of Closutton, he unleashed a Kopek Des Bordes.

Yes, you would be forgiven to think that he had a lot to improve upon on his maiden win at Christmas time, but with that experience and change of jockey working the oracle, Kopek Des Bordes ran out a devastating winner by 13 lengths, eased down. Any normal improvement will make Kopek Des Bordes hard to beat, and the addition of a hood is not a bad thing.

Romeo Coolio has been forgotten about coming into the Supreme, and this already Grade 1 winner can fight it out for the places with Workahead. Also, don’t rule out the Fergal O’Brien-trained Tripoli Flyer from outrunning his odds.

Bet on KOPEK DES BORDES for the Grade 1 Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle with Spreadex

Cheltenham 2:00 Grade 1 My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase – 2m (5yo+) (Old Course)

• Selection: Majborough 4/7
• Danger: Touch Me Not 14/1

The first u-turn of the day saw Gavin Cromwell declare Only By Night for the Arkle Novices’ Chase instead of her intended option in the Mares Chase on Friday. She brings an interesting dimension to the table but has a lot to find on figures if she is to lay a glove on MAJBOROUGH.

Last season’s Triumph Hurdle winner always carried the age-old saying that ‘whatever he does over hurdles is a bonus’, and how right they were.

This huge 5-year-old gelding was always going to make up into a top-class chaser, and on the back of a dominant display in the Grade 1 Irish Arkle where he beat the reposing Touch Me Not by an easy 9 lengths, he’s impossible to oppose Majborough here.

There is room for improvement in the jumping department for the horse, also known as ‘Big Maj‘, and if he can improve slightly in that department, it’s hard to see any of his rivals here getting close to him up the Cheltenham hill.

L’Eau du Sud holds Touch Me Not on their meeting in the Grade 1 Henry VII Novices’ Chase at Sandown. But despite a shuttering mistake at the 6th fence that day, the Gordon Elliot-trained chaser still managed to finish just over 3 lengths off L’Eau du Sud.

Touch Me Not can reverse that form and may be the one to follow home Majborough again.

Bet on MAJBOROUGH for the Grade 1 My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase with SBK

Cheltenham 2:40 Ultima Handicap Chase – 3m1f (5yo+) (Old Course)

• Selection: Katate Dori 8/1 (e/w)
• Danger: The Short Go 20/1 (e/w)

Broadway Boy, who loves it around Cheltenham, has his obvious chance, but he must bounce back from a poor run here on New Year’s Day. But, he is only 4 lbs higher than his last winning mark and only 2 lbs higher than when finishing 2nd in the Coral Gold Cup in November.

The last time out winner, The Changing Man, had a nice experience when bolting up by 25 lengths at Ascot. He brings solid form to the race with form figures this season on F2221. If he can back up that run, he is one that can be bang there at the finish. But that race did fall apart, and that is the only win he has managed from ten chase starts.

The one who I want to side with is another last time out winner, KATATE DORI. 

Katate Dori comes here with three wins from four starts over fences, and he has won them despite the lack of fluency over some of his obstacles. His win last time at Kempton was impressive, beating Hyland by 15 lengths. The handicapper didn’t miss that win and has subsequently been put up 12 lbs for that win. Still, this lightly raced chaser should have so much more to offer in a race where six of the last 11 winners were novices, and he can give his trainer Sam Thomas, who rode Denman to Gold Cup glory back in 2008, his first taste of Cheltenham Festival glory as a trainer.

At bigger odds, The Short Go, who finished 11 lengths ahead of Broadway Boy when they met over course and distance in October, has a big each-way chance, as does King Turgeon and former Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle winner Stay Away Fay.

Bet on KATATE DORI for the Ultima Handicap Chase with BetVictor

Cheltenham 2:40 Grade 1 Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle – 2m4f (4yo+) (Old Course)

• Selection: Lossiemouth 4/6
• Danger: Jade De Grugy 5/1

The biggest u-turn of the Cheltenham Festival sees the Champion Hurdle touted LOSSIEMOUTH take up her option of running here.

Many have been disappointed by that decision, but given that she suffered a horrible fall in the Irish Champion Hurdle, I believe that it was the correct decision for the mare.

She was a facile winner of this race last year, and given that the fall has not left a mental mark, it should be rinse and repeat for the wonder mare.

Willie Mullins also runs Gala Marceau and Jade De Grugy, with the latter likely to be the one to trouble Lossiemouth.

July Flower was an impressive winner at Leopardstown over Christmas, and with Henry de Bromhead having such a good record in this race, she can fight it out for minor honours.

Bet on LOSSIEMOUTH for the Grade 1 Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle with talkSPORT BET

Cheltenham 4:00 Grade 1 Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy – 2m½f (4yo+) (Old Course)

• Selection: Brighterdaysahead 9/4
• Danger: Constitution Hill 8/13

The showdown that we all hoped and prayed for is here—Constitution Hill vs Brighterdaysahed.

This is a matter of which camp you are in. You are either a Constitution Hill fan or a Brighterdaysahead fan.

You have Constitution Hill, who many consider the greatest hurdler we have ever seen, but is he as good as he once was? Based on his performance at Kempton in the Christmas Hurdle, you can easily argue that his performance that day was well below what he is capable of. We didn’t learn much more when he won at Cheltenham on trials day, but he is a superstar who has to be given the utmost respect, even if he may not be at his brilliant best.

BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD is the young pretender to the crown, and she is coming here on the back of a demolition job in the Grade 1 Nevills Hotel Hurdle at Leopardstown as she blits her rivals by 30 lengths. The current defending Champion Hurdler, State Man, didn’t run his race day, but he was nowhere to be seen. She was recording back-to-back Grade 1s over State Man that day, and given that she will set out at a furious pace with her stablemate and pacemaker, King Of Kingsfield, Constitution Hill will need to be back to his brilliant best if he is to give Brighterdaysahead 7 lbs and a beating.

Bet on BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD for the Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy with bet365

Cheltenham 4:40 Hallgarten And Novum Wines Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Fred Winter) – 2m½f (4yo) (Old Course)

• Selection: Kool One 50/1 (e/w)
• Danger: Total Look 11/2

As always, the Fred Winter juvenile handicap hurdle is a near-impossible puzzle to solve. You have young, lightly raced 4-year-olds coming here with any amount of improvement possible, and finding the right one is not always easy. But, if you land on the winner, you can expect a hefty payout.

This year is no different from years past, but I am going to take a chance on a runner at a huge price, the Conor Maxwell-trained KOOL ONE.

If he were trained by someone like Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, or Joseph O’Brien, he would be half the price he is right now. So far in his hurdling career, he has had three runs in which he has finished placed in all three. First time out, he was third to the Willie Mullins-trained Charlus, who was three from four on the flat in France. He then backed that good run up with a 2nd to another Willie Mullins-trained gelding, Blue Lemons, who was a 99-rated flat horse for Richard Hannon.

His final run before Cheltenham came in a Grade 3 Juvenile Hurdle where they changed tactics with Kool One, switching him off out the back and came home to finish 2nd behind Bacchanalian.

Kool One is a good jumper, travels and stays well, so the set-up of a Fred Winter should be right up his street. At his current price of 50/1, he looks too big to ignore.

Total Look would look to have a massive chance, but he was not helped by a 7 lb rise from the UK handicapper. Where Beyond Your Dreams may prove the best of JP McManus’s four runners.

Bet on KOOL ONE for the Hallgarten And Novum Wines Juvenile Handicap Hurdle with BoyleSports

Cheltenham 5:20 Princess Royal National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase – 3m6f (5yo+ 0-145) (Old Course)

• Selection: Captain Cody 7/1 (e/w)
• Danger: Haiti Couleurs 9/2

For the first time in its history (bar the COVID running), the National Hunt Chase will be open to professional jockeys. The BHA’s decision has been controversial, as this race is steeped in history for amateur jockeys.

Over the years, this race has been easy enough to solve, but this season, it’s looking more competitive than ever.

Now Is The Hour has been the ante-post money horse for the past couple of weeks and now sits at the top of the market. He has his chance, as does Haiti Couleurs, who beat Transmission by over 2-lengths on the same terms when they last met at Cheltenham. Given Haiti Couleurs’ strong staying profile, he can uphold those places.

But the one I am most interested in is CAPTAIN CODY. When they met in January, he finished ahead of Now Is The Hour at Navan. Captain Cody finished a close 6th in the 2023 Champion Bumper, so we know he acts around Cheltenham. He has since claimed a Grade 2 novice hurdle at Fairyhouse last season, beating Mossy Fen Park and Loughlynn.

There is no doubt in his talent, and the step up to 3m for the first time brought out more improvement. If Captain Cody can back that up over an extra 6 furlongs, this talented gelding can give Willie Mullins yet another winner.

Bet on CAPTAIN CODY for the Princess Royal National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase with TonyBet

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