Cheltenham Festival tips: Experts on best bets and 10 horses to watch on day one

Independent

10-03-2025

Cheltenham Festival is back and the 2025 edition promises four action-packed days of racing culminating in Friday's Gold Cup with Galopin des Champs pushing for a third successive victory.
Trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend, the pair hope Galopin des Champs can create history once more, but punters will take in Champion Day first of all, with seven compelling races to consider.
The opening day could see Constitution Hill deliver for punters in the Champion Hurdle, though Brighterdaysahead is also fancied by many.
Mullins has discussed his declarations, including the intriguing decision to run Lossiemouth in the Mares' Hurdle instead of the Champion Hurdle on day one. "She worked nicely last week but I was happy enough that State Man worked better than her,' he told Racing TV. 'Paul was not going to ride her in the Champion Hurdle so the obvious thing to do was go for the Mares'. It's disappointing as it had been the plan to run her in the Champion Hurdle for two years but after her work the other day we felt she would just be a runner.'
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Our racing expert Sam Turner will be at Cheltenham all week, plus legendary former jockey Ruby Walsh has shared his tips with Paddy Power.
Champion Day – Tuesday, 11 March
1.20: Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1 )
Race conditions: £150,000 | 2m½f| 8 hurdles | Old Course
Sam Turner's tip: Romeo Coolio – 11/2
Kopek Des Bordes posted an imperious display at the Dublin Racing Festival, trouncing a decent field to render a sluggish round of hurdling on his Leopardstown novice hurdle debut a distant memory.
Trainer Willie Mullins, who provides half of the 12-strong field, equips his star novice with a hood for the first time to try and keep him calm ahead of his big assignment and, if he takes the preliminaries well, he will be extremely tough to beat. Fellow Grade 1 winner Romeo Coolio is a strong galloper with previous Festival experience so could prove the chief danger, while William Munny is also a class act and should be in the mix.
2.00: My Pension Expert Arkle Novices' Chase (Grade 1)
Race conditions: £200,000 | 2m | 13 fences | Old Course
Sam Turner's tip: Majborough – 4/7
No five-year-old has won the My Pension Expert Arkle since Voy Por Ustedes triumphed 19 years ago (16 have tried and failed), but Majborough is an extremely short price to end that sequence here.
Last year's Triumph Hurdle winner has been exceptional in his two starts over fences and will have learned plenty from his Leopardstown triumph where he was low at a couple of his obstacles. L'Eau du Sud and Jango Baie look the chief dangers with the latter fancied for the forecast spot as he stays so strongly.
2.40: Ultima Handicap Chase (Grade 3)
Race conditions: £150,000 | 3m1f | 20 fences | Old Course
Sam Turner's tip: Broadway Boy – 13/2
A typically competitive handicap which has seen 12 of the last 15 renewals go the way of first or second-season chasers, while five of the last 11 winners ran in the Coral Trophy at Newbury at the end of November.
Broadway Boy, runner-up at Newbury, arguably has worse knees than your correspondent, but his condition is well managed by connections, and he ticks a lot of boxes given his course experience.
Others to bear in mind include Henry's Friend (strongly fancied by the stable), Sequestered (excellent effort last time out) and Myretown who could give it a bold go from the front.
3.20: Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle (Grade 1)
Race conditions: £120,000 | 2m4f | 10 hurdles | Old Course
Sam Turner's tip: Lossiemouth – 4/6
The presence of Lossiemouth here rather than in the Champion Hurdle is somewhat disappointing and a debate for another day, but last year's three-length winner clearly sets a standard her rivals must surpass.
She arrives to defend her crown following a nasty fall at Leopardstown, but that's arguably the first mistake she's made in her career and her second to Constitution Hill in the Christmas Hurdle represents the best form in the race.
For those looking for a big-priced alternative, July Flower (stable have excellent record in this), Take No Chances (will like the ground) and Queen's Gamble (may improve for step up in trip) are shortlisted.
4.00: Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1)
Race conditions: £450,000 | 2m½f | 8 hurdles | Old Course
Ruby Walsh's tip: Brighterdaysahead – 15/8
'She [Brighterdaysahead] blew me away in Leopardstown,' Walsh told Paddy Power. 'I was watching it thinking, you're going too fast, you're going too fast, you're going too fast the whole way, and all of a sudden, they were going too fast for the pacemaker, he falls in a hole going to the third last, King Of Kingsfield, the next minute the mare picks up, heads on to the second last and away with her off the bend again. It's the one hurdle performance this year that you went 'Jesus.''
Sam Turner's tip: Constitution Hill – 8/13
The price of Constitution Hill could be even shorter if the three earlier odds-on favourites have already obliged to leave bookmakers facing serious liabilities.
The vibes from his trainer have been that his star hurdler is back to his best this winter and the fact he was allowed to run on Trials Day at the end of January was an undoubted positive.
Brighterdaysahead provides significant opposition doubts remain as to whether her 30-length win at Leopardstown last time can be believed as a piece of form and she was disappointingly beaten by Golden Ace (33/1 in this field) in the mares novices' hurdle here 12 months ago.
4.40: Boodles Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3)
Race conditions: £80,000 | 2m½f | 8 hurdles | Old Course
Ruby Walsh's tip: Beyond Your Dreams (Fred Winter) – 6/1
'I'll have to go for a price so I'll go for Beyond Your Dreams [in the Fred Winter],' Walsh told Paddy Power. 'I think the obvious ones early in the card – Kopek Des Bordes [Supreme], Majborough [Arkle] but look if you're going for something at some bit of a price.'
Another ferociously competitive handicap and fans of East India Dock in the Triumph Hurdle on Friday will be hoping Stencil, second to James Owen's talented hurdler on Trials Day, can endorse the form.
The French recruit travelled strongly that day before giving best on the run in and shouldn't meet anything of that ability here.
The well-backed Total Look sports the headgear for the first time which may sharpen up his jumping, while Liam Swagger enjoyed a smooth prep in a Southwell flat race recently and looks overpriced.
Race conditions: £200,000 | 2m | 13 fences | Old Course
Sam Turner's tips: Haiti Couleurs – 4/1; Transmission – 9/1
The handicap fought out between Haiti Couleurs and Transmission here before Christmas could be a pivotal piece of form and it is difficult to pick between the pair given they both stay well and have course experience.
The latter looks as though he should improve again for a further step up in trip as all he does is gallop, while Haiti Couleurs looks to have the class to become a National prospect in time for connections that won this with Teaforthree. Gericault Roque has also had this race on his agenda for some time.