Cheltenham Festival 2025: Betting Tips for Day 1

We're a week away from the Cheltenham Festival kicking off, and there is still some value to be found in the markets. So, let's take a look at each race on Day One of the festival.

Champion Day Betting Tips

Below, you can find Conlan's tips and insights for the seven races on Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival. The odds were correct at the time of writing.

Supreme Novices Hurdle Tips

There’s nothing quite like the Supreme. It’s the first race of the festival, the first roar of the festival, and the first enticing piece of racing action which precedes what is set to be an incredible few days for racing fans all around the world.

This year's edition of the race will feel just that bit more special too, with it aptly being named after Michael O’Sullivan, a talented young jockey from Ireland who sadly passed away in February. This race will be sure to be a fitting tribute to the shocking loss of a life.

After his incredibly impressive Grade 1 Novice hurdle victory at the Dublin Racing Festival in early February, I struggle to see past the Willie Mullins-trained Kopek Des Bordes. He cleared the rest of the field by 13 lengths in a sauntering canter which caught the eye of everybody looking for value going into Cheltenham.

It seems that WPM is having a selection headache with where to send this horse, but I am of the firm belief that the 2m½f distance will suit him perfectly here and he will get his first chance at Cheltenham glory very early into his career, bringing Mullins his fourth winner in the last 10 renewals of this race.

My each way pick would have to go to Kel Histoire who looked to stay on strongly when runner up to Salvator Mundi (who also runs in this race) lto. He was very unlucky on the run in after being bumped by the eventual winner, and I think he’ll have the engine to power up the Cheltenham Hill, with experience of running in a big field on his side.

It is also worth noting that I initially liked the look of Workahead but this race doesn’t seem to suit frontrunners, and history suggests that his age will be of no benefit. 

Arkle Chase Tips

The heartbreaking omission of Sir Gino has paved the way for Majborough to take the reins of the market for the Arkle, and rightfully so based on his last performance up the hill, which bodes well with only 2 winners of this race out of the last 18 not having run at Cheltenham before. Albeit over hurdles, he has taken well to fences, grinding out back to back wins in Ireland over Winter.

My only issue here is that he showed a few novicey jumps in the latest renewal of the Irish Arkle, and the one that followed him home, Touch Me Not, bids to reverse the form on foreign soil. The Gordon Elliot gelding served up an impressive round of jumping, only slightly lacking the engine that Majborough has at his disposal.

With level weights, this one could be even closer, and will make for an exciting rematch. 

Ultima Handicap Chase Tips

With current favourite Masaccio seemingly being veered toward other opportunities hinted at by trainer Alan King, the Ultima is open to a number of classy types, particularly the British as Irish-trained horses have a poor record in this race throughout history.

With this in mind, Hyland appears perfectly poised to give Nicky Henderson his second Ultima prize in the last 10 years, with excellent course form (1101 - loss coming on less than favourable ground) and the ability to surge up the Cheltenham hill as he tends to stay on so stoutly. 

The chances of Hyland putting in a performance have recently been boosted, as despite a lacking performance at Kempton finishing a 15 length runner up behind potential Ultima rival Katate Dori, he has been given a 12lb rise in the weights for his efforts, whereas Hyland has only seen a single point increase to his official rating.

This bodes well for the Seven Barrows yard as Hyland will now run at Cheltenham only 10lb higher than Katate Dori, leaving him 13lb better off this time around. Could this have been the plan all along? 

A horse I believe to have an excellent each-way chance in this race is Trelawne. Retaining his mark of 152 from his previous runs at Haydock (3m1½f, soft) and Ascot (3m, GtoS), he is left 5lb better off with The Changing Man, who is currently very strong in the market for this race.

These two came up against each other at Ascot in December, with The Changing Man finishing ahead of Trelawne in 2nd by just over 9 lengths. Another rival from that race he is found to be better off with is Victtorino, where an 11lb stretch has now been reduced to just 3lbs, which is found to be well in the favour of the Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls trained Trelawne. 

Kim will be hoping that lightning could strike twice for him in the Ultima, with Chianti Classico dishing up an impervious victory at the festival last year. It wouldn’t be the first time that this has been achieved in this particular race, with Lucinda Russell winning it back-to-back with Corach Rambler in 2022 and subsequently 2023, and also David Pipe with Un Temps Pour Tout in 2016 and 2017.

Mares’ Hurdle Tips

A lot has changed in regards to this race recently, with Gordon Elliott biting the bullet and deciding to send market favourite Brighterdaysahead off to the Champion Hurdle, as he believes she is his best shot at taking on the potent Constitution Hill.

Having never lost over this trip, I would have to side with Lossiemouth in the famous pink and green silks for Rich Ricci. She took an unfortunate fall four flights out in the Irish Champion Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival in February, where she was travelling strongly and clearly ahead of the rest alongside former Champion Hurdle winner State Man.

In the hopes that the nasty fall doesn’t knock her form in any way, she should be able to set the pace and run clear of the rest of the field in what will be a particularly intriguing contest with Gigginstown mare Brighterdaysahead now touted for bigger things.

As for an each-way shot, I’m going to opt for the Dan Skelton trained Take No Chances. Having previously won this race in 2019 with Roksana, the Skelton yard will be hoping to follow up her victory in the Mares’ Hurdle at Ascot in January over 1m7½f where she stayed on well, showing an incredible turn of pace to get to the line whilst being furthest from the rail, shaping up to be able to stay this increased distance.

She had to see off Kargese, a fellow rival within this race, who has proven form in graded company and only recently finished runner up to Sir Gino and Majborough at Aintree and Cheltenham respectively. 

Champion Hurdle Tips

For the horse racing purists, this has the potential to be an absolute epic. Constitution Hill, Brighterdaysahead, and State Man all going head-to-head would spearhead a cracking lineup.

However, for me there is one horse in this who can win with relative ease, that of course being Constitution Hill. This horse will go down as one of the best to ever do it. After a number of scares, most notably his omission from last year's rendition of the Champion Hurdle due to having mucus in his lungs, the star is back to his utmost best.

He was recently seen at Kempton for a pre-festival gallop, where connections were undoubtedly impressed with his performance, seeing off Aston Martini and That’s Nice, in which Nicky Henderson described it as a ‘two horse gallop and a one horse gallop’.

Despite a mistake at the last flight in the Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham in January, he still managed to win in dashing fashion. Before this, he made the naysayers think twice about doubting him when he faced off against top prospect mare Lossiemouth and put in a somewhat workmanlike yet convincing display to win the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.

It would be ignorant to look past the fact that recent declarant Brighterdaysahead will be 7lb better off with Constitution Hill, but I don’t think this will be enough to give her a chance with this absolute colossus.

With State Man unfortunately appearing to not be the force we have become so used to, I think Michael Buckley and Nicky Henderson will be rubbing their hands together come the end of the first day of the festival. This horse is a messianic figure in the game and deserves to be respected.

Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Tips

A race heavily dominated by Irish raiders in the last 7 years, the formerly known Boodles holds host to a big field, where horses with experience around a lot of runners are often paid their dividends.

Favourites tend to have a fairly bad track record in this race, with only one winning favourite coming from the last 14 renewals. It is also worth keeping an eye on the fact that, despite being a typically Irish-dominated race, Willie Mullins is yet to find a winner, whilst Gordon Elliot has seen 3 winners come from his yard in the last 7 runnings.

Taking all of this into account, I am opting for the German bred Naturally Nimble to produce a back-to-back victory for JP O’Brien and the Mulryans, after their star gelding Lark In The Mornin took home the gold this time last year.

Starting his career on the flat in Ireland, he soon took soundly to hurdles in a big field maiden at Punchestown in November, where he was unluckily hampered by fallers. He has since gone on to win a Grade 3 ahead of current French rival Willy De Houelle, and has also been given the benefit of a 2lb swing in the weights to further bump his chances ahead of the Willie Mullins recruit.

His most recent run was a solid 8½ length fourth to the effervescent Hello Neighbour in a Grade 2 at Leopardstown, where he also met Lady Vega Allen who is entered for this race. Naturally Nimble ran off a rather glaring 10lb heavier than Lady Vega Allen in this race, which has now been slashed to just 2lb.

All things considered, I think he has an excellent chance at running a big race and should be well within the frame. 

Typically targeted by Gordon Elliott and the Gigginstown yard, I think Wendrock has the potential to get within the places for this race. He was incredibly unfortunate lto in a Grade 1 at Leopardstown, making a blunder at the last flight which ultimately cost him what could’ve been an excellent place behind the impressive Hello Neighbour, after travelling strongly for such a long way.

He gave weight to Lady Vega Allen in that race, where they now find themselves level, and up until the fall they were very closely in contest with one another. If he can fix up on his jumping, I would give him a great chance at picking up a place in this exciting matchup. 

National Hunt Challenge Cup Handicap Chase Tips

The oldest race in the Cheltenham Festival calendar, and one made for the dynamic stayers of the division, being ran at 3m6f over Cheltenham’s new course. This happens to be another race dominated by the Irish, with 8 victories out of the last 10 going to the Emerald Isle.

It is a very tough race to call at this stage, with many of the preliminary entries also handed an entry into the Kim Muir. However, thanks to the gift of non-runner no bet being offered by most betting companies, I have decided to pick out Will Do, representing Gigginstown and Gordon Elliott, who has picked up 3 of the last 10 renewals of this race.

The gelding has only improved for being bumped up in distance, just missing out in the 3m3f Grand National Trial at Punchestown in February, having ran into a few problems through the race, including being hampered at the 7th fence. His experience in big fields, particularly in graded company, should put him in good stead to finish in the frame (if officially declared).