Cheltenham Festival Horses
The most prestigious event in the National Hunt racing calendar, the Cheltenham Festival has a reputation for producing special moments from special horses.
The 2026 Festival should be no different, and there’s set to be a long list of elite horses entered by trainers such as Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, and Nicky Henderson. There's plenty to get excited about, from huge names including Galopin Des Champs and Jonbon to Constitution Hill, to up-and-coming stars like Inothewayurthinkin, The New Lion, and Kopek Des Bordes.
Find and compare the latest odds from the UK’s top bookies for the Cheltenham Festival on the Oddschecker website. Alternatively, check out the three favourite horses for each of the key upcoming events in the Cheltenham Festival 2026.
Day 1: Champion Day - Tuesday, 10th March 2026
On the opening day of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, Champion Day, you’ll find big names in a range of big races. Catch Kopek Des Bordes, The New Lion, Lossiemouth and Constitution Hill on day one of the festival.
Below, we’ve listed the top horses for the key races of the day - the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’, the My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase, and the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
(13:20) Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) - 2m abt 1f - Hurdle
| Horse | Odds | Trainer | RPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Park Star | 15/8 | Nicky Henderson | 159 |
| Talk The Talk | 4/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien | 154 |
| El Cairos | 6/1 | Gordon Elliott | 138 |
(14:00) The Arkle Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) - 2m - Chase
| Horse | Odds | Trainer | RPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lulamba | 6/4 | Nicky Henderson | 174 |
| Kopek Des Bordes | 11/4 | Willie Mullins | 163 |
| Kargese | 5/1 | Willie Mullins | 164 |
(16:00) Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) - 2m - Hurdle
| Horse | Odds | Trainer | RPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| The New Lion | 11/4 | Dan Skelton | 163 |
| Brighterdaysahead | 3/1 | Gordon Elliott | 173 |
| Constitution Hill | 9/2 | Nicky Henderson | 166 |
Day 2: Style Wednesday - Wednesday, 11th March 2025
Below, we’ve listed the top horses for the three key races of the day - the Turners Novices’ Hurdle (13:20), the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (14:00) and the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (16:00).
(13:20) Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) - 2m abt 5f - Hurdle
| Horse | Odds | Trainer | RPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Drama This End | 9/2 | Paul Nicholls | 156 |
| Mighty Park | 6/1 | Willie Mullins | 151 |
| Skylight Hustle | 7/1 | Gordon Elliott | 153 |
14:00: Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase - 3m Chase
| Horse | Odds | Trainer | RPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final Demand | 4/1 | Willie Mullins | 165 |
| The Big Westerner | 5/1 | Henry De Bromhead | 156 |
| Kaid d'Authie | 5/1 | Willie Mullins | 169 |
(16:00) BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1) - Abt 2m - Chase
| Horse | Odds | Trainer | RPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Majborough | 13/8 | Willie Mullins | 183 |
| Marine Nationale | 5/2 | Barry Connell | 177 |
| L'Eau du Sud | 7/1 | Dan Skelton | 174 |
Day 3: St. Patrick’s Thursday - Thursday, 12th March 2026
Below, we’ve listed the top horses for the three key races of the day - the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (13:20), the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (15:20), and the Ryanair Chase (16:00).
13:20: Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) - 2m 1f - Hurdle
| Horse | Odds | Trainer | RPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bambino Fever | 15/8 | Willie Mullins | 131 |
| Oldschool Outlaw | 3/1 | Gordon Elliott | 137 |
| Echoing Silence | 12/1 | Henry De Bromhead | 124 |
(15:20) Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1) - 3m Hurdle
| Horse | Odds | Trainer | RPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teahupoo | 7/4 | Gordon Elliott | 172 |
| Ballyburn | 14/1 | Willie Mullins | 168 |
| The Yellow Clay | 25/1 | Gordon Elliott | 161 |
(16:00) Ryanair Chase (Grade 1) - 2m 4f Chase
| Horse | Odds | Trainer | RPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaelic Warrior | 9/4 | Willie Mullins | 178 |
| Fact To File | 9/4 | Willie Mullins | 181 |
| Jonbon | 5/1 | Nicky Henderson | 177 |
Day 4: Gold Cup Day - Friday, 13th March 2026
Day four of the Cheltenham Festival is a huge day for horse racing fans, as we get to see the Cheltenham Gold Cup! There are some early contenders already for this race, with Inothewayurthinkin, and Galopin Des Champs the ones to watch so far.
Below, we’ve listed the top horses for the three key races of the day - the JCB Triumph Hurdle (13:20), the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (15:20) and the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (16:00).
(13:20) JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) - 2m - Hurdle
| Horse | Odds | Trainer | RPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narciso Has | 6/4 | Willie Mullins | 151 |
| Proactif | 13/2 | Willie Mullins | 139 |
| Selma De Vary | 7/1 | Willie Mullins | 148 |
(15:20) Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) - 3m - Hurdle
| Horse | Odds | Trainer | RPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Steinberg | 11/4 | Willie Mullins | 156 |
| Thedeviluno | 9/1 | Paul Nolan | 152 |
| Sortudo | 14/1 | Willie Mullins | 146 |
(16:00) Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1) - 3m 2f - Chase
| Horse | Odds | Trainer | RPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fact To File | 4/1 | Willie Mullins | 181 |
| Galopin Des Champs | 9/1 | Willie Mullins | 179 |
| Inothewayurthinkin | 18/1 | Gavin Cromwell | 184 |
Cheltenham Festival 2026 Favourites
The 2025 Festival was jam-packed full of big-name horses, jockeys and trainers, and we're expecting the very same for 2026! Below, we’ve listed a handful of the early Cheltenham Festival 2026 favourites, including Galopin Des Champs, Inothewayurthinkin, Fact To File and Constitution Hill.
Galopin Des Champs
Already recognised as Cheltenham royalty, Galopin Des Champs is looking to return to the winners' enclosure after a disappointing 2025 by his standards. This Willie Mullins-trained horse came 2nd behind Inothewayurthinkin in the Gold Cup, who is being tipped to go well once again in 2026. This result meant Galopin Des Champs missed out on a third Gold Cup victory in a row.
Check out the recent performance of Galopin Des Champs from the last five races in the table below:
| Event | Date | Distance | Position | Going |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leopardstown (IRE) – Class 1 | 02 Feb 2026 | 3m 100y | 3/12 | Soft |
| Leopardstown (IRE) – Class 1 | 28 Dec 2025 | 3m 100y | 3/11 | Yielding |
| Punchestown (IRE) – Class 1 | 30 Apr 2025 | 3m 213y | 1/4 | Yielding |
| Cheltenham – Class 1 | 14 Mar 2025 | 3m 2f 70y | 2/9 | Good to Soft |
| Leopardstown (IRE) – Class 1 | 01 Feb 2025 | 3m 70y | 1/10 | Yielding (Good to Yielding in places) |
Inothewayurthinkin
Winner of the 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup, this Gavin Cromwell-trained 7-year-old beat one of the all-time greats in Gaolpin Des Champs. This means all eyes will be on him in 2026 should he be entered into this race once again.
Check out the recent performance of Inothewayurthinkin from the last five races in the table below:
| Event | Date | Distance | Position | Going |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leopardstown (IRE) – Class 1 | 02 Feb 2026 | 3m 100y | F | Soft |
| Leopardstown (IRE) – Class 1 | 28 Dec 2025 | 3m 100y | 9/11 | Yielding |
| Punchestown (IRE) – Class 1 | 23 Nov 2025 | 2m 3f 150y | 5/10 | Soft to Heavy (Heavy in places) |
| Cheltenham – Class 1 | 14 Mar 2025 | 3m 2f 70y | 1/9 | Good to Soft |
| Leopardstown (IRE) – Class 1 | 01 Feb 2025 | 3m 70y | 4/10 | Yielding (Good to Yielding in places) |
Fact To File
Fact To File, another from the stable of Willie Mullins, is the narrow favourite to win the 2026 Ryanair Chase. This 8-year-old Gelding won the same race in 2025 and could go for it again - but it’s the Gold Cup that Mullins’ wants. Fact To File is currently the third favourite, behind Galopin Des Champs and Inothewayurthinkin, to bring home the Gold Cup in 2026.
| Event | Date | Distance | Position | Going |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leopardstown (IRE) – Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup | 02 Feb 2026 | 3m 100y | 1/12 | Soft |
| Kempton Park – Class 1 Chase | 26 Dec 2025 | 3m | 6/8 | Good (Good to Soft in places) |
| Punchestown (IRE) – Class 1 Chase | 23 Nov 2025 | 2m 3f 150y | 2/10 | Soft to Heavy (Heavy in places) |
| Punchestown (IRE) – Class 1 Chase | 29 Apr 2025 | 2m 98y | 4/6 | Good to Yielding (Yielding in places) |
| Cheltenham – Class 1 Chase | 13 Mar 2025 | 2m 4f 127y | 1/9 | Good to Soft |
Constitution Hill
A world-class hurdler and fierce competitor, Nicky Henderson’s Constitution Hill was the favourite to bring home the Unibet Champion Hurdle for the second consecutive year, but fell early on, breaking the hearts of many punters. The plan for Constitution Hill at Cheltenham in 2026 is not yet known, but if he does race, expect him to be one of the favourites!
Check out the recent performance of Constitution Hill from the last five races in the table below:
| Event | Date | Distance | Position | Going |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle – Class 1 Hurdle | 29 Nov 2025 | 2m 190y | F | Good to Soft (Soft in places) |
| Punchestown (IRE) – Class 1 Hurdle | 02 May 2025 | 2m 45y | 5/6 | Yielding |
| Aintree – Class 1 Hurdle | 03 Apr 2025 | 2m 4f | F | Good to Soft (Good in places) |
| Cheltenham – Class 1 Hurdle | 11 Mar 2025 | 2m 87y | F | Good to Soft |
| Cheltenham – Class 1 Hurdle | 25 Jan 2025 | 2m 179y | 1/12 | Soft (Good to Soft in places) |
FAQs
Which are the key races in the 2026 Cheltenham Festival?
The key races for each day of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival are listed below:
Day 1: Champion Day - Tuesday, 10th March 2026
- 13:20: Sky Bet Supreme Novices' (Grade 1) - 2m - Hurdle
- 14:00: The Arkle Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) - 2m - Chase
- 15:20: The Ultima Handicap Chase (Grade 1) - 2m abt 4f - Hurdle
- 16:00: Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) - 2m - Hurdle
Day 2: Style Wednesday - Wednesday, 11th March 2026
- 13:20: Turners Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) - 2m abt 5f - Hurdle
- 14:00: Brown Advisory Novices' Chase - 3m Chase
- 16:00: BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1) - Abt 2m - Chase
Day 3: St. Patrick's Thursday - Thursday, 12th March 2026
- 13:20: Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle (Grade 2) - 2m 1f - Hurdle
- 15:20: Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle (Grade 1) - 3m Hurdle
- 16:00: Ryanair Chase (Grade 1) - 2m 4f Chase
Day 4: Gold Cup Day - Friday, 13th March 2026
- 13:20: JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) - 2m - Hurdle
- 15:20: Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) - 3m - Hurdle
- 16:00: Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1) - 3m 2f - Chase
How many entries are there for the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2026?
Entries have not yet been confirmed for the 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup. However, in 2025, there were just 9 entries in the race.
