Ginger Joe Reviews: 5 Most Popular Christmas Cheltenham Bets

With the dust now settled on the Christmas racing and the Cheltenham Festival markets beginning to take clearer shape, I’ve taken a closer look at five horses who have attracted sustained support on Oddschecker since their festive runs.

These are the names that punters have consistently gravitated towards in the ante-post markets, but as ever, popularity alone doesn’t guarantee value.

In this piece, I’ve reviewed each of the five in detail, assessing their Christmas performances, overall profile, likely Festival targets and how their current odds stack up against their genuine winning chances in March.

Each horse is then assigned a star rating, reflecting both confidence in the selection and whether the price on offer still represents fair betting value at this stage of the season.

Horse 1: SIR GINO - Champion Hurdle 11/8 (5 Stars)

Oddschecker Insight: Since winning the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day, 39% of all Champion Hurdle bets on Oddschecker have backed Sir Gino, up from 24% in the month prior.

Sir Gino returned to action in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, and he was simply devastating. It was just fantastic to see him back on a track for the first time in a long while, but also to see the style of the victory after such a long layoff was just what we needed, a real superstar performance.

Since then, he has attracted a ton of support for the Champion Hurdle and is now 11/8 favourite, and rightly so. Looking at what we’ve seen so far this season, it’s hard to see what horse has the ability to beat him because bar accidents, he looks the best we’ve seen by some way.

Odds last updated at Thursday 8th January.

Horses like The New Lion clearly have more to come, and Anzadam may still improve, but both would need to make significant progress just to get near Sir Gino, especially when you consider how much potential he still has to offer.

Lossiemouth could theoretically pose a threat, but the bigger question is whether she will even line up. From what we know about Willie Mullins, he rarely switches plans, particularly when the mare is clearly the best in her division. Taking her out of the Mares Hurdle (currently 9/4) for the Champion Hurdle would be risky and if it backfired, Willie wouldn’t forgive himself. If she did step up to the Champion Hurdle, she would be the main danger to Sir Gino, but I just don’t see it happening.

Constitution Hill currently raises more questions than answers, so he wouldn’t be for me either. Weighing up the likely opposition against Sir Gino’s potential, it’s hard to see him getting beaten provided he turns up. He missed the last two Festivals, but hopefully, it’s third time lucky. He deserves to be favourite here, and we could be in for something truly special in March. 13/8 is probably fair enough right now, because I wouldn’t be surprised if he went off a shade of odds on on the day, potentially.

5-Star Rating for Sir Gino in the 2026 Champion Hurdle.

Horse 2: EL CAIROS - Supreme Novices Hurdle 5/1 (4 stars)

Oddschecker Insight: Since falling at Leopardstown on Boxing Day, El Cairos is the most backed with 21% of all bets placed on the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

One of the standout performances over the Christmas period actually came from El Cairos. Despite the fact he fell at the last, he looked poised to run away with the race up the Leopardstown straight. He was heavily backed on the morning and continued to shorten throughout the day, eventually going off at 8/15.

Sometimes with late fallers there can be debate about what might have happened, but not on this occasion. El Cairos was doing everything at half speed, whist making lengths effortlessly, and was clearly on his way to being a very easy winner. He showed absolutely everything you want to see. Not only does he look strong on paper, but he passed the eye test emphatically. He’s full of speed, a slick jumper, and looks an incredibly straightforward ride, pretty much the dream profile for a Supreme Novices’ Hurdle contender. It’s no surprise at all that he has continued to be well supported in the market since.

Odds last updated at 14:05, Thursday 8th January.

Even before the fall, he looked sure to win impressively, but the real takeaway was just how effortlessly quick he was. Over the two-mile trip this season, no other horse has shown quite the same wow factor. The fall itself is obviously not what you want to see, but it was more of a freak slip than a jumping error, and I’d argue that it has actually helped to keep his price bigger than it otherwise would be.

Had he gone on to win in the manner he was about to, I think he’d be trading around 5/2 now. If this race were being run tomorrow, he would almost certainly go off much shorter, so 5/1 at this stage looks more than fair. He has genuine star quality, and it’s great to see the KTDA team uncover such a smart horse for the money spent. He has a huge chance at Cheltenham and, in my view, he is absolutely the right favourite.

4-Star Rating for El Cairos in the 2026 Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

Horse 3: GALOPIN DES CHAMPS - Cheltenham Gold Cup 6/1 (3 Stars)

Oddschecker Insight: Galopin Des Champs has taken the most bets (19%) to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup since the Savills Chase on December 28th 2025. 

Galopin Des Champs returned to action for the first time this season in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown, a race he had won for the previous two seasons. This time, however, it marked his seasonal debut rather than his usual starting point in the John Durkan, meaning he has been slightly behind schedule compared to previous campaigns. That could yet prove a blessing come March.

As we’ve seen many times before, Galopin typically comes on a lot for his first run, and despite the lack of peak fitness, he still ran a very solid race over Christmas. He travelled strongly, moved to the front of the pack approaching the home turn, and only weakened gradually inside the final two furlongs, eventually going down by just three lengths. Some were quick to suggest he’s past his best, but I actually found the run hugely encouraging. He will be a completely different horse next time when he returns to Leopardstown for the Irish Gold Cup.

Odds last updated at 14:15, Thursday 8th January.

The winner, Affordale Fury, was subject to a big gamble on the day and went off at much shorter odds than expected. I also think several factors in that race played into his hands. Galopin wasn’t fully tuned up, last season’s Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin looked weak even beforehand, and Lecky Watson has the look of a Grand National project.

In hindsight, the race was there for a fit rival to step in and nick an unlikely Grade 1. I hold a very strong view that the form will be reversed next time out, and quite comfortably too. Despite the post-race doubts from many pundits, Galopin has remained a very popular selection in the markets, and the 6/1 still available looks an excellent price. That becomes even more appealing when you consider that last season’s champion has looked below par, and the King George has failed to provide a standout contender.

Of course, he does have the age stat to overcome, but his record is simply outstanding with two Cheltenham Gold Cups, three Irish Gold Cups, and a Punchestown Gold Cup. He is an exceptional horse, and if any chaser is capable of defying the trend, it’s him. At 6/1, he looks a good price to me, in what will be a competitive Gold Cup. Wouldn’t put anyone off backing him.

3-Star Rating for Galopin Des Champs in the 2026 Gold Cup.

Horse 4: MARINE NATIONALE - Champion Chase 11/4 (5 Stars)

Oddschecker Insight: Since running in the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase on the 27th December, Marine Nationale has taken 39% of bets to win the Champion Chase.

Right now, I think Marine Nationale is one of the bankers of the Cheltenham Festival. He returned to action over the Christmas period at Leopardstown and despite almost coming to a near standstill early in the race, he still managed to claw his way back into contention, going down by less than a head at the line. Solness got the job done on the day and deserved the win, but it was plain to see that the reigning Cheltenham and Punchestown Champion Chase winner, Marine Nationale, was the best horse in the race.

Although he didn’t win, the performance was deeply encouraging for a seasonal debut, and it should leave him absolutely primed for the Dublin Racing Festival, where he is likely to clash with Il Etait Temps, who looks the main danger to Marine.

Odds last updated at 14:30, Thursday 8th January.

Il Etait Temps has already proven himself a top-class two-miler and is clearly a very talented horse, but I have significant reservations about him at Cheltenham, where he has struggled in the past. That course concern plays directly into the hands of Marine Nationale, who is a proven Cheltenham specialist, having won two Grade 1s from two starts at the Festival.

Leopardstown should be very competitive in a few weeks time, but when they arrive at Cheltenham, the race sets up far better for Marine Nationale than it does for most of his rivals. He is a superb jumper, an excellent traveller, a seriously fast two miler, and the fact he ran so well at Leopardstown on his first start of the season strongly suggests there is still more to come.

He had relatively straightforward victories at both Cheltenham and Punchestown last season, and I think people may be underestimating the possibility that he is still improving. For me, he is absolutely the one to beat in March, and it’s no surprise to see him well supported in the market since that Christmas run.

5-Star Rating for Marine Nationale in the 2026 Champion Chase.

Horse 5: FACT TO FILE - Ryanair Chase 11/4 (3 Stars)

Oddschecker Insight: Since running in the King George on Boxing Day, Fact To File has taken 55% of bets to win the 2026 Ryanair Chase on Oddschecker.

At the start of the season, I would have signalled Fact To File as one of the bankers of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, and he still could be, depending on what eventually turns up. However, what now has to be taken seriously is the fact that he has been beaten on both of his starts this season.

He was first beaten by Gaelic Warrior at Punchestown, and then followed that up with a rather disappointing effort in the King George, where he was something of a no show. That run was particularly concerning, because when you look at the race halfway through, it had been set up perfectly for him. That performance has definitely raised some doubts, and in hindsight, I’m quite glad I haven’t backed him yet.

Despite that, he has remained popular in the betting since, and it’s easy to see why. If you go back to last season and watch how effortlessly he won then, a return to that level would make him extremely hard to beat. However, based on what we saw in the King George, I’m now much weaker on his overall chances.

There are several horses in here like Gaelic Warrior, The Jukebox Man, Jango Baie, among others who ran better than him in the King George, and if any of those end up lining up in the Ryanair, they would have to be considered serious dangers. I’m finding it hard to move past those two underwhelming runs, because Fact To File is not a horse you would usually describe as lacklustre. It’s entirely possible that Gaelic Warrior broke his heart at Punchestown, and that could be having a knock-on effect on his campaign this season.

Either way, my view has shifted significantly. I’ve gone from seeing him as a potential banker to being quite cool on his chances. On the evidence we have so far, I certainly wouldn’t be rushing to back him. There are clear concerns, despite his ongoing popularity in the market.

3-Star Rating for Fact To File in the 2026 Ryanair Chase.