Cheltenham Festival 2026 Preview : Antepost Angle - DigiRacing

We are less than 3 weeks away from the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. The anticipation is starting to kick in and if you haven’t already placed a few antepost multiples, perhaps you are starting to think about doing so. 

All dreams are still alive and, in the lead up to this year’s spectacle we will be doing our best to point out some potential angles.

This week we begin with the 5 championship races. 

We will start with the Champion Hurdle, and it looks to be the most open renewal in some years. Since 2015 we have had 8 winning favourites and of those, 5 were odds on. This year we have The New Lion as the current favourite (9/4 Generally, 11/4 in places), winner of the Turners novice hurdle last year, a race that usually produces future stayers and not Champion Hurdlers.

A certain Constitution Hill is lurking at a best priced 9/2, and we will know more I am sure on his well being after his rendezvous on the flat at Southwell this Friday. So much has been made of this event that it is not worth going over anymore. Will he run in the Champion Hurdle? If it was me, I would give him another chance. Nico will do right by the horse and if he feels there is something amiss at any of the obstacles he will pull the great champion up. Should he win at Southwell & turn up on the 10th March then he won’t be 9/2 you can guarantee that, do you want to take that chance? Maybe when he was double that price, but not for now.

Then we have the girls. Last years heroine, Golden Ace, who I have joked about only winning when they all fall. This is said in jest as we all know you must jump to win, which she continues to do. When she is beaten it is usually by a superstar and if she won again it would shut so many people up! Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth have traded victories in Ireland this winter, the former probably looking like the better of the 2 in those battles. Whether Lossiemouth goes for the Mares Hurdle or this remains to be seen, but Gordon Elliott’s girl is all but assured to run all being well. 

The rest of the field just isn’t up to the standard that a champion hurdler would have to be. Poniros, Alexei, Wilful and Anzadam would need to improve a fair bit, Ballyburn & Lucky Place would need the starter to add on even further than he was doing last year to win and so for a mare rated the same as The New Lion at 159, Brighterdaysahead would probably be where my money would go if forced to pick now. It wouldn’t be a betting race at this stage though for me and it is intriguing to see how the race shapes up in the coming weeks.

The Irish look to have this one sewn up for this year already looking at the market. Majborough was back to his very best at The Dublin Racing festival and if he jumps like that again at Cheltenham, he will be very difficult to beat. Marine Nationale couldn’t live with Majborough last time out and similar with Solness the time before that. There is a case to be made that there will be lots of horses vying for the lead early on, adding Thistle Ask & L’Eau Du Sud to the list, which may suit a closer with a little more stamina and that would lead me to say that it would be Jonbon’s best chance to win a Queen Mother. However, with his win in the Ascot Chase last time out he looks likely to be heading for the Ryanair, which may be a sensible call to change it up with his 2-mile Cheltenham record.

The Stayers Hurdle looks to be a very strong race this year. Only 3 favourites have won in the last 10 years, and 5 were won by double figure odds. Former 2 -time winner Flooring Porter, Home By The Lee, The Yellow Clay and Hewick are sure to have their supporters. Ballyburn & Potters Charm need to prove that they stay the trip, but it is probably Impose Toi who at the bigger prices could tempt me (14/1, 12/1 NRNB). A strong travelling horse who has been great to watch this season so far. He was beaten by Ma Shantou last time at Cheltenham, but was giving away 6lbs to the winner and I wouldn’t have Ma Shantou nearly half the price.

The form of Impose Toi ties in well with Honesty Policy, a horse we were strong on early in the season for this race. Unfortunately the 16/1 was soon snapped up and now trades at no bigger than 4/1 and is shorter with some firms. He is an improving horse and is unexposed at the trip but would have something to find with some of these. Can he make the step up? Time will tell, but I wouldn’t be a backer at the current odds. If you are on at fancy prices though, it will be an exciting race for sure.

Bob Olinger won the race last year, and many have him down as an each-way lock. He can be quirky though and the price is now around 6/1, so not a huge amount of juice there. Teahupoo is a superstar and alongside winning the race in 2024, he has been 2nd twice. Since his defeat to Bob Olinger in the race last year, he has won all 3 of his starts. Including a real battle with Ballyburn at Fairyhouse over a trip that would be shorter than ideal. A worthy favourite and if there is any cut in the ground his chances of winning will only get stronger.

The Ryanair chase market this year is one that has chopped and changed so much. Fact To File would have been my early NAP of the festival before this season started, but after his win in the Irish Gold Cup, over an extended 3 miles on very soft ground, he has to take his chance in the Gold Cup. While we discuss a horse in the green and gold of JP McManus, it must be said, the owner must have his strongest team of Cheltenham runners ever. He won the Gold Cup last year with Inothewayurthinkin and despite that horse flopping so far this year he still has the favourite for the race again.

With Fact To File likely heading for the Gold Cup and Majborough the hot favourite in the Champion Chase, Jonbon has stepped up to 2m4f to win the Ascot Chase and looks set to stay over the trip for this race at the festival. Will he be able to get over his Cheltenham woes? He has been 2nd 7 times in his career, 5 of those are at Cheltenham. He has won 2 Shloer Chases at the track, but it clearly isn’t a place he thrives. The step up in trip here could see him get into more of a rhythm though and he stands a good chance if that happens.

Looking at the entries, I can see this race having quite a small field, with many of the horses picking other targets. Looking down the list I could probably only say that Heart Wood is guaranteed to line up all being well.

The horse that if he does turn up should put them to the sword is Gaelic Warrior. He was unlucky not to win the King George at Christmas, just going down in a blanket finish to The Jukebox Man. He was a good 2nd to Fact To File in the Irish Gold Cup and before those races he beat Fact To File at Punchestown in a race that ‘Gary’ set a frantic pace and still had enough in the tank to win. He was beaten over hurdles twice at Cheltenham as a novice but came back over fences to blitz them in an Arkle. He is 7/4 best price to take this race, but you may want to wait until the day to see who lines up. I would be a backer even at a shade of odds on come the day if his main rivals go elsewhere.

The Gold Cup is the race that everyone wants to win. If you asked any national hunt jockey or trainer the race they would like to win most, alongside the Grand National it would be this.

Last year Inothewayurthinkin broke the hearts of many by defeating hattrick seeking Galopin Des Champs in the race. This year though, the title holder hasn’t shown anything like the form needed to fancy him to repeat. Galopin Des Champs is now a 10-year-old and has finished 3rd in both starts this year. A slightly shorter campaign than normal, but that could see him fresher come the day than some of his rivals.

Fact To File we mentioned in the Ryanair Chase preview, and he showed his Gold Cup pedigree by winning the Irish Gold Cup very impressively at The Dublin Racing Festival. He will be a worthy favourite if Willie & JP decide that this is the option they want to take.

The top of the market is then filled by horses that made the King George at Kempton so special this year. Jango Baie who was beaten half a length in that race and finished 4th is second favourite at a best priced 5/1. He impressed me in the 1965 at Ascot and looked so full of it after the race that I was of the impression that stepping up in trip would bring out more improvement. The fact he won an Arkle and is straight into the Gold Cup shows what an impressive feat that was last year. If he stays, he could be a horse we are talking about for many years to come as one of the greats.

We then have Gaelic Warrior, who again we spoke about for the Ryanair, which is where I think he will run. Then it is The Jukebox Man. This Harry Redknapp owned star somehow rallied to get back up and win the King George. It was a joy to be there to see the whole team so elated, after the horse had an injury after winning the Kauto Star at Kempton the year before and missed the rest of the season. Best priced 6/1 I know Dawn is very keen on him. I would want to see him prove his stamina a little more than some of the others before I say fully that he is a Gold Cup horse, but he goes there with every chance of doing so.

Spillanes Tower is another that Dawn likes. She is on at 50/1 and he is now best priced 14/1. He Jimmy Mangan has said this is the target and should the rain keep coming he will love any attritional conditions. Another that would like it soft and has earned his place in this field is Haiti Couleurs. Officially he is rated 159 but in the last year he has won the National Hunt Chase at the festival, the Irish Grand National, the Welsh National, the Grade 2 Denman Chase, oh and throw in a Pertemps Handicap Qualifier in there too! This horse just keeps impressing increasingly and I for one would be absolutely delighted were he to win the Gold Cup too, although 8/1 Is not a price I will be getting involved at.

I do think Envoi Allen is slightly overpriced at 40/1 if you are looking for an each-way bet. He has been a stalwart and deserves to bow out on a high. If you pressed me for my winner right now I would be struggling to split them which shows how good a race it is shaping up to be.

Next week we will delve into the novice races & Dawn will be joining me to try and pick out some more winners. You will also be able to tune in to our Cheltenham preview videos in the week leading up to the festival.

Until then, Keep Racing!