Last Updated on 26/02/2026 by Andy Clark
Matt Chapman’s Cheltenham Festival tips are among the most eagerly followed of any ITV Racing pundit. Chapman has been a fixture of Festival coverage for over two decades and is one of the most recognisable voices in British horse racing.
He publishes his Cheltenham tips through Paddy Power, ITV Racing and At The Races in the build-up to the Festival and provides daily selections each morning throughout the four days. On this page, you will find all of his confirmed 2026 selections, his race-by-race analysis, and his daily tips updated from Champion Day on Tuesday 10th March through to Gold Cup day on Friday 13th March.
Matt Chapman is a UK-based horse racing analyst with over 12 years’ experience studying UK & Irish racing form. He specialises in ante-post, ITV Racing and tipping on the big meetings such as the Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot and the Grand National. His insights are based on track form, jockey/trainer trends, going conditions and real-time market movement.
You can find today’s Matt Chapman horse racing tips below, and if there are no tips available, come back tomorrow and see if the pundit has made any selections. You can expect Matt Chapman to give betting tips for all the big meetings from the Flat and National Hunt season.
Matt Chapman’s Cheltenham 2026 Tips and Selections
Matt Chapman has published his five championship race selections for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival via Paddy Power, covering one pick per feature race across the four days. His selections are based on NRNB markets — all five can be backed with Non-Runner No Bet protection at Paddy Power, meaning stakes are returned if a selection does not run.
Odds correct at time of publication. Use a bookmaker offering Non-Runner No Bet for ante-post selections — see our Cheltenham NRNB guide for the full confirmed list.
Not fancy any of Matt’s selections? Don’t worry, you’ll find plenty more on our dedicated Pundit Tips page, where we collate all the best horse racing pundits’ thoughts on the upcoming meets, including the likes of Mick Fitzgerald and Ruby Walsh, giving you the best possible chance of winning!
Matt Chapman’s Race-by-Race Cheltenham 2026 Analysis
Chapman has gone through the five championship races in detail for Paddy Power. Here is a summary of his thinking on each selection.
Champion Hurdle (Tuesday, 1.30pm) — Poniros (each-way) His pick is Poniros each-way for Willie Mullins. The horse landed the Triumph Hurdle last season, and Chapman is happy to forgive his distant third in the Irish Champion Hurdle on his return, noting he was “never ridden as if connections had any interest in being involved on his return.” With what could be a small field, Poniros “might improve bundles” and represents each-way value at his current price.
Queen Mother Champion Chase (Wednesday, 4.00pm) — Marine Nationale Chapman has taken on Majborough despite the Irish horse’s brilliant performance at Leopardstown. His reasoning: Marine Nationale’s Cheltenham record reads 1-1 from two visits, and in both the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Champion Chase, he “came alive and looked a different horse to the one seen in Ireland.” Chapman is straightforward about the selection — he is not a horse he particularly likes as a pundit, but his Cheltenham form profile and his ability to “stalk and pounce” with a deadly turn of foot makes him impossible to dismiss at the track.
Stayers’ Hurdle (Thursday, 4.00pm) — Teahupoo Chapman has been a long-term admirer of Teahupoo and backed the view that the horse is “always over-priced at the beginning of each season.” He acknowledges Teahupoo is shorter now than he was earlier in the campaign, but argues he is “in as good form as he’s ever been going into the Festival.” For a former winner with strong credentials and no obvious weaknesses, Chapman is happy to take the current price.
Ryanair Chase (Thursday, 3.20pm) — Jonbon Chapman’s Ryanair selection is Jonbon, whom he believes “would start favourite if he ran, and probably at quite a short price.” He pushes back on the narrative that Jonbon doesn’t act at Cheltenham, arguing his mistakes at the track have come from running over trips that took him outside his comfort zone. The uncertainty over his participation is addressed by the NRNB market — if he does not run, stakes are returned. Chapman’s view: the Ryanair over two miles is the trip that suits Jonbon best, and he has every chance of finally delivering at Cheltenham.
Cheltenham Gold Cup (Friday, 4.00pm) — Galopin Des Champs Chapman’s Gold Cup pick is Galopin Des Champs, the two-time defending champion, at a price he considers generous. He acknowledges the doubters — the horse is 10 years old and has been dropped to a rating of 172, the lowest since a novice chase win at Punchestown in 2022. But he counters that there were reasons both his starts this season needed to happen, and that “his stamina and class is a mix none of the others in this race have currently proven.” The historical stat about no 10-year-old winning the Gold Cup since Cool Dawn in 1998 does not move Chapman. He is happy to back the two-time champion at current odds.
Matt Chapman’s Cheltenham Preview Night — Monday 3rd March, London
Chapman is on the panel at The Sun’s Cheltenham preview night on Monday 3rd March at The News Building, London Bridge, alongside Rich Ricci, Davy Russell, Ben Pauling, Nick Luck and Steve Mullen. Tickets are available via thesun.co.uk and the event starts at 7pm.
This is one of the major preview night events of the Festival build-up and Chapman’s selections from the evening will be some of the most widely reported tips of the final week before Cheltenham. We will add the key selections from the preview night to this page on Tuesday 4th March — check back for the full update including his tips across all four days of the Festival.
Chapman also appears regularly on At The Races’ Cheltenham build-up coverage, including panel discussions on the big races. The At The Races Cheltenham hub is worth checking for his wider race-by-race views beyond the five championship picks published via Paddy Power.
Matt Chapman’s Daily Cheltenham Tips — Updated Each Morning During the Festival
During the 2026 Cheltenham Festival — Tuesday 10th March to Friday 13th March — this section will be updated each morning with Matt Chapman’s tips for that day’s racing. Chapman publishes his ITV Racing picks via Paddy Power each morning during major meetings, typically between 9am and 11am. Check back each morning for his selections across the seven races.
Champion Day — Tuesday 10th March Matt Chapman’s Champion Day tips will be added here on Tuesday 10th March.
Ladies Day — Wednesday 11th March Matt Chapman’s Wednesday tips will be added here on Wednesday 11th March.
St Patrick’s Thursday — Thursday 12th March Matt Chapman’s Thursday tips will be added here on Thursday 12th March.
Gold Cup Day — Friday 13th March Matt Chapman’s Gold Cup Day tips will be added here on Friday 13th March.
BoyleSPORTS
Welcome Bonus: Bet £10 get a £40 Free Bet
18+. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. T&Cs Apply
Bet on Matt Chapman’s Tips with a Free Bet
Use a free bet to bet on Matt Chapman’s tips for today with one of these horse racing bookies’ sign-up offers. Open a new account and follow the terms and conditions to place your first bet. Win or lose you will get the advertised free bet added to your account.
For example – open a bet365 account and bet £10 on a horse, win or lose, you will get £30 in free bets credited to your new account.
For all of these offers, T&Cs apply, 18+. Gambleaware. New customers only.
Why Trust Matt Chapman’s Horse Racing Tips?
Matt Chapman is a respected and well-known voice in UK horse racing, known for providing informed, data-driven insights across major meetings and everyday racing cards. His tips are based on form analysis, race conditions, trainer and jockey trends, and market movements, rather than guesswork or hype. He is one of the most knowledgeable people in horse racing, and even though his views are strong, his knowledge of the sport is unrivalled.
With years of experience studying UK and Irish racing, Matt’s approach focuses on value betting, identifying selections where the odds offer a fair reflection of the horse’s true chance, and this is illustrated in him picking both win and each-way bets for his predictions. This makes his tips particularly useful for punters looking for long-term consistency rather than short-term speculation.
Each racing tip is selected after reviewing:
- Recent horse form and performance levels
- Trainer and jockey strike rates
- Track suitability and going conditions
- Race pace, draw bias, and field size
- Market signals and late price movement
Matt’s tips are published for informational and editorial purposes only, helping readers make more informed betting decisions. Results are tracked transparently, with past performance available for review, reinforcing trust and accountability. He publishes his selections on various platforms as well as live on The Opening Show every Saturday morning and ITV Racing.
All content is published by Thatsagoal Media Limited in line with strict editorial standards and includes responsible gambling guidance. Betting always carries risk, and readers are encouraged to stake responsibly and only wager what they can afford to lose.
Who Does Matt Chapman Provide Tips For?
Matt Chapman is a staple of ITV Racing’s horse racing coverage, and you’ll often find him dishing out his thoughts alongside the latest odds.
Alongside his broadcasting roles, he’s also a pundit for Paddy Power, where you’ll find a couple of posts a week on his thoughts on the upcoming races, while he often features in the likes of The Sun, offering his thoughts too, particularly around big weeks of racing such as Cheltenham and the Grand National.
Who Is Matt Chapman?
Matt Chapman is one of horse racing’s leading presenters and pundits today having originally started his career as a writer for the Racing Post. Broadcast journalism soon came calling, though, and at the turn of the millennium, he joined the At The Races team, providing live coverage of daily races on satellite television.
For the past two decades, he’s continued to enhance his reputation as one of the best in the business, being snapped up by ITV, while also doing work for Sky Sports.
He has a big personality, and that has shone in much of his work, particularly when working with major betting brands like he has over the last few years, including Sunbets and Paddy Power.
Responsible Gambling
Betting on horse racing should always be enjoyable and treated as a form of entertainment, not a way to make guaranteed money. While Matt Chapman’s horse racing tips are based on research and analysis, no betting strategy can eliminate risk.
We strongly encourage all readers to:
- Only bet what you can afford to lose
- Set clear limits on time and spending
- Avoid chasing losses
- Take regular breaks from betting
All tips published on Thatsagoal are free and informational, designed to support informed decision-making rather than promote excessive gambling.
If betting ever stops being enjoyable or you feel it is becoming a problem, confidential help and support are available:
- GambleAware – www.gambleaware.org
- GamCare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- National Gambling Helpline (UK) – 0808 8020 133
You must be 18 years or older to place a bet with UK-licensed bookmakers. Always gamble responsibly.
Frequently Asked Questions About Matt Champan
Who is Matt Chapman?
Matt Chapman is a respected horse racing pundit known for providing informed opinions on UK and Irish racing. His tips are based on form analysis, race conditions, trainer and jockey trends, and market movements.
Are Matt Chapman’s horse racing tips free to use?
es, all Matt Chapman racing tips published on Thatsagoal are completely free to access and are provided for informational purposes only
How often are Matt Chapman’s racing tips updated?
Matt Chapman’s horse racing tips are updated regularly to reflect the day’s racing schedule, including major UK meetings and selected Irish races.
Do Matt Chapman’s tips guarantee winners?
No horse racing tips can guarantee winners. Matt Chapman’s selections are expert opinions designed to help inform betting decisions, but all betting involves risk.
What type of bets do Matt Chapman’s tips focus on?
The tips may include win bets, each-way selections, and value picks depending on race conditions, field size, and odds available on the day.
Which race meetings are covered by Matt Chapman’s tips?
Matt Chapman’s racing tips typically cover major UK race meetings, including televised events, festival racing, and selected high-quality midweek cards.
Is responsible gambling considered in these tips?
Yes, all Matt Chapman racing tips on Thatsagoal are published alongside responsible gambling guidance, encouraging readers to bet safely and within their limits.
More Cheltenham Festival Tipster Predictions
Matt Chapman is one of several expert pundits whose Cheltenham 2026 tips we are tracking across the Festival. For more selections and race-by-race analysis from the leading voices in horse racing, see the pages below.
Ruby Walsh Cheltenham Tips — Paddy Power Racing Ambassador and ITV Racing pundit. All of Ruby Walsh’s confirmed 2026 Cheltenham selections, race-by-race analysis and daily tips updated throughout the week.
Tom Segal (Pricewise) Cheltenham Tips — The Racing Post’s Pricewise column is one of the most influential in the sport. See all of Tom Segal’s confirmed Cheltenham 2026 selections and his race-by-race thinking ahead of the Festival.
Mick Fitzgerald Cheltenham Tips — Former Gold Cup-winning jockey turned ITV Racing pundit. See Mick Fitzgerald’s Cheltenham 2026 tips and Festival best bets.
Templegate Cheltenham Tips — The Sun’s Templegate is one of the most widely followed newspaper tipsters during Festival week. All his Cheltenham 2026 selections in one place.
Newsboy Cheltenham Tips — The Daily Mirror’s Newsboy tips for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, updated daily throughout the four days.
Kevin Blake Cheltenham Tips — Irish racing expert Kevin Blake’s Cheltenham 2026 tips and ante-post selections.
Dave Nevison Cheltenham Tips — Professional punter and Racing UK pundit Dave Nevison’s Cheltenham 2026 tips and best bets.
For all pundit tips in one place, see our Cheltenham Festival Pundit Tips hub.