The Four Best Bets for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival

Last Updated on 22/01/2026 by Andy Clark

Brian Healy

Brian joined the team a couple of years ago but he has a long background in writing horse racing content and betting tips. Having worked for a number of publications in the past, such as RacingTips, Brian made the move to thatsagoal and is the main content writer across flat and National Hunt racing.

The 2026 Cheltenham Festival promises thrilling National Hunt racing, and our expert ante-post tips highlight the best bets across the Arkle, Champion Hurdle, Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, and Mares Novices’ Hurdle.

For many punters betting on the Cheltenham Festival, siding with the short-priced favourites, especially in ante-post accumulators, might sound a solid strategy likely to yield a big return.

In the weeks leading up to the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, social media, especially, is awash with ‘bankers’ – horses that are expected to win – but in reality, these ‘bankers’ don’t always come through. One just has to think back to one of the biggest of all, Annie Power, who famously fell at the last hurdle when clear and sure to collect. That fall saved bookmakers millions and ruined many an accumulator – this writer’s included!

The Cheltenham Festival is known for upsets with its stiff, undulating layout and tricky fences often catching even the best horses out. Looking back at the Festival’s recent history, the four days are littered with shattered dreams of short-priced favourites that have been beaten. This year will surely prove no different; some short-priced fancies will win while others will lose. The big trick, of course, is working out which ones are likely to land the odds and which ones will fall short.

So to help out, here are four horses running over the course of the 4-days at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival we expect to land on the right side of history and justify their short odds.

ARKLE CHALLENGE TROPHY NOVICES’ CHASE – TUESDAY 10th MARCH – LULAMBA (6/4)

Kopek Des Bordes is likely to spearhead the Irish challenge for the Arkle, and Willie Mullins’ charge already boasts winning Festival form, having struck in last season’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, and he was mightily impressive in winning his only start over fences to date.

The Irish star suffered a setback which prevented him from appearing over the Christmas period, but he should be fighting fit for a tilt at Cheltenham where he’ll lock horns with Nicky Henderson’s LULAMBA who boasts more experience of the larger obstacles and the Nirvana Du Berlais gelding has been equally impressive in registering back-to-back chase wins including the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown when last seen.

Unlike the main Irish challenger, Lulamba was turned over at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival 12 months ago in the Triumph Hurdle, but he looks to have taken his game up a notch with the switch to chasing, and he was a ten lengths’ victor over Be Aware in that Sandown Grade One. That’s a race that, while it hasn’t been a great trial for the Arkle, has thrown up some top-class performers in the past, the likes of Altior, Jonbon, Edwardstone, Sceau Royal and Al Ferof since 2010.

Kopek Des Borde was awarded a higher chase rating than Lulamba following their respective debuts, but the latter was scintillating at Sandown after the first couple of fences, and he has huge scope for better still. It will be a fascinating clash between two potentially top-class two-mile chasers, but the Henderson runner could hold too many guns for the Irish challenger.

CHAMPION HURDLE – TUESDAY 10th MARCH – SIR GINO (5/4)

Heading into this campaign, many wouldn’t have expected SIR GINO to be spearheading the ante-post market for the Champion Hurdle, but with so many doubts around his rivals, Nicky Henderson’s ‘supersub’ could well be the one to take the top honours back to Seven Barrows for the first time in three years.

That year, Constitution Hill did the honours in grand style, but that one has become a maverick and has plenty to prove now, although it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see him in the mix if recapturing his best.

This is a race that often goes the way of the favourite, and Sir Gino’s main ante-post rival is Dan Skelton’s The New Lion, winner of last season’s Turner’s Novices’ Hurdle, so he brings winning Festival form to the table.

That race is over significantly further, however, and he fell in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle on his only previous run. Will he have the speed to drop back to two miles for the Champion Hurdle in March? The pair could go head-to-head in the upcoming Unibet Hurdle on Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham, which will reveal more, but there is likely plenty more to come from Nicky Henderson’s charge, and he rates the one to beat.

BROWN ADVISORY NOVICES’ CHASE – WEDNESDAY 11 MARCH – FINAL DEMAND (10/11)

Third in last season’s Turner’s Novice’s Hurdle – his sole defeat to date – Willie Mullins’ rising chase star FINAL DEMAND is 2-2 this term, scoring in bloodless style at Navan on his chase debut before leaping to the forefront of the ante-post market for this race when demolishing Gold Dancer at Limerick in the Grade One Faugheen Chase, beating a 152-rated rival by eight lengths.

His main rival may prove to be Romeo Coolio, himself a chaser on the up and 3-3 currently over fences, similarly also beating Gold Dancer by the same margin in the Drinmore before grinding out victory over an inadequate two miles to take the Racing Post Novices’ Chase.

He’s also in the Arkle Chase, however, although that may prove too sharp a test for him, this may prove more suitable. However, his jumping hasn’t looked quite as polished as that of the Mullins horse, and he was beaten here 12 months ago over hurdles.

Kitzbuhel could also line up to further bolster the Mullins’ hand, although he appeared well-suited by the sharper nature of Kempton, and the demands of Cheltenham will prove wholly different.

Final Demand’s owner, Bryan Drew, rates him as the best horse he has had – high praise indeed, given his colours are carried by the likes of Bravemansgame and Panic Attack, and talk of him being a potential Gold Cup horse certainly marks him out as one who might be difficult to leave out of any banker accumulator.

MARE’S NOVICES’ HURDLE – THURSDAY 12 MARCH – BAMBINO FEVER (7/4)

Unbeaten in four bumper races last term, which included the Champion Bumper here, Willie Mullins’ Jukebox Jury mare was surprisingly turned over on her hurdles debut at Naas in December. However, she made no mistake on her next start with a dominant victory at Fairyhouse, where she ran out a twelve lengths’ victor over Cornelienne.

That defeat came at a time when the Mullins horses were under a slight cloud, and she was outbattled only by a half-length by a race-fit rival, with the pair clear. Further, the testing ground might have contributed to exposing any chink in her fitness, so while the defeat can’t be ignored, it could be downgraded, and she showed plenty of class in winning her next start in impressive fashion.

She showed she had clearly benefited from that first run, and while it wasn’t perhaps an ideal scenario, having to cut out her own running, she’ll likely prove better following a lead which she’ll surely get at Cheltenham. That run did show her versatility, and with deep ground unlikely at the Festival come Marc,h she can give the Closutton team another victory in this race.

Short‑Priced Cheltenham Favourites Beaten at the 2025 Festival

• Constitution Hill – 1/2 favourite, Champion Hurdle (fell)
• Ballyburn – 4/7 favourite, Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (finished 5th)
• Jonbon – 5/6 favourite, Queen Mother Champion Chase (2nd)
• Majborough – 1/2 favourite, Arkle Novices’ Chase (2nd)
• Galopin Des Champs – 8/13 favourite, Gold Cup (beaten)

Brian Healy

Brian joined the team a couple of years ago but he has a long background in writing horse racing content and betting tips. Having worked for a number of publications in the past, such as RacingTips, Brian made the move to thatsagoal and is the main content writer across flat and National Hunt racing.