Cheltenham Day 1 Tips – Tuesday’s Race by Race Betting Tips and Predictions

Cheltenham Festival day 1 betting tips, predictions and race-by-race preview for the seven-race card on Tuesday 11th March 2025, starting at 1.20pm.

Adam has been through the Tuesday racecard and picked his win and each-way bets for day 1 of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival including 40/1 and 16/1 each-way bets and an in-depth preview of all seven races.

 

Cheltenham Day 1 Tips

• 1.20pm – Kopek Des Bordes 1/1 (William Hill) & Karniquet (EW) 40/1 4 places (SkyBet) and W/O Kopek Des Bordes 20/1 (EW) 3 places (Bet365)
• 2.00pm – Majborough win only 4/7 (Bet365)
• 2.40pm – Whistle Stop Tour EW 10/1 (William Hill) & Henrys Friend EW 10/1 (William Hill) paying 6 places
• 3.20pm – Jade De Grugy WITHOUT Lossiemouth win only 2/1 (Betfair)
• 4.00pm – Constitution Hill win only 4/7 (Bet365)
• 4.40pm – Beyond Your Dreams EW 7/1 (William Hill) paying 5 places & Sonny Bill EW 16/1 (Ladbrokes) paying 5 places
• 5.20pm – Transmission EW only 5/1 5 places (Ladbrokes)

---

 

1:20 Cheltenham – Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)

12 go to post for this year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (same as last year) but the race is all about one horse.

Kopek Des Bordes devoured his opposition on his last start at the DRF and has remained way ahead of the rest in the market ever since. He is 3/3 in his career and is still open to any amount of improvement and I believe we will see him even better here, in a fastly run Supreme.

He’s the level they all have to get to and even though there are a few in this that could be anything and rank as dangers, the only result I can see is Kopek Des Bordes winning. He’s the only outright win tip I can give you in the opener.

One horse I believe is vastly underrated and overpriced though, is his stablemate Karniquet. Last seen chasing the favourite home at the DRF when pulling any number of lengths clear of the field, I genuinely can’t understand how the market only has 3 horses bigger than him. Form lines through Blue De Vassy make it difficult to know why this horse is 6 times the price of Romeo Coolio. I sided with him to run well at the DRF and I’m not jumping ship now. I believe he will shorten considerably come the off (like he did at the DRF) and Danny Mullins on him can’t be a bad thing. He’s the only horse I want to back each-way and in the without market.

Back Kopek Des Bordes 1/1 (William Hill)

Back Karniquet EW  40/1 4 places (Sky) and W/O Kopek Des Bordes 20/1 EW 3 places (Bet365)

OFFER – Get your money back as a free bet if your bet in the 1.20pm loses with Boylesports (new customers get £30 in free bets too).

---

 

2:00 Cheltenham – My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)

Favourites have a great record in the Arkle with 5 odds on shots winning the last 10 and that trend looks like continuing in 2025.

Only 5 horses go to post and I can’t see the other 4 troubling the favourite.

Majborough is the short-priced favourite and seems certain to be the first 5-year-old to win the race since 2006. He’s 2 from 2 over fences and comes back to Cheltenham after winning the Triumph Hurdle last year. He has all the talent in the world and he is as close to banker material as you can get. I don’t want to complicate things by trying to work out race tactics and who might follow him home. Majborough is short but it is about backing winners.

Back Majborough win only 4/7 (Bet365)

---

 

2:40 Cheltenham – Ultima Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)

The first handicap of the day sees a race that has been like a graveyard for Irish horses in the past. The last time an Irish-trained horse was successful in this race was 2006 and although they have gone close previously, it remains a race dominated by the UK. The market is aware of this and you will have to go all the way down to Malina Girl at 14/1 before you see the first Irish horse (which is pretty crazy).

My main focus for the race is always based around UK horses and I’m not going to change tact here. A competitive handicap like this, and with bookies paying extra places, makes it ok to have a couple of darts and that’s what I’ll be doing.

Ben Pauling has a great strike rate in handicap chases at Cheltenham and is great at getting 1 ready for the big day and I am keen on his horse Henry’s Friend. He ran well in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury in November, beaten 7 ½ lengths into 5^th. That’s as competitive a handicap as you can get and that experience will benefit him here. He followed up that run by winning on his last start in December when winning the Mandarin and comes here fresh off the back of that career high. He has to improve again if he’s to be successful around Cheltenham (only visit to HQ was when pulled up in last year’s NHC) but I have faith in his trainer to do that and I think he has a live chance.

Lucinda Russell knows what it takes to win this race having trained dual winner and Grand National winner, Corach Rambler. Her representative this year comes in the shape of Whistle Stop Tour, who has a lovely profile for the race. A novice, carrying a lovely weight and having had a spin round Cheltenham this season are all boxes ticked. That run at Cheltenham came on trials day when running at a trip far too short ( 2 ½ miles). His form at and around 3 miles has seen him at his best and I think further improvement will come for an even further step up in trip. I expect him to run his race and hes one I think is a great Each Way option.

Back Whistle Stop Tour EW 10/1 (William Hill) paying 6 places

Back Henrys Friend EW 10/1 (William Hill) paying 6 places

---

 

3:20 Cheltenham – Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Registered As The David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle) (Grade 1)

This is a race that has played games with us all from an ante-post point of view and now the late diversion of Lossiemouth into this hasn’t entirely helped.

She’s the right favourite and the most likely winner of the race but there is a doubt in my mind about how she is and what she has or hasn’t been showing at home. It’s well known that things haven’t gone entirely to plan and I guess that’s why she has ended up in the race. The fall in the Irish Champion Hurdle was a bad one and I just wonder if she’s fully recovered and back to her best. I think a fully fit and firing Lossiemouth wins this with ease and that might turn out to be the case here and she hacks up. But there’s also a chance she’s not firing and she won’t hack up. She’s a classy mare and one that’s difficult to oppose though.

For that reason I’m going to leave her alone and play in the without market. I would much rather be taking 2/1 on Jade De Grugy (without Lossiemouth) than I would the 4/6 for Lossiemouth to win. It’s a competitive field in behind Lossiemouth and nothing appeals in the EW market, especially if Lossiemouth is firing.

Jade De Grugy was impressive on her seasonal reappearance 3 weeks ago and unless she has a bounce factor, I see her running well here and following Lossiemouth home.

Back Jade De Grugy WITHOUT Lossiemouth win only 2/1 (Betfair)

---

 

4:00 Cheltenham – Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Grade 1)

The gloss of this race has somewhat been taken off with Lossiemouth going to the Mares, but we still have a fascinating race and hopefully, it still turns out to be a cracker. We’ve had months of talking about the race, whether that be about Constitution Hill’s well-being or Brighterdaysahead’s ability and which race she might go to. All the talking will be done by 4:05pm and I believe Constitution Hill will be the one taking in the plaudits in the winners’ enclosure. With Lossiemouth out, it’s my opinion that the winner can only come from the top 2 in the betting and I’m sticking with the former Champ to regain his crown.

We can spend all day questioning his health and if he’s back to his best or not, but in truth, we won’t know until the race develops and he goes through the gears. He is the best hurdler I’ve seen in my lifetime, and I think he only has to show 80% of his best to win. I have huge respect for the mare, but I don’t believe she can get near to Constitution Hill’s level. She disappointed in last year’s Mares Novice Hurdle and even though she’s run some serious numbers since, there is just something about last year’s run that I keep turning back to.

King of Kingsfield will go off like the clappers and it will make for a truly run race. This will be good for Brighterdaysahead but it will be just as good for the Constitution Hill who will travel like a dream. Of all the ability the mare boasts, there seems to be a lack of talk about her actual ability to jump. Not only does she hit hurdles, but she tends to completely flatten them and it’s just another negative I have for her.

A bit like the Arkle, I don’t want to complicate things. Back Constitution Hill to regain his crown.

Back Constitution Hill win only 4/7 (Bet365)

---

 

4:40 Cheltenham – Hallgarten And Novum Wines Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

A full field of 22 goes to post in this ultra-competitive handicap for 4-year-olds. You can make a case for many horses here but with plenty of them open to huge improvement it’s difficult to get a real handle on the form. It’s a race that often has big priced winners with favourites having a terrible record. For that reason, I’m going to take the top 2 in the market on.

Like the Ultima, I’m going to have 2 stabs at the race and I’ve gone with 2 different types of profiles. My main fancy is Beyond Your Dreams who I am mad keen on and have been for a while. You can read my in-depth reasons as part of this each-way lucky 15 tip. Mark Walsh has chosen another JP horse to ride which is a slight negative but it hasn’t put me off the mare.

My 2^nd selection is Sony Bill who is the choice of Paul Townend and that’s significant enough for me to play him here. The form this horse possessed in France wasn’t anything standout but a switch to Willie Mullins in July would have done no harm. Like Willie usually does, he chucked him into graded company first time out where he was 3^rd, beaten 7 lengths by Hello Neighbour. He then ran in the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile at the DRF where he was beaten a similar distance by the same horses. Nothing he has achieved thus far screams plot job or unexposed so your are taking some faith in the fact he is trained by a genius and that Paul Townend (who rides very sparingly in handicaps) has decided to get his leg up on this horse. I would say improvement is incoming and at 16/1 I’m more than happy to find out if Tuesday will be that day.

Back Beyond Your Dreams EW 7/1 (William Hill) paying 5 places

Back Sonny Bill EW 16/1 (Ladbrokes) paying 5 places

---

 

5:20 Cheltenham – Princess Royal National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase

Now a handicap rather than a Grade 2 and with the ability to be able to call upon professional riders, this race is looking somewhat different in 2025. It was a change that was needed and we now have a race with more runners than previously and a much more competitive field.

The top 3 in the betting are only separated by a point, thus showing the competitiveness of the race. I’m siding with the slightly bigger one of the three in Transmission.

Trainer Neil Mulholland knows how to get horses ready for handicap chases at the Festival and this horse has followed a similar route to previous plans of the trainer. Transmission ran over hurdles in January in the Cleeve hurdle to prepare (and not expose his chase mark) for this and that was exactly what The Druid Nephew did before winning the Ultima in 2015. He will be lightening strikes twice 10 years on.

All 4 of Transmission’s runs this season have been at HQ and he has run well on every visit. He won, staying on well, in November and then was 2^nd to Haiti Couleurs in December. He reopposes that rival here today but with a 4lb turnaround in the weights. I think the step up to a further 6 furlongs will bring out the best in this horse and I expect him to turn the form.

In a competitive race over a marathon trip, I’ve got a horse running for me who will relish the course and distance and I think he has a fantastic chance to give amateur jockey Patrick Mullins a win against the professionals.

Back Transmission EW only 5/1 5 places (Ladbrokes)

---

 

Join Betfred to get £50 in Cheltenham Free Bets:

1 Join Betfred using this link to the special offer

2 Register and place a £10 bet

3 Get £50 in Cheltenham free bets (5x £10)

 

More Cheltenham Bookies Sign-up Offers

Relevant news