Last Updated on 28/01/2026 by Andy Clark
Adam O’Brien is a seasoned horse racing tipster with a particular focus on Cheltenham Festival ante-post betting. With years of experience analysing form, trainer patterns, and festival trends, Adam provides expert insights to help punters navigate the high-stakes world of National Hunt racing. Known for his clear, practical advice and knack for spotting value in early markets, he has built a reputation among both casual punters and serious Festival followers.
Day 4 of the Cheltenham Festival 2026 promises more top-class National Hunt action and our expert tipster has made his day 4 ante-post predictions including the Gold Cup and Triumph Hurdle.
Our expert Day 4 tips cover every major race on the card, combining form analysis, festival trends, and value betting opportunities to help punters make informed selections. Whether you’re backing favourites, looking for each-way value, or hunting a big-priced outsider, our previews give you the insight you need to navigate Friday’s thrilling racing action at Prestbury Park.
Day 4 of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival features the Cheltenham Gold Cup as the festival comes to a close, and below you’ll find our Cheltenham day 4 tips.
Cheltenham Day 4 Ante-post Betting Tips
1.20pm – JCB Triumph Hurdle Tips
I am a sucker for novice/juvenile hurdle, and I must say that I’ve had a few darts in this race already, as I try to get ahead of the market on all the French recruits before they run in the UK/Ireland. I believe the book I have on the race is a good one, but I won’t let that obscure my judgment when looking at the race as it is now.
Narciso Has sits at the top of the betting following his impressive performance in the Grade 2 at Xmas when pulling 11 lengths clear of the field with ease. His main market rival that day (Barbizon) was a few lengths further behind in 4th. That was his 2nd run for the Willie Mullins yard (following 1 winning run in France in April), and he seemed to come on a bundle for his first run, where he was defeated by the Gordon Elliott mare Mange Tout. That was the highly regarded mare’s 2nd run of the season, and I think race fitness told that day. Mange Tout was getting 3lb from her rival then, whereas she will be getting 7lb come the day of the Triumph, so you could even mark up that run, regardless of the race fitness issue. I think it is strong form, and both have huge chances come March. They are on course to reoppose each other again at the weekend at the DRF, in what should be a cracking round 2.
Proactif is another one for Willie Mullins and JP McManus and has shot to 2nd in the betting following his impressive Irish debut win against stablemate and much talked about Macho Man (who was sent off fav) at Fairyhouse 2 weeks ago. PROACTIF (7/1) jumped beautifully and went away from his rival over the last. I would imagine he will come on for his 2nd run too, and if that is the case, then he could take the world of beating, and he’s the one I want to be with now for March.
The 7/1 (pretty much across the board) is fair, and I can see him going off a wee bit shorter. Whether he has another run before Cheltenham is unknown, as he’s not entered in the Dublin Racing Festival and there’s no obvious target. That wouldn’t worry me too much, though, as he’s had a run in France in September and his trainer showed us last year; he can win this race with a horse with no hurdle experience. My only worry with him is that he has a Supreme entry, and there’s a small chance he ends up there, but that may be a late decision for the JP McManus team.
The race looks like being a deep field, packed with expensive recruits for big owners and trainers, both from France and off the flat. Maestro Conti for Dan Skelton impressed over Christmas and enhanced his claims on the weekend at Cheltenham’s Trials Day meeting when beating One Horse Town and the much-fancied Minella Yoga. The Paul Nicholls charge was 2/2 over hurdles going into that contest and was impressive when beating Turners Novice hurdle fancy Act of Innocence at Newbury at the end of December. The form looks like it could hold up, so I won’t be ruling Maestro Conti out, come March.
Fantasy World is a horse that has gone to Nicky Henderson from the Andrew Balding yard and possesses great speed on the flat. The whopping £580,000 his owners forked out for it would suggest it’s a horse with plenty of potential. He’s entered for his hurdles debut at the weekend and is an intriguing watch. He has shortened remarkably in the last 3 weeks and is now a best price 12/1.
FEEL GUT (25/1) is another horse for Nicky Henderson, who also comes with a heavy price tag and reputation. He made his debut for the yard on Friday and, quite frankly, bolted up. It may have only been a ‘Junior National Hunt Hurdle’, but he couldn’t have looked any better and got the job done in the minimum of fuss. The performance made me take note when watching live, but I was even more impressed after watching it back. He put the race to bed in a matter of strides and looked to have some engine. The owner and trainer do have other options for the race, but I would be amazed if this lad didn’t line up in the Triumph. He was keen to start with but learned on the job, jumped brilliantly and showed that he has potential to be top class.
I would advise taking the 25/1 on offer with William Hill now.
2.00pm – County Hurdle Tips
The County Hurdle is the race I have the biggest opinion on when it comes to the ‘lesser’ races on the Friday. In my opinion, it’s also a race where you don’t have to overthink it, with 10 of the last 11 winners coming from either the Willie Mullins or Dan Skelton yards. On that note, the 2 obvious ones at this stage are Live Conti (12/1) and Roc Dino (25/1).
Live Conti now seems to be their county horse following the setback to Fortune De Mar and his price has contracted quite a bit (from 33s) in the last 2 weeks. He had his 5th run at Windsor on the weekend, and I would say he is now primed for the race. With the 5 runs needed to get into the race, Willie Mullins won’t have many bullets to fire, so you have to be wary of any of his that do go to post. Roc Dino was last seen ‘chasing’ Mighty Park round Fairyhouse last week and wasn’t really asked to close on him, and subsequently was beaten 38 lengths. He has only had 4 starts so will need to run again, and he has been entered to take El Cairos on in a maiden next week. Watch out for that one. I would be amazed if Roc Dino didn’t go off at least half the price he is now, if he does indeed line up here.
2.40pm – Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase Tips
To be honest, I am not a massive fan of the Mares races at the festival (too much ducking and diving), but this race looks like it has potential to be a cracker at this stage.
Like all races, there are question marks over all of the top end’s participation, and there is a chance that some of these mares are rerouted to other targets, so my focus here is trying to find value in the ones that will run. I am keen to take on the top of the market, and my preference would be for the improving mare of Ben Pauling’s, DIVA LUNA, who I think is a fair 14/1 shot. The trainer was never happy with her last season, but he’s delighted with her campaign so far this season, and I think she has a real chance here after taking well to fences in her 2 starts to date.
She was due to run at the weekend against the boys in the Scilly Isles, but a small setback has put paid to that, unfortunately. That setback shouldn’t be enough to keep her out of the spring though, so shes still a mare I think can play a big part in the race.
JADE DE GRUGY (12/1) has been the horse on my radar for this all season, and I don’t want to desert her just yet, even though it took the 3rd time of asking to get her head in front over fences. Those defeats weren’t too damaging for me, and I’d be hopeful she would improve from her chasing debut when beaten 15 ½ lengths by Kala Conti. Her run next time over Christmas was encouraging and was just outstayed by a tough mare in The Big Westerner. She then won how she wanted to LTO when sent off 1/7 at Thurles.
I think there’s a slight worry she could be one of the ones that gets re-routed by going to the Mares’ Hurdle, but the vibes are that Lossiemouth goes there, and if she does, then my selection here has to be fancied and just can’t go off anywhere near the 12/1 she is now.
3.20pm – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Tips
The Albert Bartlett isn’t a race I like to play too much in from an early stage. It has often produced big price winners and can be a race that’s difficult to predict. Having said that I did back one a while ago and it remains my only play in the race. THEFLYINGKING is the horse, and I think he is still a great price at 33/1 now. He got an entry (albeit Gordon was late with the button) for the Turners and this race earlier in the week, and I would be hopeful he ends up here. He hasn’t run since mid-November when he was 2nd to Ill Sort That (not bad form now) over 2 miles at Navan. He has been entered in races but not been declared, so I’ve been a little sceptical about his wellbeing and I would have preferred to have seen him again.
Previously, it was deemed that you had to have an experienced horse to win this race, but in recent years, we have seen winners of the race come here off the back of only 1-2 runs. I would say that, despite running at only 2 miles last time out, he is a horse that will be better at a trip. He ran over 2m6f on debut when he fell at the last when clear, so Gordon clearly thinks he has no problems getting that trip. I think he’s a big player in thi,s and if he were to run again before the Festival, I believe he will enhance those claims, and his price would plummet as a result.
With Willie Mullins bingo always being a thing and even more so this year with lots of his novices so far underperforming, it’s impossible to know what actually runs here and what the market could look like on the day. I would say my charge’s main rivals could come from Closutton, though, and if Doctor Steinberg or/and You Proof were to turn up here, then that would have to be fancied. Doctor Steinberg has shortened over the last 10 days, and the 16/1 about him is long gone. His form was franked by Thedeviluno at Doncaster at the weekend and he’s the clear favourite now. He is due to go off favourite on day 1 of the Dublin Racing Festival on the weekend in the Natheniel Lacey over 2m6f, and he is surely a big player in this division.
4.00pm – Cheltenham Gold Cup Tips
The main event of the week and one of the most open and competitive Cheltenham Gold Cups we have had in recent years. Around 2 points separate the top 4 in the market, and it wouldn’t surprise me if any of the top 8-9 in the betting were to win the most sought-after prize in Jumps racing.
2-time champion Galopin Des Champ heads the betting as he looks to be the 1st horse to regain the Gold Cup since Kauto Star in 2009. He was de-throned by Inothewayurthinkin in last year’s event when he never really travelled from the get-go. His campaign started later this year due to a setback, and with no 10-year-old winner since 1998, the stats and trends are against him. He ran well on his comeback over Christmas, and he still surely has a chance of making history again.
Inothewayurthinkin sits just below him in the betting, even though he has had 2 deplorable runs so far this season. The worry for me (and punters) would be how badly he performed over Christmas despite the trainer feeling confident going into the race. The market knew he was going to stink the place out, though, and unfortunately, it’s a horse/set of connections you can’t try to second-guess. All eyes will be on how he runs in the Irish Gold Cup and if he can truly be a player in this year’s race.
The ability he has shown at Aintree and Cheltenham over the last 2 years is all there to see, so he cannot be without a chance if he turns up in form on the day.
The next 3 in the field to mention are the horses who filled places 1, 3 and 4 in this season’s King George on Boxing Day. The winner (The Jukebox Man) and the 4th (Jango Baie) are joint 2nd favs and, despite having entries in the Ryanair, seem certain to come here. Only split by ½ length, the 2 British challengers put in career best efforts at Kempton and should line up with every chance of improving again and giving the former winners a massive threat to think about. Having both run well at Cheltenham before, and with neither horse lacking speed and stamina, I believe they tick many boxes for the race, and their odds reflect their chances.
Gaelic Warrior was 1 horse that was between the pair at Christmas, and he also carries a leading chance. A slightly bigger price in the market (12/1) probably represents some degree of doubt that he is 100% coming here. He is still a shorter price for the Ryanair than he is for this, and punters would have to be aware of not backing a certain runner if they took the price for this race now. The 2024 Arkle winner certainly has an excellent chance if he were to run, but he’s one I will leave now or advise backing NRNB.
Other notable horses who could run well at an each-way price stem from the 1-2 of the Savills Chase in Ireland over Christmas. Affordale Fury (punted from 20/1 to 7/1 on the day) was a surprise winner (despite the punt) to many due to him not getting his head in front in graded level previously. The Grand National winner from 2024, I Am Maximus, ran the best he has at Graded level since he won the Drinmore Novice Chase in December 2023. The further 2 furlongs at Cheltenham should suit, and if he were to get conditions to his liking, he can definitely outrun his odds of 25/1.
It’s a great race which really does offer punters plenty of value 6 weeks out. Overall, I just cannot let GALOPIN DES CHAMPS go unbacked at 11/2 before he runs this weekend. I think he wins the Irish Gold Cup at the weekend and in doing so, shortens markable for the main event in March. My advice is to back him now, watch him claim his 4th Irish Gold Cup and then cross your fingers he gets to Cheltenham as sound as he can be. Because if he does, he won’t be the price he is now, and he will be the one they all have to beat again.
My other fancy and alternative selection to the old guy is JANGO BAIE (7/1). I think last season’s Arkle winner will have to jump better than he did at Kempton if he is to win here, but I’ll give him the benefit of doubt. The way the race was run over Christmas didn’t quite suit him, and I believe a fast-run Gold Cup could really play to his strengths and bring his stamina into play. He’s on course to run again at Newbury in the Denman Chase and should further enhance his claims there. I can’t see his price contracting too much before the day, but 7/1 is a fair representation of his chance.
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Cheltenham Day 4 Races
| TIMES | RACE | DISTANCE | TYPE |
| 13:20 | The JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) | 2m | Hurdle |
| 14:00 | The William Hill County Handicap Hurdle Race (Premier Handicap) | 2m | Hurdle |
| 14:40 | The Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Steeple Chase (Grade 2) | 2m 4f | Chase |
| 15:20 | The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Race (Grade 1) | 3m | Hurdle |
| 16:00 | The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase (Grade 1) | 3m 2f | Chase |
| 16:40 | The St. James’s Place Festival Hunters Chase | 3m 2f | Chase |
| 17:20 | Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (0-145) | 2m 4f | Hurdle |
Where Can I Bet On Cheltenham Festival Day 4?
It’s the big one and the bookies are always out in full force on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival. For many, it’s all about the Gold Cup, but you’ll find great odds on all seven races across the day.
The likes of SBK, Coral, Betfred and LiveScoreBet all will have great value odds and a host of specials to enjoy, while the same can be said for the likes of Paddy Power too, who always manage to pull something interesting out of their hat on Gold Cup day.
We’ll always bring you the bookie with the best odds for all of our tips, while you can play with some of our very favourites by browsing the most tried and trusted below…
What Are Other Pundits Predicting For Cheltenham Festival Day 4?
Every man and their dog will have their thoughts on the Gold Cup, but we’re only interested in what our trusted tipsters and the best pundits in the game have to say. Throughout ITV Racing’s coverage, there will be plenty of ex-jockeys and pundits having their say, including the likes of Ruby Walsh, AP McCoy and popular names like Matt Chapman.
We make sure you don’t miss anything they have to say, and as well as on this page, you’ll find a dedicated pundits tips page where you’ll find all their tips and how to bet on them right across the festival.
2024 Cheltenham Festival Free Bets for Day 4
Why not finish off your festival of betting in style with one of the dozens of free bets available to bet on the Gold Cup and every other race across Day 4. All your favourite bookmakers will be offering top promotions, from Betfred to SBK, and we’ll bring then directly to you.
You’ll find many available below, while you can also head to our free bet page, where we have a host of others as well as the information you need to sign up and start playing.
