Cheltenham 2025 Cheat Sheet: Expert Insights and Analysis

Did you know that the past 12 Cheltenham Gold Cup winners were all between seven and nine years old? Proving that age is indeed more than just a number!

Trends like this are becoming increasingly important each year, helping to narrow down the field. That being said, Cheltenham is a festival which can be full of surprises, but with the right insights, you can bet smarter, not harder.

🕵️‍♂️ What’s inside:

I can’t wait to bring you my Cheltenham 2025 Cheat Sheet which is going to be our secret weapon against the bookies this year! It is going to be packed full of useful information helping to give you an edge over other punters and more importantly those dreaded bookmakers.

• Key trends and stats for each race
• Course and distance experience/ festival form
• Key trials and prep races
• Ground preferences
• Breeding and pedigree
• Jockey and trainer stats

🤓 Crack the code: Cheltenham 2025 biggest races stats & tips

I often claim that the Cheltenham Festival is the best four days of the year, and I truly believe that. Packed full of prestigious races, from the thrilling speed and adrenaline of the Champion Hurdle to the gruelling stamina test of the Gold Cup, Cheltenham 2025 promises to deliver unforgettable moments.

Understanding key stats and trends can give valuable insight into potential winners. Let’s take a closer look at the biggest races of the week and the leading contenders chasing Cheltenham Festival glory.

Is it a Willie Mullins world and we’re just living in it? Well he unleashed some of his big guns at the Dublin Racing Festival and again is in a great position to dominate at the Cheltenham Festival.

Could this year be the year to look ahead 12 months though? With the likes of Kopek Des Bordes, Final Demand, Majborough, Ballyburn and more, we could easily see these names not only winning at this years Festival but next year too. Time to lock in the value!

Joe Norris

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⌛ Cheltenham Champion Day schedule

TIME	RACE	DISTANCE	TYPE
13:20	The Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Race (Grade 1)	2m	Hurdle
14:00	The My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)	2m	Chase
14:40	The Ultima Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)	3m abt 1f	Chase
15:20	The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle Race (Grade 1)	2m abt 4f	Hurdle
16:00	The Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1)	2m	Hurdle
16:40	The Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race (Premier Handicap)	2m	Hurdle
17:20	The National Hunt Novices’ Chase (Novices’ Steeple Chase) (Novices’ Handicap)	3m abt 6f	Chase

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Think you’ve spotted the next big upset?

Remember upsets do happen at Cheltenham though and in the big Championship races too! One year that stands out is back in 2014 when Espoir d’Allen came powering up the hill to spring a 16/1 surprise for Gavin Cromwell!

The favourite Buveur d’Air fell early on and the second fav Laurina failed to fire (Mullins trained). If there are any hiccups with the principals here who could you see benefitting? Could it be a horse ridden more patiently that tries to pick up the pieces late?

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🤫 Our secret Champion Hurdle insight:

This year’s favourite Constitution Hill ticks all the statistical boxes and you would expect that from a horse that has never tasted defeat and won the race back in 2023. He is a short price at around 4/7 but that is with good reason.

There is a good chance Brighterdaysahead goes for the Mares’ Hurdle so his sole danger looks to be Lossiemouth and her prep took a turn for the worse when she came down at the Dublin Racing Festival. She still has potential to bounce back but Constitution Hill beat her at Kempton and he will be a warm order to confirm that form in March.

🏇 Bet on Constitution Hill to win the Champion Hurdle at 4/6 with Betfred 🏇

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⌛ Cheltenham Style Wednesday schedule

TIME	RACE	DISTANCE	TYPE
13:20	The Turners Novices’ Hurdle Race (Grade 1)	2m abt 5f	Hurdle
14:00	The Brown Advisory Novices’ Steeple Chase	3m	Chase
14:40	The Coral Cup Hurdle (A Handicap Hurdle Race) (Premier Handicap)	2m abt 5f	Hurdle
15:20	The Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeple Chase	3m abt 5½f	Chase
16:00	The BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase (Grade 1)	Abt 2m	Chase
16:40	The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Steeple Chase Challenge Cup (Premier Handicap)	2m	Chase
17.20	The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (A Standard Open NH Flat Race) (Grade 1)	2m	Bumper

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Is Jonbon’s Cheltenham record concerning?

If you look at Jonbon’s overall record he has only lost three times and all of those defeats came at this track. Is that enough to question his price at odds-on?

The pace angle is going to be fascinating with the French horse Il Est Francais certainly throwing a spanner in the works. Him and Solness could try and go hard off the front and will that put his jumping under pressure?

🏇 Bet on Il Est Francais to win at 15/1 with SBK 🏇

Betting Trends

Gaelic Warrior has been drifting since the Dublin Racing Festival where he put in a pretty tame display. He did consent to run on late though and if they go hard here could he be the value angle? He is out to 5/1 now and it wouldn’t surprise me if he came back in nearer the race.

🏇 Bet on Gaelic Warrior to win the Champion Chase at 5/1 with talkSPORT BET 🏇

Is anyone else catching your eye as each way value? Marine Nationale performed a creditable speed figure behind Solness at the DRF and the latter won’t get a soft lead this time so could he be the one to pick up the pieces?

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🤫 Our secret Champion Chase insight:

This race isn’t too different from the Champion Hurdle in regard to Nicky Henderson having the favourite in Jonbon who again from a statistically point of view is hard to pick holes in. Couple that with the fact Willie Mullins has the second fav Gaelic Warrior who definitely has a point to prove after getting beat at Leopardstown on reappearance and then regressing when only third at the DRF. Everything suggests Jonbon is the one to beat and again the short odds are probably worth taking with dangers thin on the ground.

🏇 Take the surefire bet on Jonbon at 5/6 with bet365 🏇

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⌛ Cheltenham St Patrick’s Thursday schedule

TIME	RACE	DISTANCE	TYPE
13:20	The Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2)	2m 1f	Hurdle
14:00	The Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase	2m 4f	Chase
14:40	The Pertemps Network Final (A Handicap Hurdle Race) (Listed) (Premier Handicap)	3m	Hurdle
15:20	The Ryanair Steeple Chase (Grade 1)	2m 4f	Chase
16:00	The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1)	3m	Hurdle
16:40	The TrustATrader Plate (A Handicap Steeple Chase) (Premier Handicap)	2m 4f	Chase
17:20	The Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase (0-145)	3m 2f	Chase

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What if Teahupoo is a big drifter on the day?

We have only seen Teahupoo once this season and he was beaten by Lossiemouth. He won that race last year beating Impaire Et Passe so is there a case to be made that he isn’t as good this time around? What if he goes off 2/1 on the day would you still be as confident about his chance?

This race does look cherry ripe for an each way shout and it might be one to have a bet before the day as I can see the market changing a fair bit.

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🤫 Our secret Stayers’ Hurdle insight:

The Stayers Hurdle is often a race where you try and look away from the top of the market and the stats certainly reinforce that. This year we have Teahupoo likely to be sent off a warm order to defend his crown. He is hard to go against especially after what we saw from him at Punchestown where he was impressive.

He was beaten on return but at the hands of Lossiemouth and freshened up for this should have a great chance. In terms of each way value though The Wallpark ran an eye-catching race behind Crambo at Ascot. The harder they go the better for him and they usually go a bit too quick.

🏇 Bet on The Wallpark at 10/1 with Paddy Power 🏇

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⌛ Cheltenham Gold Cup Day schedule

TIME	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

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Is Mullins going to dominate again?

It is crazy to think Willie Mullins only won his first Gold Cup back in 2019 with Al Boum Photo. Obviously since then he has won it another three times with the latter defending his crown in 2020 and then this year’s favourite Galopin Des Champs winning both the last two renewals.

If you look at that from a statistical point of view he has won four of the last five renewals so in the last five years has a strike rate of 80%. The case can definitely be argued that 8/15 could get even shorter so the question is would you be a backer or a layer at that price?

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🤫 Our secret Gold Cup insight:

Like a lot of races at the Cheltenham Festival Willie Mullins has a stranglehold on the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He has three of the top four in the betting for this including the favourite Galopin Des Champs who is bidding for a historic third Cheltenham Gold Cup. He is quickly becoming one of the most impressive horses in training and again confirmed form over stablemate Fact To File winning the Irish Gold Cup impressively at the Dublin Racing Festival.

🏇 Bet on Galopin Des Champs to win the triple crown at 2/5 with Sky Bet 🏇

With Gerri Colombe ruled out for the season dangers are thin on the ground so he is very difficult to oppose and will be an even shorter price if stablemate Fact To File heads to the Ryanair instead which I definitely feel will happen given the way he finished at Leopardstown.

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