Cheltenham Festival 2025 Tuesday Ante-Post tips and accumulator

The Cheltenham Festival is now just a week away and attention turns to the first day the Tuesday of the meeting which sees a multitude of strong favourites.

Tom Lunn has gone through the cards, form, going and much more to help guide your horse racing betting choices.

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Tuesday kicks off the 2025 Cheltenham Festival with seven races.

The familiar Cheltenham roar will accompany the horses setting off on the first race, the Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, which has been aptly named after the late jockey who passed away in February.

O’Sullivan won the Supreme in 2023 on board Marine Nationale and it’s very fitting the race be named in memorial to him.

The usual curtain-raiser will be much more poignant and emotive to many in the racing community as a result.

The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle has a big favourite, Kopek Des Bordes, who has impressed many after his second start over hurdles for trainer Willie Mullins.

The Arkle is all change in the odds as it was revealed earlier today that the Nicky Henderson-trained horse and big favourite Sir Gino is a non-runner. Majborough backers at anything above evens now will be very much looking forward to the Grade 1 chase now.

At 3.20pm we have the Mares’ Hurdle race which could see a couple of contenders for the Champion Hurdle later in the day opt for this instead; Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth.

The Champion Hurdle is no contest really, if Constitution Hill runs, he wins and will always justify what’s likely to be the shortest price of the week.

Cheltenham Festival Day 1 racing tips

• MICHAEL O’SULLIVAN SUPREME NOVICES’ HURDLE
  1.20: Kopek Des Bordes 10/11
• ARKLE
  2.00: Majborough 8/13
• MARES’ HURDLE
  3.20: Golden Ace 6/1 each-way
• CHAMPION HURDLE
  4.00: Constitution Hill 1/2

Kopek Des Bordes

This five-year-old out of Willie Mullins yard is one of a few to really stand out this season as a potential future star and it’s no surprise he’s from the Irish trainer’s management.

The gelding is unbeaten in all three starts under rules including two hurdle starts which started on December 26th and then justified that potential with a significant victory at Leopardstown in the Grade 1 Ireland Novice Hurdle on February 4th.

It’s rare for a horse to go as short as this so early on for the Supreme as it’s a novices’ race there’s so many factors still to consider.

What if some horses are just unexposed or haven’t quite figured things out yet?

Well he’s much shorter than when Constitution Hill won the Supreme by a comfortable margin back in 2022 and that should paint some of a picture of how impressive a win it was last time.

Beating Karniquet by 13 lengths going comfortably to win and that’s despite a few quirks and issues in the running, including being hampered slightly by a loose horse.

He’s quite keen but the No Risk At All gelding should justify favouritism to kick off the festival the right way.

Majborough

This horse was 4/1 when Sir Gino was still in contention, but the Nicky Henderson-trained odds-on favourite for the Arkle has been ruled out of the season and potentially beyond with a long road to recovery.

As a result, the Willie Mullins-trained chaser has been hammered in to become the odds-on favourite himself.

Despite this being wide open with many uncertainties given it’s for novice chasers, Majborough has shown clear form ahead of the rest of his rivals and will be a popular bet of the festival amongst many accas, with Mullins always at the forefront of those at this festival.

Tom Lunn’s Horse Racing P/L

• From November ’24: +41.93pts
• From May ’24: +195.88pts
• From July ’23: +335.35pts

Lossiemouth

Brighterdaysahead had been odds-on for a while for the Mares’ Hurdle but it was confirmed on March 3rd the horse would in fact be heading for the Champion Hurdle, the feature race of the day 40 minutes later instead.

Constitution Hill is a sure winner for the big feature race of the day but they have to take their chance as there’s strong confidence from many that the mare has what it takes.

A similar dilemma for punters was whether Lossiemouth would also stick to the mares’ hurdle or would she also have another chance to face Constitution Hill.

Well the price of the Rich Ricci horse has drifted considerably suggesting she is making it a packed feature race.

It does however weaken the mares’ hurdle, which leaves Jade De Grugy well out in front in the betting market.

Jade De Grugy was beaten by Golden Ace at Cheltenham in the Mares Novices’ Hurdle at last year’s festival and given her decent form this year, could be the each-way play.

Constitution Hill

Constitution Hill is going to be a legend of the sport and is already a super star having gone unbeaten in all of his 11 hurdle races.

He’s always comfortable winning the toughest races and has gone on to prove himself time and time again.

Many thought in 2023 he’d have his main competitor in State Man, but the Nicky Henderson-trained horse saw him off comfortably going on to win by nine lengths.

It’s rare in horse racing you get spoiled by a horse where you can just guess the distance he’ll win by rather than if they will win.

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All odds correct at time of writing

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