The opening day of the 2027 Cheltenham Festival is scheduled for Tuesday 16 March, with the first race at 1.20pm. It promises to be an exhilarating day of racing, featuring top-class contests such as the Champion Hurdle, Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, and Arkle Challenge Trophy.
Our team’s 2027 Day 1 tips will be added here nearer the Festival. Until then, the table below shows the selections they gave for the 2026 card.
Andrew Mount’s Horse Racing Tips – Cheltenham Festival Day 1, Tuesday, 10th March
There’s a stunning opening day at the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday 10 March, as seven competitive races take place on day one of the jumps showpiece. Andrew Mount looks to kick off the festival on a positive note and picks out his best bets for the day. Check out Andrew’s Cheltenham Festival Day 1 tips…
Tue 10 Mar 2026More Cheltenham tips:
Cheltenham Day 1 Races
As with every day at the Cheltenham Festival, there are seven races for punters to focus their minds on.
1.20pm – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
The day opens with the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at 1.20pm, home of the famous Cheltenham Roar. Old Park Star won last year’s renewal as the 15/8 favourite for Nicky Henderson and has since moved on to bigger targets, so the 2027 race is open to a fresh crop of novices. Feel Gut heads the early betting, with Champion Bumper winner The Mourne Rambler, Down Jones Road and Love Me Tender all prominent.
2.00pm – Arkle Challenge Trophy
Following soon after is the Arkle Challenge Trophy, the first race over fences and run over the minimum chase trip of two miles. Kargese led home a Willie Mullins one-two last year, and Supreme winner Old Park Star now heads the market as Nicky Henderson bids for the Supreme-Arkle double. Sober Glory and Kabral Du Mathan are others switching to fences with big reputations, while Narciso Has is a potential dark horse from Closutton.
2.40pm – Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
The Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle is confined to four-year-olds, so an entirely new cast lines up every year. Saratoga won it at 10/1 for Padraig Roche last season and has since been quoted for the Champion Hurdle, which shows what a stepping stone it can be. Atomic City heads the early betting ahead of Winday, Television and Rum Tum Tiger.
3.20pm – Ultima Handicap Chase
The first handicap of the week, the Ultima Handicap Chase, is run over more than three miles of the Old Course. Johnnywho struck at 18/1 for Jonjo and AJ O’Neill in 2026, with favourite Jagwar second, although both now feature in the early Plate betting. Quebecois, Blow Your Wad and 2025 winner Myretown could all be back off revised marks.
4.00pm – Champion Hurdle
The feature race of the day is the Champion Hurdle. Lossiemouth justified favouritism last year and followed up at Punchestown, so Willie Mullins’ mare is a clear favourite to defend her crown. Dan Skelton’s improving Mydaddypaddy is the main young challenger, while Brighterdaysahead, Alexei and the returning Idaho Sun add depth.
4.40pm – Sun Racing Plate Handicap Chase
The Plate Handicap Chase moved to the opening day in 2026 and is now run over 2m4f of the Old Course. Madara made good on favouritism for Dan Skelton, but Jack Richards winner Meetmebythesea heads the early market this time, with Madara, Jagwar and Regent’s Stroll all prominent in what looks a typically open handicap.
5.20pm – National Hunt Chase
The National Hunt Chase closes the card over 3m6f, the longest trip on either of the two main courses. It has been a novices’ handicap open to professional riders since 2025, and Holloway Queen won a punishing renewal at 12/1 for Nicky Henderson and James Bowen in which six of the 17 runners were pulled up. There is no ante-post market yet, and proven stamina will be at a premium again.
Cheltenham Free Bets For Tuesday
You can claim the best Free Bets for the Cheltenham Festival 2027 ahead of time. For example, Sky Bet have a superb new customer offer running that entitles you to £40 in Free Bets when you make any bet, even for as little as 5p. As yet, there are no offers specifically for the Tuesday at the Cheltenham Festival, but that does not mean you cannot claim free bets elsewhere and use them on Tuesday’s races.
Those looking for a new bookmaker may want to look at Dabble too. As well as promising a £10 free bet after you bet £10, you will get a daily Rocket Boost to increase your odds on one of your Cheltenham day one bets.
Finding The Best Odds On Day 1 Of The Cheltenham Festival
Securing the Best Odds on Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival
Winning Cheltenham Festival tips on Day 1 are important, but so is making sure you’re getting the best odds available for your selections.
You can easily compare odds on our website by clicking on the prices listed on the Cheltenham racecards. This provides real-time odds from multiple bookmakers, allowing you to select the ones you have access to.
Prices fluctuate all winter, which is why comparing them matters. At the time of writing, Lossiemouth heads the Champion Hurdle odds, Old Park Star leads the Arkle odds and Feel Gut is favourite in the Supreme odds, but not every bookmaker will offer the same price about each of them.
Cheltenham Day 1 Trends:
Every race on Tuesday is broken down in full in our Cheltenham Day 1 trends, and these are the key pointers for each:
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (1:20 PM)
- The top three in the market have been a good indicator of success, with nine of the last ten winners found within this group. Labaik (2017) is the only exception since 2015, also being the only winner rated lower than 148.
Arkle Novices’ Chase (2:00 PM)
- Winners in the last decade, except for Put The Kettle On (2020), were all rated 151 or higher. Additionally, having at least two wins over fences is a common trait among winners.
Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (2:40 PM)
- Winners typically have not won a Graded hurdle, have never run at Cheltenham, and did not run in a handicap hurdle last time out.
Ultima Handicap Chase (3:20 PM)
- This race has been dominated by British-trained horses, with all of the last ten winners having at least one previous run at Cheltenham.
Champion Hurdle (4:00 PM)
- A key trend is that the last ten winners were unbeaten for the season leading up to the Champion Hurdle.
Sun Racing Plate Handicap Chase (4:40 PM)
- Five of the last seven winners have been trained in Britain, while three horses aged ten and above won in a row before Jagwar won as a six-year-old in 2025.
National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Novices’ Chase (5:20 PM)
- Since significant changes to the race in 2020, the last five winners have been trained in Ireland. Further changes, including changing the race to a handicap and allowing professional jockeys to compete, occurred in 2025.