The opening day of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival is scheduled for Tuesday, March 16 at 13:20. 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.
Below are our tips from our leading team for day one of the Cheltenham Festival.
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 two novice events, the first being the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at 1.20pm, home of the famous “Cheltenham Roar”. There is often a very well-fancied favourite in the race, which this year could be Old Park Star for Nicky Henderson. The likes of Mighty Park and El Cairos are likely to challenge him for that position though.
2.00pm – Arkle Challenge Trophy
Following soon after is the Arkle Challenge Trophy, the first race over fences, run over the shortest chase trip of 2m. Both Lulamba and Kopek Des Bordes arrive with tall reputations and represent a titanic Britain vs Ireland clash of Nicky Henderson vs Willie Mullins.
2.40pm – Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
Afterwards, the final two races are both restricted to certain participants. The Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle is four-year-olds only, just like the Triumph Hurdle. Saratoga caught the eye of many last time and runs in JP McManus’ silks, colours which were carried to victory in last year’s renewal by Puturhandstogether.
3.20pm – Ultima Handicap Chase
The same obstacles are used again 40 minutes later as the first handicap, the Ultima Handicap Chase, takes place. This has been the one race in which Britain has consistently repelled the strong Irish challenge with no away victories since 2006. Jagwar and Iroko give Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero a strong hand to repel the Irish challenge once again. Last year’ winner Myretown is also in the mix.
4.00pm – Champion Hurdle
The feature race of the day is the Champion Hurdle. Run over two miles, the speediest horses in National Hunt racing compete for the ultimate hurdling prize. Lossiemouth will run here for the first time, but both The New Lion and Brighterdaysahead are also on course for a heavyweight clash.
4.40pm – Sun Racing Plate Handicap Chase
Moved to day one for the first time in 2026, the Sun Racing Plate used to be run on the New Course on the Thursday of the meeting. It will be contested on the Old Course over 2m4f from this season onwards. Madara was a big eyecatcher for Dan Skelton last time, though McLaurey looms on a dangerous mark for Ireland.
5.20pm – National Hunt Chase
The National Hunt Chase was exclusive for amateur riders and run over an energy-sapping 3m6f of the chase course for novice chasers. However, not only did it become a limited handicap in 2025, but professional jockeys can now take part. Backemrsackme has been one of the ante-post gambles of the fortnight building up to Cheltenham, though Newton Tornado represents last season’s winning connections.
Cheltenham Free Bets For Tuesday
You can claim the best Free Bets for the Cheltenham Festival 2026 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.
Although they are fluctuating all the time, comparing the best odds on offer is important so that you get the best value. Old Park Star is currently available at a best price of 2/w, but that is not the case everywhere. Similarly, Lulamba is now a best-priced 15/8, but is still as short as 11/8 with some betting sites. If you fancy him for the Arkle, finding those bookies pricing him at a half-point higher is key.
Cheltenham Day 1 Trends:
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.