The wait is finally over for Cheltenham 2025
On day one of the Cheltenham Festival, the highlight comes in the Champion Hurdle, where Constitution Hill looks set to take on the two wonder mares Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth. But can the former Champion Hurdler regain his Champion Hurdle crown?
Day one of the Cheltenham Festival kicks off with the Grade 1 Supreme Novices Hurdle, and it’s hard to look past the Willie Mullins-trained Kopek Des Bordes. If he can produce the same performance that he did at the Dublin Racing Festival, his rivals will find it hard to reel him in. The Henry de Bromhead-trained Workahead may prove to be the best of the rest.
The injury to Sir Gino has left the Arkle in the hands of Majborough. The imposing 5-year-old chaser has always promised to be a top-class chaser, and he hasn’t disappointed. He comes here on the back of a 9-length win in the Irish Arkle Novice Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival, and given that there is much more improvement to come from ‘Big Maj’, it’s impossible to oppose him.
Lossiemouth has been the talk of this race and the combined decision of Willie Mullins and Rich Ricci means she is a strong favourite here. But there has to be some doubts of whether she is at her best if she ducked out of the Champion Hurdle. If she is to be taken on, the prize may still end up going back to Closutton with Jade De Grugy.
This imposing mare only had her first start of the season 19 days prior to the Mares hurdle, but she win well and was carrying enough condition to suggest that she would come forward plenty for the run.
Henry de Bromhead’s July Flower comes here on the back of a win at Leopardstown over Christmas, and it looks to be saved to be fresh here. She’s one not to underestimate.
Arguably the race of the week where Constitution Hill will look to regain his Champion Hurdle crown, but he will be facing his toughest assignment to date as the wonder mare Brighterdaysahead sets her sights on the so-called greatest hurdler of all time.
She comes in here on the back of a demolition job in the Grade 1 Neville Hotel Hurdle, destroying her opposition by 30 lengths. Constitution Hill gets the highest respect, but there is a suspicion that he may not be as good as he once was.
Being only a 6-year-old, we have yet to see the best of Brighterdaysahead, and if she can improve on her latest win, it’s hard to see any gelding give her 7 lbs and a beating.
The Champion Chase is up for grabs on day two of the Cheltenham Festival as Jobon finally looks to break his Cheltenham Festival hoodoo.
Final Demand has been all the race for the Turners Novices Hurdle since his impressive win at the Dublin Racing Festival, and the same can be said for The New Lion, who was a facile winner of the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle but no winner of the Challow Hurdle has ever gone on to win Turners Novices Hurdle. So, the one that is the most interesting at the prices is The Yellow Clay.
Unbeaten over hurdles, The Yellow Clay is coming in under the radar here, and this uncomplicated gelding could take a lot of stopping here.
It’s safe to say that this race will be heading back to Ireland. Ballyburn has been installed as the short-price favourite, but he may have to play second fiddle to his stablemate, Dancing City.
Ballyburn will be all the rage in the betting, but Dancing City is a three-time Grade 1 novice hurdle winner with plenty of class. With Dancing City, you have zero doubts that he will stay the trip, whereas for Ballyburn, there is that slight doubt that he will overdo it throughout the race and not have enough in reserve to get up the hill, and that’s before we touch on his slow jumping.
Will this be the day when Jonbon finally gets off the mark at the Cheltenham Festival? I don’t think it will.
It is no coincidence that all of Jonbons’s career defeats have come at Cheltenham, and he may be vulnerable once more. Willie Mullins only saddles one horse here, two-time Champion Chase winner Energumene.
As an 11-year-old, you would suspect that Energumene’s best days are behind him, but given his record at the Cheltenham Festival, he cannot be ruled out with any confidence. But, the rapid improver Solness may be worth taking a chance on.
Solness has put in two back-to-back Grade 1 front-running wins at Leopardstown and is not being respected here. There is every chance that he will be able to get his own way on the front, and if that is the case once again, he could be hard to peg back, as shown when seeing off Marine Nationale and Gaelic Warrior in his previous two runs.
Staying is the name of the game on day three of the Cheltenham Festival, with Teahupoo looking to win back-to-back running of the Grade 1 Stayers Hurdle.
Fact To File and Il Est Francais will line up here, but it can pay to side with the defending champion, Protektorat.
Last year’s easy winner looked better than ever when romping home by 23 lengths in the Fleur De Lys Chase at Windsor in January (the second has won since), and given his love for Cheltenham, Protektorat can become yet another back-to-back winner of the Ryanair Chase.
Wednesday’s highlight looks like one of the weakest of the open Grade 1s of the week. Teahupoo was a good winner of this race last season when getting the better of Flooring Porter by over 3-lengths.
Home By The Lee, who was 3rd behind Teahupoo last season, and may be able to turn the tables. He comes in here on the back of two convincing wins over Bob Olinger and seems to be better than ever. Trainer Joseph O’Brien stated that they had finally figured out how to ride him.
Now that they have the key to Home By The Lee, he has enough ability to get the better of Teahupoo on ground that may be fast enough for the defending champion.
The final day of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival is the day when we could be about to witness history as Galopin Des Champs aims to become a three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner.
The 4-year-old takes centre stage, and I think East India Dock will be the easiest winner of the week.
This 4-year-old has been noting but hugely impressive in his three starts to date, and he has two wins at Cheltenham for good measure. It’s not often that you get a horse so young that does things so straightforwardly. He’s uncomplicated, travels well, jumps well, and stays strong. This could be a case of catch me if you can with East India Dock.
The Group 1 German Derby winner Palladium is overlooked in the betting given his raw ability and is a standout each-way bet.
As always, the Albert Bartlett has a wide open look to it, and with an average sp of 25/1, it is a race that is known to throw up a shock result.
A chance is taken that the step up in trip and distance between the last two hurdles will negate the jumping issue that last season’s Champion Bumper winner Jasmin De Vaux has.
There is no doubt that he possesses a high level of ability, but his jumping has become a major issue and that was on full view when he was turned over as the 11/8 favourite for the Grade 1 Lawlor Of Naas Novice Hurdle.
He put in a better round of jumping at the Dublin Racing Festival, and if he can improve in the jumping department once more, then Jasmin De Vaux become a massive danger to all.
This revolves the superstar that is Galopin Des Champs and the small matter of claiming a third Cheltenham Gold Cup. He has beaten all before him once again this season and looks bombproof.
His only defeat when racing left-handed over fences was when he fell at the second last in the Turners Novices Chase when miles clear of Bob Olinger. But besides that mishap, this generational staying chaser has looked unbeatable, and it will be a shock if he does not win his third Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Strongly fancied to get the job done in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, Lark In The Mornin was one of the most talked about handicap plot jobs of last season.
He has been sparingly campaigned this season, with only one run when sent off as 11/2 joint-favourite for a handicap hurdle at Leopardstown Christmas Festival.
He could only manage a seventh-place finish on the day, but it was very much an eye-catching run when you delve into how he was ridden.
From his last-place position coming out of the back straight to when they hit the line, Lark In The Mornin was given tender handling but still managed to make up considerable ground to take a nine-length seventh-place finish.
It could be a case of De Javu with Lark In The Mornin on Friday.
Having had nine runs already in his short career, Win Some Lose Some, a progressive six-year-old, has already notched up four wins from nine starts.
The latest of those wins came in a Pertemps qualifier at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival, where he was stepping up to three miles for the first time. Placed on the outside for most of the race, it was clear that the plan was to stay out of trouble, avoid unnecessary interference, and get the job done.
He has been landed with a 10lb rise in the weights to a mark of 135, but now has to deal with a further 3lbs from the UK handicapper which should be more than manageable for this Expect Win Some Lose Some to be delivered late with his challenge after the last.
