Cheltenham Bankers: Can These Hot Favourites Be Beaten At The Festival?

With the Cheltenham festival growing ever nearer, betting sites are putting together markets for the 28 races across the four days.

Punters, too, are looking through their notebooks in search of potential winners, but many will already have backed some of the so-called ‘sure things’, and more than likely added them to an accumulator with other short-priced favourites.

Cheltenham not only pits the best horses in training against each other, but it is also a chance for bettors to take on the bookmakers and betting apps.

These bookies are always nervous about a well-supported favourite, better known as the ‘bankers’ of the meeting.

Here, we look at this year’s highly fancied favourites and see if there are any opponents out there who can beat the bankers.

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle: Kopek Des Bordes (4/5)

The opening race of the festival is greeted with the ‘Cheltenham roar’ and is the start of the bettors’ four-day journey.

Horse racing betting sites have had many short-priced favourites for the Supreme, and this year sees Kopek Des Bordes taking the mantle.

His trainer, Willie Mullins, has landed the race with some bankers in the past, and he is hopeful that his impressive youngster will be next.

Available to back at 7/1 mere weeks ago, Kopek Des Bordes is now a 4/5 favourite after a devastating win at Leopardstown.

Rivals

If the banker is to be beaten in the opening race, then fellow Irish raider Romeo Coolio (6/1) may be the one to do it. He hasn’t been seen since he put in an impressive performance at Christmas, and it is still unknown how good Gordon Elliott’s charge actually is.

Salvator Mundi had been Mullins’ talking horse for the race for a long time, but he has failed to flatter so far and is also a 6/1 shot.

Last year’s winning trainer Henry de Bromhead saddles Workahead (12/1), another slightly unknown quantity in this intriguing race.

Verdict: There are far too many youngsters with unknown potential to consider Kopek Des Bordes an unbeatable force.

Arkle Novice Chase: Majborough (8/13)

Unfortunately, we have been robbed of what would have been one of the festival's top clashes in the Arkle.

Sir Gino vs Majborough was a mouth-watering prospect, but the former has withdrawn with injury, leaving his rival as an odds-on favourite at 8/13.

Another of Mullins’ festival squad, Majborough impressed at Leopardstown last time, and with more jumping experience under his belt, he could run away with this.

Rivals

If the betting odds are to be believed, L’Eau du Sud (5/1) looks like being a significant danger to the favourite.

Unbeaten in four starts over fences, Dan Skelton’s striking grey has shown more than enough ability to believe he can give his trainer a first win in the race.

Verdict: L’Eau du Sud would seem to be the only danger to the favourite here, but Majborough looks a cut above and should confirm his banker status.

Champion Hurdle: Constitution Hill (4/6)

Arguably, the biggest banker of Cheltenham 2025 is Constitution Hill.

There are very few superlatives left to say about one of the best hurdlers of all time, and Nicky Henderson’s stable star can add to his legend status with his second Champion Hurdle win.

We were deprived of seeing the unbeaten eight-year-old 12 months ago, so the excitement will be twofold at Prestbury Park this year.

Rivals

There are still some questions to be answered regarding his rivals in the Champion Hurdle. It is still unknown whether the two mares, Lossiemouth and Brighterdaysahead, will face Constitution Hill or divert to the Mares Hurdle.

The bookmakers are giving last year’s winner State Man the only other chance, but he has found the favourite far too good in the past.

Verdict: This is a simple one. If Constitution Hill turns up at the top of his game, it is hard to see anything laying a glove on him.

Brighterdaysahead is a very impressive racehorse in her own right, and she may be the only one with a remote chance of upsetting the odds.

Champion Chase: Jonbon (10/11)

Another who found his stablemate Constitution Hill too hot to handle over hurdles, Jonbon has moved to the top of the two-mile chasing division since being sent over the larger obstacles.

Surprisingly, he has yet to win at the festival, but this looks like his best chance to date. He has, once again, been impervious this season, including a facile win in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot last time.

Rivals

The Irish again have a strong team set to line up in the race, with Gaelic Warrior (6/1), Energumene (8/1) and Marine Nationale (8/1) being the pick.

Gaelic Warrior is arguably the best of the three, but he has not been his brilliant best this season.

That being said, we have seen Mullins getting underperforming horses back to their best for the festival, so it would be no surprise to see him back to top form.

Solness (9/1) and Il Est Francais (10/1) are the race's outliers. The two front runners could significantly affect the outcome.

Verdict: The aforementioned front runners will make a real test of jumping at speed, which could put Jonbon under a lot of pressure.

Plenty of top-class horses are in opposition, so it is hard to see Jonbon being a banker in such a competitive race.

Gaelic Warrior should never be disregarded, and Marine Nationale looked to be back to something like his best last time.

The 2025 Champion Chase could turn out to be one of the races of the year.

Gold Cup: Galopin Des Champs (8/15)

As it stands, Galopin Des Champs is the shortest-priced banker of the week.

Having recently recorded his third Irish Gold Cup win in a row, he will attempt to repeat that feat at Cheltenham.

Like Constitution Hill, Galopin Des Champs is one of the best horses of his generation and one of the best chasers of all time.

Rivals

It is little surprise that some connections are running scared of Mullins’ star. That means that his biggest threats could line up elsewhere.

Fact To File (10/1) may run in the Ryanair Chase, while King George winner Banbridge (8/1) is the favourite's only rival in single figures.

Verdict: It would seem that the only thing that can stop Galopin Des Champs from completing a hat-trick of Gold Cup wins is if he doesn’t run to his true ability.

If he turns up in top form, he looks like being the biggest banker of the week.