Cheltenham Festival 2025 Odds: Tips For Every Race On Day 1
Day 1 of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival is almost here and the best betting sites are gearing themselves up for another busy week of racing.
Will it be a bookmakers dream day or will the punters land a knockout blow to the layers with a fourfold accas that currently pays shades over 7/1?
We have studied the cards and form to bring you our best selection from all seven races on Day 1 of this year's Festival.
Kopek Des Bordes, Majborough, Lossiemouth and Constitution Hill are the jollies in question and I think as a saver to the day's action, and a sporting interest regardless, it has to be covered with at least a small stake by all.
If only to ensure you’re not missing the wedding that everyone is invited to because you were trying to be fashionably late, clever and stubborn.
They all have exceptional chances as horse racing betting sites knows, but it’s Cheltenham, and we hope it’s not that simple!
We will take an alternative view where we can, be prepared for without markets to be tackled (betting without the favourite), and trying to find some value against the crowd where possible.
Assuming you have all taken a small bit of the acca, then let’s get started with the marathon event that is the Cheltenham Festival and get straight into it.
Supreme Novices Hurdle (13:20)
Selection: Workahead - 1pt Each-Way - 7/1 General
If Kopek Des Bordes wasn’t here, I’d make Workahead a very good bet to get this done for Henry de Bromhead.
His sire was a seven-length Derby winner on just his third racecourse run, an Arc winner on his fourth start and is an exceptional beast.
Workahead won a 3m point-to-point and has only had two starts since, warming up in a maiden hurdle in December before running a good field ragged at Leopardstown over Christmas with a slick performance.
It will take a very good horse to lie up with Rachael Blackmore here and keep tabs if they employ front running tactics. In a Supreme, they always go fast, so this will be lightning.
Experience isn’t a worry when you will just head up to the front and put them under pressure. If you are on the favourite, you’ll be hoping the challenge isn’t too late to reel in this chap.
Romeo Coolio is the other I could give a chance too but I don’t think many will live with Workahead if the tactics play out, the jumping is as good as it was at Christmas and Rachael rides it like she stole the horse after the first slight is jumped.
Arkle Chase (14:00)
Selection: Majborough - No Bet Advised - 4/7
This race has cut up more than an 8-year-old's birthday cake after an hour in the playzone.
It won’t take Majborough putting in anything more than a clear round to score, and whilst some are crabbing the jumping of the 5-year-old, it is more than efficient, at times extravagant and Mark Walsh just needs to navigate them.
Sadly, with such a small field, the markets don’t lend for much of an alternative.
If only Sir Gino had made it, but we would have that clash to look forward to next season - all being well. It's not a tip to tell you it will win at 4/7, but it should do exactly that.
Ultima Handicap Chase (14:40)
Selection: The Changing Man - 1pt Each-Way, 13/2 General
Selection: Frero Banbou - 1pt Each-Way, 50/1 General
One of the best betting races of the week and The Changing Man looks the obvious play, who is incredibly consistent and head finally in front last time out, all things point to a big run and a mark of 140 is spot on. Brendan Powell is brilliant on him and rightly favourite to land the spoils.
I have a soft spot for a similar type in Frero Banbou, who also found it hard to win, albeit at shorter trips, but is terrifically consistent and relatively unexposed, even for an aging 10-year-old, over further.
Frero Banbou was given a seriously good ride by Ned Fox in November, when landing a big handicap and beating The Changing Man at Newcastle and the pair are closely matched on that again for this.
Forgotten about in the market at 50/1 but will go forward at the front end which helps in this race and if lasting home might be the one Brendan will be chasing to the line. Well worth chancing at the prices to run a huge race at rag odds. Most bookmakers paying five or six places on the day.
I’d give a mention to a few others like Broadway Boy, Crebilly and Henry’s Friend along with King Turgeon will make up many a short (long) list, but you can’t back them all.
Mares Hurdle (15:20)
Selection: Lossiemouth - No Bet Advised, 4/6
Selection: Dysart Enos - 0.5pts Each-Way, 14/1 Without Lossiemouth, 3 Places
Hard to be enthused by the existence of the Mares' Hurdle, when it takes from the Champion Hurdle in the shape of odds on favourite Lossiemouth.
However, I think connections have done the right thing by the mare. She hasn’t had a good prep and they did try to get her there - taking on the boys in the run up.
A fall the last day means it will have to be next year to try and take the big one, but perhaps she just isn’t up to it anyway.
This is a good race and she would have needed to be firing to win it and I’d imagine she would. Only Dysart Enos appeals as an alternative option at around 14/1 each way still with three places and Lossiemouth removed is interesting.
She hasn’t fired as perhaps connections hoped after a stunning novice season. Also, she didn’t make the Festival last year, when a big chance for the Fergal O’Brien team in the Mares Novices’, but perhaps they can get a big run here and kick on again at Aintree and beyond.
The run in the Greatwood was very good, behind Burdett Road, who goes to the Champion Hurdle, and Be Aware who is the favourite for one of the handicaps.
She still looks potentially best of the rest although she will need to do better than the preparation run at Ascot. A small interest is merited.
Champion Hurdle (16:00)
Selection: Constitution Hill - No Bet Advised, 8/13
If Constitution Hill is 85% of the horse we have seen here before, then it’s a precession for the feature on Day 1. A special horse, subject to all sorts of media nonsense and hype but a proper one, you don’t see too often.
It’s great that Brighterdaysahead will keep them honest, and it’s great too that King Of Kingsfield is here as a pacemaker. My advice, if they want to win, is to set a false pace, have Constitution Hill go slower than expected and then stretch it by surprise.
Tactics will be interesting, but if the pace is strong and from the start, Constitution Hill will win by further.
Some will want to take them on with the mare, but it will need a below par run to make that pay, I’d rather watch and cheer on the special one.
Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (16:40)
Selection: Beyond Your Dreams - 1pt Each-Way, 6/1 General
I’ve long thought that if you were watching The Panel's “head to head” series on here, that Beyond Your Dreams was the one for the race having been carefully lined up in three runs to peak this week.
It's an interesting late sub-plot that Mark Walsh may have chosen Putyourhandstogether for the same owner JP McManus over this runner, but I think JJ Slevin was always likely to ride this one of the pair of runners for his relative Joseph O’Brien.
Cheekpieces will be on for the first time, form with market principle Total Look and for me this is the pick of the green and gold runners.
It’s a race of potential, with so many yet to fully show their hands in the build-up, so you take a lot on trust whatever you decide to go with.
A mark of 123 looks ideal and I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see a JP McManus dominated podium. Hopefully we have the right one with plenty in hand to come home on top.
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National Hunt Chase (17:20)
Selection: Gericault Rocque 0.5pts Each-Way, 8/1 General
Not a new race format I am fond of at all. You’d usually see some smart horses line up here that prefer a stamina test to speed, and have just come up short in the big novice chases of the year.
Gold Cup winners, National winners etc, but alas now we have a handicap that could be staged anywhere at all. That said you can still find a winner, or try to.
Gericault Rocque might fit the bill, having been a proper handicap chaser of ability a couple of years ago, when finishing placed in an Ultima here in 2022 and then in a Hennessy the following winter.
Nursed back from a long lay off to run third at Windsor on return, if the engine is still there then the 9-year-old is dangerously well-handicapped to take this for David Pipe and Jack Tudor.
A small bet, the car park might be the place to watch it from to get a run on the traffic as we can always collect the winnings the following day - if the bookies haven’t left for the week after the fabulous favourite four have left them wishing it was back to three days and double figure fields for the championship races.
