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Cheltenham Festival Tips 2026
Dual Gold Cup Winner Galopin Des Champs
© Healy Racing PhotosOver 500 horses are entered and a total of 28 races are staged at the National Hunt's showpiece in March so it is helpful to get expert Cheltenham Festival tips and interesting betting angles when delving into the form.
Find more Cheltenham Festival ante-post tips and trends here plus high-value Cheltenham free bets and betting offers.
Cheltenham Festival Preview 2026
Watch out for our 2026 Cheltenham Festival preview show coming up in February.
In the meantime our Editor Vincent Finegan has picked out his nap of the day for all four days of the Cheltenham Festival,
Day 1
Nap - El Cairos - Supreme Novices' Hurdle
El Cairos achieved a high level of performance in Bumpers last season when owned and ridden by David Maxwell. Now in care of Gordon Elliott he is the only novice hurdler I have seen so far this season that has genuine star quality. He was in the process of producing a scintillating display at Leopardstown over Christmas when a freak incident after jumping the final hurdle ended with him hitting the deck. Presuming he gets his maiden hurdle victory out of the way before Cheltenham he will be difficult to beat in the Supreme Novices Hurdle.
Day 2
Nap - Marine Nationale - Queen Mother Champion Chase
Marine Nationale is unbeaten at the Festival following wins in the 2024 Supreme Novices Hurdle and in this race last season. Connections gradually brought him along last season to peak at Cheltenham and assuming that is the same idea again, he looked well on track for a repeat with his excellent performance at Leopardstown over Christmas on his seasonal debut.
Day 3
Nap - Teahupoo - Stayers Hurdle
Teahupoo looks one of the bets of the week at Cheltenham this year. He won this race in 2024 and in my view was unlucky in last year’s renewal when beaten by Bob Olinger. On that occasion Jack Kennedy waited in front before being run down in the closing stages by Bob Olinger. In this season’s Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown Kennedy kicked on turning for home and quickly put the race to bed with Bob Olinger 7 lengths adrift in second place. A similar positive display at Cheltenham will make him extremely difficult to beat again.
Day 4
Nap - Galopin Des Champs - Gold Cup
Galopin Des Champs looks by far the most likely winner of the Gold Cup at this stage of the season. His comeback run in the Savills Chase at Christmas was full of promise and he can safely be expected to improve considerably as he nears peak fitness. Last year’s winner, Inothewayurthinkin, is respected as a major danger, but on balance of what we have seen from the pair so far this season there is little doubt that Galopin Des Champs is the more likely to be challenging for Gold Cup honours come March.
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More Cheltenham Festival tips
You can find more Cheltenham tips for each day of the festival below:
