Cheltenham Festival Day 1 betting guide – Champion Day

The anticipation is over and the Cheltenham Festival begins on Tuesday, March 10. The start of the first race is accompanied by the famous Cheltenham Roar. The feature race is the Champion Hurdle at 3.30pm.

Cheltenham Festival

Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

1:30pm – Grade 1 – 2m 87y – £125,000

Cheltenham Old Course, for horses aged four and older with eight hurdles. Horses carry 11-07 except four-year-olds (10-13), seven-pound allowance for fillies and mares.

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle recent winners

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle 10-year betting trends

• Average price of winners: Almost +700.
• Range of starting prices: +200 to +1200.
• Number of outright and joint favourites: Two.
• Odds-on favourites: None.
• Double-figure priced winners: four.
• Most common range of odds: Four winners from +400 to +600.

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – Cheltenham Festival

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle 10-year race trends

• British-trained winners: Five.
• Irish-trained winners: Five.
• Most common age: Five and Six.
• Weight range: All Carried 11-0.
• Leading jockey (wins): Ruby Walsh (five).
• Leading trainer (wins): Willie Mullins (four).

Racing Post Arkle Novices’ Chase

2:10pm – Grade 1 – 1m 7f 199y – £175,000

Cheltenham Old Course, for horses aged five and older with 13 fences. All horses carry 11-04 except fillies and mares (10-11).

Arkle Novices’ Chase recent winners

Arkle Novices’ Chase 10-year betting trends

• Average price of winners: Over +500.
• Range of starting prices: -400 to +3300.
• Number of outright and joint favourites: Six.
• Odds-on favourites: Six.
• Double-figure priced winners: One.
• Most common range of odds: Six Winners from -400 to -120.

Arkle Novices’ Chase 10-year race trends

• British-trained winners: Five.
• Irish-trained winners: Five.
• Most common age: Six.
• Weight range: 11-04 to 11-07.
• Leading jockey (wins): Ruby Walsh (three).
• Leading trainer (wins): Willie Mullins (five).

Ultima Handicap Chase

2:50pm – Grade 3 – 3m 1f – £110,000

Cheltenham Old Course, for horses aged five and older with 20 fences. This is a handicap and horses carry 10-00 to 11-12.

Handicap Chase recent winners

Handicap Chase 10-year betting trends

• Average price of winners: over +1300.
• Range of starting prices: +500 to +3300.
• Number of outright and joint favourites: one.
• Odds-on favourites: none.
• Double-figure priced winners: six.
• Most common range of odds: four winners from +900 to +1100.

Handicap Chase 10-year race trends

• British-trained winners: 10.
• Irish-trained winners: none.
• Most common age: eight.
• Weight range: 10-01 to 11-12.
• Leading jockey (wins): Richie McLernon and Tom Scudamore (two).
• Leading trainer (wins): Jonjo O’Neill and David Pipe (two).

Unibet Champion Hurdle

3:30pm – Grade 1 – 2m 87y – £450,000

Cheltenham Old Course, for horses aged four and older with eight hurdles. All horses carry 11-10 except four-year-olds (11-02), seven-pound allowance for fillies and mares.

2019 Unibet Champion Hurdle Winner – Espoir D’Allen

Champion Hurdle recent results

Champion Hurdle 10-year betting trends

• Average price of winners: almost +600.
• Range of starting prices: -149.99 to +1600.
• Number of outright and joint favourites: five.
• Odds-on favourites: two.
• Double-figure priced winners: two.
• Most common range of odds: five winners from -149.99 to +275.

Champion Hurdle 10-year race trends

• British-trained winners: four.
• Irish-trained winners: six.
• Most common age: seven.
• Weight range: 11-03 to 11-10.
• Leading jockey (wins): Ruby Walsh (four).
• Leading trainer (wins): Willie Mullins (four).

David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle

4:10pm – Grade 1 – 2m 3f 200y – £120,000

Cheltenham Old Course, for mares aged four and older with 10 hurdles. All horses carry 11-05 except 4-y-o’s who carry 10-10.
10 Year Records

Mares’ Hurdle 10-year betting trends

• Average price of winners: almost +300.
• Range of starting prices: -175.01 to +1000.
• Number of outright and joint favourites: six.
• Odds-on favourites: four.
• Double-figure priced winners: one.
• Most common range of odds: five winners from -175.01 to -120.

Mares’ Hurdle 10-year race trends

• British-trained winners: one.
• Irish-trained winners: nine.
• Most common age: seven.
• Weight range: all winners carried 11-05.
• Leading jockey (wins): Ruby Walsh (seven).
• Leading trainer (wins): Willie Mullins (eight).

Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase

4:50pm – Listed – 2m 4f 44y – £70,000

Cheltenham Old Course, for horses aged five and older with 16 fences. The race is a handicap so horses carry a range of weights from 10-00 to 12-00.

Novices’ Handicap Chase recent winners

Novices’ Handicap Chase 10-year betting trends

• Average price of winners: almost +900.
• Range of Starting Prices: +275 to +1600.
• Number of outright and joint favourites: two.
• Odds-on favourites: none.
• Double-figure priced winners: four.
• Most common range of odds: four winners from +650 to +800.

Novices’ Handicap Chase 10-year race trends

• British-trained winners: eight.
• Irish-trained winners: two.
• Most common age: six.
• Weight range: 11-01 to 12-00.
• Leading jockey (wins): Brian Hughes (two).
• Leading trainer (wins): no multiple-winning trainer.

National Hunt Chase (Amateur Riders’ Novices’ Chase)

5:30pm – Grade 2 – 3m 7f 147y – £125,000

Cheltenham Old Course, for horses aged five and older with 16 fences. Horses carry 11-06 except five-year-olds (11-04), seven-pound allowance for mares.

National Hunt Chase recent winners

National Hunt Chase 10-year betting trends

• Average price of winners: over +800.
• Range of starting prices: +225 to +1600.
• Number of outright and joint favourites: three.
• Odds-on favourites: none.
• Double-figure priced winners: three.
• Most common range of odds: five winners from +500 to +800.

National Hunt Chase 10-year race trends

• British-trained winners: five.
• Irish-trained winners: five.
• Most common age: seven.
• Weight range: all winners carried 11-06.
• Leading jockey (wins): Derek O’Connor, Patrick Mullins and Jamie Codd (two).
• Leading trainer (wins): Gordon Elliott (three).