Cheltenham Day 1 Tips - Tuesday's Tips for the 2025 Festival

Check out our expert tips for day one of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival

Updated: February 14, 2025 at 8:59 am GMT+0

The opening day of the Cheltenham Festival is known as ‘Champion Day’ with four Grade 1 races, and we have all the action covered with our Cheltenham Day 1 tips.

There is a fantastic card for punters to enjoy at Cheltenham Racecourse, including the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the Arkle, and the Champion Hurdle.

Looking for expert betting tips? Read on for our free Cheltenham Day 1 tips.

RaceTip
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Tips10 of the last 12 winners won their previous race before the Supreme
Arkle Chase TipsAll 12 previous winners of the Arkle had at least one win that season
Ultima Handicap Chase TipsThe last 12 winners of the Ultima had at least one previous run at Cheltenham
Mares’ Hurdle Tips11 of the last 12 winners of the Mares' Hurdle had at least three previous wins over hurdles
Champion Hurdle TipsAll 12 previous Champion Hurdle winners had run within the last 78 days
Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle TipsOnly 1 of the last 12 winners of the Fred Winter were favourite or joint favourite
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Cheltenham Day 1 Tips

The first day of the Cheltenham Festival kicks us off in style, and we'll have the action covered with our Cheltenham tips day 1 courtesy of our best tipsters, Alan Kelly and Charlie McCann, so make sure to check out their tips pages.

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Tips

The Supreme Novices' Hurdle is the thrilling opener to the Cheltenham Festival, showcasing top-class young hurdlers. Run over 2 miles, it demands speed, stamina, and jumping ability

The Supreme - race one, on day one of the Cheltenham Festival, is the thrilling curtain raiser to the four days of action.

Run over 2 miles, it's a race that often throws up a Champion Hurdle prospect for the following year, including Constitution Hill, who won the race in 2022.

This year's race looks set to be dominated by trainer Willie Mullins, who trains the current favourite and second favourite in the ante-post betting market.

Kopek Des Bordes heads the betting following his 13-length victory at Leopardstown, taking over at the head of the market from stablemate Salvator Mundi.

Check out our Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Betting Odds.


Arkle Chase Tips

A fast and furious test of jumping, the Arkle Challenge Trophy is often seen as the stepping stone to Wednesday's feature race, the Grade 1 Champion Chase.

It's an unmissable race with past winners, including Douvan and Shishkin, while Gaelic Warrior came out on top in 2024.

This year's Arkle Challenge Trophy betting market was shaken up when the Nicky Henderson-trained Sir Gino was ruled out of the race with an injury.

Majborough is now the odds-on favourite for the Arkle - he could not have been more impressive when storming to victory in the Irish Arkle at the DRF.

Check out our Arkle Chase Betting Odds.


Ultima Handicap Chase Tips

The first fiercely competitive Cheltenham handicap for punters to solve.

The Ultima Handicap Chase is often a race where a Grand National contender pops up, such as the Lucinda Russell-trained Corach Rambler, who won this race in 2023 before landing the big one at Aintree.

2024 saw trainer Kim Bailey victorious with Chianti Classico, and it's a race that offers an opportunity for a trainer outside the big five to get on the scoreboard.

The JP McManus-owned Iroko heads the ante-post betting for the Ultima, but connections have said that he could miss the Festival this year and head to Aintree for a crack at the Grand National.

Check out our Ultima Handicap Chase Betting Odds.


Mares’ Hurdle Tips

Introduced for the girls in 2008, the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle has been dominated by Irish-trained horses, including Quevega, who won it for six consecutive years for trainer Willie Mullins.

In recent years, the Henry de Bromhead-trained Honeysuckle won the race in 2020 and 2023.

The ante-post market for the Mares' Hurdle can be a headache for punters, and it's a similar story this year with Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth both having the option to race in the Champion Hurdle.

Brighterdaysahead, trained by Gordon Elliott, heads the betting currently after two impressive victories over State Man, while Lossiemouth was right in the mix when falling at the Dublin Racing Festival.

She was upside State Man when making a bad error, with the race producing more questions than answers on where she will run at the Cheltenham Festival.

Check out our Mares’ Hurdle Betting Odds.


Champion Hurdle Tips

The feature race on day one run over two miles - a speed test for hurdlers, but the Cheltenham hill also brings stamina into the equation.

Willie Mullins' State Man was victorious in 2024, but he's not been at his best this season, with two defeats and what could be considered a fortuitous victory at the Dublin Racing Festival following the departure of stablemate Lossiemouth.

After demolishing the field in 2023, the Nicky Henderson-trained Constitution Hill is the ante-post betting favourite to regain his crown in 2025.

Having missed much of last season, Constitution Hill returned with victories in the Christmas Hurdle and Unibet Hurdle.

With question marks over whether the mares Brighterdaysahead, trained by Gordon Elliott, and Lossiemouth will line up in the race, Constitution Hill looks the one to beat in the feature race of day one at Cheltenham.

Check out our Champion Hurdle Betting Odds.


Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Tips

Known by some as the Boodles Juvenile Hurdle, the Fred Winter is the only four-year-old handicap of the meeting, a race for those not quite good enough to get into the Triumph Hurdle on Friday.

The 2024 renewal was won by Lark In The Mornin, trained by Joseph O'Brien.

The French-trained Stencil heads the current ante-post betting for this year's Fred Winter after an eye-catching 2nd place behind East India Dock on Cheltenham Trials Day in January.

Check out our Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Betting Odds.


National Hunt Novices' Chase Tips

  • Tip 1 - Only two of the last 12 winners of the National Hunt Chase were favourite or joint favourite
  • Tip 2 - Nine of the last 12 winners had at least one previous run at Cheltenham
  • Tip 3 - 10 of the previous 12 winners had at least three runs that season
  • Tip 4 - 10 of the last 12 winners had at least one win that season

The National Hunt Chase, the festival's oldest contest, was won by Corbetts Cross last year.

However, the race has been amended for 2025 and is now a novice handicap and no longer confined to amateur jockeys.

After a relatively quiet ante-post betting market, the Gavin Cromwell-trained Now Is The Hour was subject to a huge gamble with the leading online bookmakers following an eye-catching fourth-place finish at Navan.

As big as 33/1 before the race, Now Is The Hour is as short as 3/1 for the final race on day one of the Cheltenham Festival.

Check out our National Hunt Novices' Chase Betting Odds.


Cheltenham Day 1 Schedule

Below, is the full schedule for day one of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, with the opening race at 1:20pm.

TimeCheltenham Day 1 Races
1:20pmSupreme Novices’ Hurdle
2:00pmArkle Chase
2:40pmUltima Handicap Chase
3:20pmMares’ Hurdle
4:00pmChampion Hurdle
4:40pmFred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
5:20pmNational Hunt Novices' Chase

Cheltenham Festival 2025 Hub

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Cheltenham Tips
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Day 4 Betting Offers
How to Watch the Cheltenham Festival 2025
How to Bet on Cheltenham Festival 2025

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Cheltenham Festival Day 1 Overview

The day’s horse racing action starts with the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle - the tapes will rise to the customary ‘Cheltenham roar’ at 1:20pm and while everyone will be hoping to back the winner, all will be aware of this race’s reputation as a champion maker.

Altior, Douvan, Vautour and Honeysuckle are all recent winners of the ‘Supreme’, and they came back to the Festival to win races like the Arkle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, and the Ryanair Chase.

The feature race on the opening day is the Champion Hurdle, won by legendary horse racing names, including See You Then, Istabraq, and Hurricane Fly - will Constitution Hill land the race this year once again?

Other races on Day 1 of the Festival include the Arkle Challenge Trophy, the Mares’ Hurdle, and the National Hunt Novices' Chase, which closes proceedings at 5:20pm.

Get set for the Day 1 horse racing action with the best Cheltenham free bets from the top UK bookmakers.


What Happened Last Year?

Relive all the excitement and drama from the opening day of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival.


Cheltenham Day 1 FAQs

Who won the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham?

The 2024 Champion Hurdle was won by State Man, trained by Willie Mullins.

What day is the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham?

The Champion Hurdle is the feature race on the opening day of the four-day Cheltenham Festival. In 2025, it will be on Tuesday, March 11th.

When is the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham?

The Champion Hurdle is the fourth race on the Cheltenham Festival Day 1 card with a scheduled off-time of 4:00pm.

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Scott Mcglynn

Scott Mcglynn

Scott is an experienced betting content writer supplying content to major bookmakers and several sports betting websites. His passions are horse racing and Scottish football, and he’s a regular attendee at racetracks at home and abroad.

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