RacingBetter News
	Monday 2nd March 2026

Are the Championship Races at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival as Wide Open as They Seem?

There’s a growing sense that the 2026 Cheltenham Festival could be defined less by dominance and more by uncertainty.

In recent years, Championship races have often revolved around one standout star, but this time around, the markets feel far less settled.
For punters looking to bet on horse racing, that unpredictability brings both risk and opportunity, and nowhere is that more apparent than across the four Championship events.

So, are these races genuinely wide open, or is the picture being distorted by recency bias and short-term form swings? Let’s break it down.

Champion Hurdle

This is shaping up to be one of the most open Champion Hurdles in years. It’s likely to be the first time since Honeysuckle’s initial success in 2021 that we head into the opening-day feature without an odds-on favourite.

Golden Ace’s shock 25/1 victory last year already blew the race wide open, and while Constitution Hill went off at 1/2 in that chaotic renewal, the balance of power now feels far less clear.

The New Lion currently heads the ante-post market at around 5/2, with Brighterdaysahead close behind at 11/4 and Constitution Hill hovering at 5/1.

Each comes with a caveat. The New Lion has yet to fully convince over a strongly run two miles, Brighterdaysahead has flopped on both previous Cheltenham appearances, and Constitution Hill’s recent record, falling in three of his last four hurdle starts, is impossible to ignore.

With those doubts in mind, it’s hard to argue this isn’t a wide-open renewal, and a solid, proven operator like Golden Ace at around 8/1 is far from dismissed in her bid to defend the crown.

Champion Chase

At first glance, the Champion Chase looks more straightforward, with Majborough installed as a short-priced favourite.

Some firms have pushed him into 5/4 territory after his demolition job in the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown, where he beat reigning champion Marine Nationale by a staggering 19 lengths.

But dig a little deeper, and the certainty starts to unravel. Majborough’s jumping has always carried an element of risk, and the heavy ground he thrived on at the Dublin Racing Festival is unlikely to be replicated at Cheltenham. His current odds feel thin given those concerns.

Marine Nationale is better than that Leopardstown margin suggests, while Dan Skelton’s L’Eau Du Sud looked a polished performer when winning the Schloer Chase over course and distance in November.

Despite the market confidence around the favourite, this is a race that looks far more open than the prices imply, particularly for those looking to bet on Cheltenham 2026 races with value in mind.

Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle

Of the four Championship races, this is arguably the one with the clearest pecking order. Teahupoo, a former winner of the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle, fully justified favouritism with a commanding seven-length success over reigning champion Bob Olinger in the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown. On form, he deserves to head the market once again.

That said, it isn’t a one-horse race. Stablemate Honesty Policy shaped better than the bare result when third in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot and could be a bigger threat than his price suggests.

British hopes also received a lift when Ma Shantou laid down a serious marker in the Cleeve Hurdle on Trials Day. With the home team having failed to land this prize since Lisnagar Oscar in 2020, there’s added incentive and belief that a challenge could finally stick.

Gold Cup

If any race encapsulates the sense of uncertainty heading into the Festival, it’s the Gold Cup. Jango Baie leads the market at around 5/1 for Nicky Henderson, but his position at the head of affairs feels tentative rather than commanding.

Irish Gold Cup winner Fact To File could yet throw a major spanner in the works if connections opt to supplement him for £25,000 following his sensational Dublin Racing Festival performance.

King George hero The Jukebox Man also commands serious respect and will be a popular choice, not least because of his high-profile ownership under Harry Redknapp.

And then there’s Galopin Des Champs. Even if he doesn’t appear quite as dominant as in his pomp, writing off a horse chasing a Gold Cup hat-trick would be a brave move. On balance, this feels like one of the most competitive Gold Cups in recent memory.

In truth, the sense that the Championship races are wide open isn’t just perception; it’s rooted in genuine form questions, fragile favourites, and credible alternatives across the board. While some divisions have a clearer hierarchy than others, none feel locked down. For fans and punters alike, that uncertainty could make the 2026 Cheltenham Festival one of the most compelling editions in years.