The day one confirmations are through for Cheltenham on Tuesday and our team of David Ord, Matt Brocklebank and John Ingles have tackled some of the key questions.
Let's kick-off with the Unibet Champion Hurdle - how do you make sense of this year's race?
David Ord: It's difficult isn't it. We're still waiting on a Lossiemouth decision - and I think she might turn the Irish Champion form around with Brighterdaysahead if she does run. But it remains an if.
Tutti Quanti brings a new dynamic to the race, a guaranteed pace angle and one they won't want to give too much rope to, which for me swings this back to The New Lion. He's the upwardly mobile runner in the field, got a much-needed confidence booster in the jumping department here last time and looks to have the tactical speed required for the race and then the stamina to come up the hill.
I'd love to see Golden Ace run well again for Jeremy Scott and she looks sure to perform to the level we know she's capable of. I just think The New Lion might be a little above that, particularly now he gets a proper test at two miles for the first time.
Matt Brocklebank: What a fascinating race in prospect, for all that it seems highly unlikely to go down as one of the great Champion Hurdles.
The New Lion has had this race written all over him since day one and we know all too well he wouldn't be the first top-class hurdler to take the odd liberty at his obstacles... I'm not sure I'll want to be punting him at short odds on day one, though, and could be more tempted to get Alexei on side in some capacity nearer the time.
There will be 'place only' and 'without the favourite' markets available after decs and I just think he has the requisite speed to maybe get the better of the likes of Brighterdayahead, Lossiemouth and Poniros. He was only third in an Ascot handicap two starts ago but was giving lumps of weight to the first and second, who subsequently filled the same places (finished the other way around) in a good race at Windsor, while Alexei's cosy defeat of course regular Rubaud in the Kingwell at Wincanton last month has been underestimated in my view.
John Ingles: The three biggest names in the division – Constitution Hill, State Man and Sir Gino – are all missing so that leaves The New Lion and the Irish mares Lossiemouth and Brighterdayshead as the trio with the best form.
I can see why The New Lion is favourite – unbeaten in completed starts and with the potential for a still bigger performance in him – but I would have liked to have seen him win the International Hurdle with much more authority to convince me that he’s a Champion Hurdle winner in waiting.
I’d rather side with one of the mares, therefore, who are one all in their two meetings at Leopardstown this winter. Lossiemouth has the better Festival record of the pair, and she certainly deserves a first crack at the Champion Hurdle, whereas Brighterdaysahead missed a golden opportunity when bombing out in last year’s race. However, Brightersdayahead went with a lot more zest than Lossiemouth when winning their latest clash in the Irish Champion Hurdle, so she gets the vote.
There are 20 names still in contention for the Sky Bet Supreme - who do you see starting the week with a bang?
David Ord: I left Haydock after the Sky Bet Rossington Main thinking I'd seen the Supreme winner in the shape of Old Park Star and feel loathed to desert him. It was sensible that he was taught to race in behind horses in the racecourse gallop at Kempton recently and while saying he's no Altior at this stage, Nicky Henderson was happy to compare him with Shishkin in the media huddle afterwards.
I know I'm going with another favourite but I think he has all the attributes you need for the Festival opener, for all I do concede Mighty Park could be anything, Talk The Talk has the change of gear which is a potential difference-maker at this level and El Cairos is the fastest horse in the race.
But for me, Old Park Star is the one who ticks all the boxes. Let's hope he gets us up and running in style.
Matt Brocklebank: Ever since Willie Mullins stated he'd got behind a little bit in his autumn prep with a lot of his novices, I've envisaged the current situation playing out in that he's got several budding stars coming to Cheltenham having yet to be tested in Grade 1 company.
That's obviously a potential negative for them on the experience front, but as punters we're getting nicely compensated if putting faith in the Closutton system coming good. There's plenty of talk about Mighty Park but Leader d'Allier looks like being the mount of Paul Townend and he's a fascinating runner having arrived at the Mullins yard with so much French bumper form already in the book.
He was well beaten by Ballyfad on stable debut in December but looked a different horse with the tongue-tie (which he wore early on in France) back on at Punchestown a month later, and it's not hard at all to see him finding further improvement and bridging the gap with the form horse and favourite, Old Park Star. The double-figure odds won't last, especially if Mighty Park runs on the Wednesday instead.
John Ingles: Old Park Star clearly sets a high standard after his win at Haydock where he jumped particularly well, but as usual in the Supreme there’s a strong Irish contingent as well as any number of horses open to improvement who could take the necessary step forward.
The horse who really impressed me early on with this race in mind is Mydaddypaddy for Dan Skelton. He made a huge impression when winning his bumper at Huntingdon this time last year and Harry Skelton barely had to move a muscle on him to win his first two starts over hurdles this season.
While he did get beaten at odds-on in the Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day, by Idaho Sun who he’ll likely meet again next week, I think he can be forgiven that as that race didn’t play to his strengths with the flights in the home straight being omitted. Like Old Park Star, Mydaddypaddy has plenty of pace and jumps fluently and therefore makes plenty of appeal at longer odds.
Is the Singer Arkle a plain old dust-up between Lulamba and Kopek Des Bordes?
David Ord: The enthusiasm around Kopek Des Bordes has been infectious in recent days and it was interesting to hear Ruby Walsh say he thought he had the talent to be a genuine contender in a Champion Hurdle.
He's quicker than Lulamba but less experienced over a fence. They dominate the market but are short as 11/8 and 6/4 respectively, and Romeo Coolio is 7/1.
He's not as quick as the other two but goes strongly through his races, and if he's within hailing distance two out with the hill to climb, is definitely in the mix. Again, there is an 'if' attached but I don't think he was seen to best effect in the Irish Arkle last time, ran a cracker to finish third behind Kopek Des Bordes in last year's Sky Bet Supreme and is already a better chaser than he was a hurdler.
And with a proper gallop seemingly certain on Tuesday, he's about to post his best-ever figure over the larger obstacles.
Matt Brocklebank: It could be dangerous to assume that is the case but they are potentially special chasers in the making and it's probably a question of whether Kopek Des Bordes can burn off Lulamba before the latter's stamina kicks in.
Lulamba just about gets the tentative vote for me but I'm wary of the positive noises regarding the Mullins horse and will probably be happy to sit and watch this one play out. Romeo Coolio looked to have a hard race with Kargese at the DRF and I'm not siding with either of them.
John Ingles: The betting would have you believe that’s the case, though while Lulamba looks the one to beat on form, there are several who have achieved more than Kopek des Bordes so far over fences.
That’s mainly to do with the fact that Kopek des Bordes hasn’t run since cruising home on his chasing debut at Naas in November so hasn’t had the opportunity to run to a higher figure. If you’re supporting him, therefore, you’re banking on him matching the sort of form he showed over hurdles on this card last year in the Supreme, which would certainly make him a threat to Lulamba, though for a horse whose hurdling technique wasn’t the best, that lack of chasing experience is something of a concern.
Romeo Coolio was third behind Kopek des Bordes in the Supreme, but he’s unbeaten in four starts over fences and will get the good test he needs over two miles, being proven at further, so he has the potential to make sure this is not merely a two-horse race.
Day one is fairly handicap-heavy these days... which other race are you looking forward to most on Tuesday?
David Ord: Quebecois in the Ultima has to be of interest. He came within a nose of winning the Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase on Trials Day, going down in a thriller to Jordans Cross, and was then considerately handicapped on his qualifying run over an inadequate trip in a three-runner race at Newbury. He’ll like the spring ground and return to three miles-plus.
And in the closing National Hunt Chase I like the look of Kurasso Blue at a decent price for Gordon Elliott. The trainer has three entries at this stage but the day-one finale is the only option all week for the promising five-year-old.
He’s made a bright start to life over fences, winning at Punchestown and finishing second at Thurles and Naas, producing a career best to chase home Flicker Of Hope at the latter track in January. A proper test at this trip looks sure to suit and he’s on the upgrade and still open to further improvement.
Matt Brocklebank: I think we need to be keeping an eye on the situation with The Jukebox Kid as trainer Ben Pauling had suggested he might be geared towards the Irish Grand National but I see he's been confirmed for the National Hunt Chase on Tuesday and if he lines up here I'd give him a proper chance after his impressive Ascot wins in January and February.
The Ultima is one of those races I look forward to all year and have been happy to talk up Imperial Saint, who looks a live one at a big price hiding in plain sight. A 3lb rise for his Peter Marsh Chase win seems quite generous and he's so unexposed at three miles I refuse to believe he's now peaked. He's known better as an Aintree horse (entered for the Grand National too) but has run well at Cheltenham a couple of times before and, after a lighter campaign this time around, could be in for another productive time in the spring.
John Ingles: It’s good to see that Konfusion, who held a Gold Cup entry at one stage, is still in the reckoning for the Ultima for Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith who have been one of the success stories in the North this season. Sue Smith won this five years ago with Vintage Clouds who was having his fifth go at the race (placed twice before) at the age of eleven.
His profile was hardly typical of an Ultima winner, therefore, in contrast to Konfusion who is a much more likely type, being an eight-year-old on the up. He ran his best race yet when third in the Peter Marsh at Haydock last time from a mark 30 lb higher than when he started the season, having won the Rehearsal and the Rowland Meyrick along the way.
Konfusion is also a better jumper of fences than Vintage Clouds was, but like the stable’s former winner he’s also a front runner which is often no bad thing in a big-field handicap chase around Cheltenham. He stays well and finds plenty in a finish, so could be hard to peg back.
Cheltenham Festival 2026: Stable Tours
- Willie Mullins
- Dan Skelton
- Nicky Henderson
- Ben Pauling
- Paul Nicholls
- Philip Hobbs & Johnson White
- Gordon Elliott
- Joe Tizzard
- Harry Derham
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