This one! After months of preparation, the 2026 Cheltenham Festival is fast approaching.
This big tournament has lost quite a few of its star players to injury, but what we’re left with is four days that are particularly competitive given the trends of the tournament over the past decade or so.
For those of us with that inclination, there won’t be many odds-on favorites to bet big on, but those of us who tend to play with larger sums will, as always, be very well catered for. Remember, this meeting is a marathon, not a sprint. Let’s hope this column is at the front when we cross the finish line at the end of Friday.
The Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy Novice Chase (2.00) will be the first big head-to-head of the week as Lulamba, Britain’s best novice chaser, takes on Ireland’s most talked about novice chaser, Kopec des Bordes.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Sky Sports Racing presenters reveal the best prospects for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.
It is truly a story of contrasting preparations as Lulamba achieved every goal this season. He has had three runs over the fences, all leading to comfortable wins on the line, but it was his recent success in the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury that really delivered the crowning achievement.
Having joined an open company under unfavorable conditions, he gained a very educational experience, overcame several adversities, and ultimately defeated the opposition comfortably. He comes to this race as a round, well-educated young chaser with a very high level of form as his name suggests. What’s not to like?
However, Rulamba is not even my favorite.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Sky Sports Racing presenters reveal the best prospects for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.
That position is held by Kopec Des Bordes, trained by Willie Mullins. The six-year-old overcame an awkward jump to establish himself as one of the best novice hurdlers in training last season, winning the Supreme Novice Hurdle at this event. His novice chasing career has been highly anticipated and there was a lot to like in his impressive winning chasing debut at Navan back in November.
He looked very relaxed and didn’t seem to have a plan in his approach to the fences, but he jumped them all with great athleticism. My conclusion after that was that he would benefit from more experience as the season progressed. However, he suffered a mid-season setback and has not raced since.
Facing Arkle in one run over the fence is not historically unheard of, but with Arkle’s loose and slightly erratic manner, it’s not ideal. Anyone with functioning ears has heard about the racetrack schooling he attended. It seems like he was impressive enough to see him return to his current popular status, but his compensation looks really short lived.
As you’ve probably guessed by now, there’s only one way to make price matter in my book, and that’s with Lulamba. It goes without saying that Kopec des Bordes is highly feared, but Lulamba is in the best form, has the best preparation and has a better price tag than those two players. He is my choice.
The past 20 years have been tough for British National Hunt horse racing. Their Irish-trained success in Britain exploded to unprecedented levels, to the point where they dominated the largest national hunting conferences.
But among the greenery, one stubborn British bulldog stood strong and proud in the Trustmark Ultima Handicap Chase (3.20). This is the first time an Irish-trained horse has won the race since Tony Martin’s Dan Doire won the race in 2006.
The small number of Irish-trained horses that enter this race each year makes it somewhat permanent, but extensive analysis of how Irish-trained horses have been treated in the event’s handicap races has revealed the challenges faced by Irish horses in the event.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Rebecca Curtis spoke to Sky Sports Racing ahead of Haiti Couleurs’ fateful day in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
So, with all this in mind, I side with the home team in the form of Jonjo and AJ O’Neill trained Jonny Who. For me, the nine-year-old was strangled in the Kim Muir Challenge Cup and was one of the unluckiest losers of the entire Cheltenham Festival last year.
On this day, he was sponsored and ran well at the penultimate fence to take the lead, but in the handicap chase of this tournament, he was far from home, made a mistake at the final fence, and narrowly lost to Daily Present by a large margin until the third home.
Since then, he has produced some eye-catching and commendable performances in defeat, but knowing his connections, they would have been focused on this meeting for quite some time. He has had respiratory surgery since his last race and is no doubt ready to make a bold bid for compensation.
This is a stronger contest with Kim Muir and him being 6 pounds heavier than last year, but that’s all built into his current price. As a powerful owner, Johnny is likely to have an even stronger claim in the race, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Johnny takes the lead on the day.
The main event of the day is the Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (4.00). The team has had a difficult time losing star players throughout the season, with State Man, Sir Geno, and Constitution Hill all eliminated. Fortunately, the best hurdle mares are naturally oriented in this direction rather than opting for the softer option of filly hurdles, and Champion Hurdle really needs them.
Even with their inclusion, there is no doubt that this is a below-average renewal of the race on paper, and given that the quality of the race may have been further stripped away by a connection of mares making a legitimate call to seize the low-hanging fruit in the fillies hurdle, it means that discussions about the status of the latter race must remain a priority.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Constitution Hill’s jumping career is over, but did Nicky Henderson make the right decision? Jump trainers Harry Durham, Christian Williams, Donald McCain and Henry Daly give their opinions.
Many of these can be litigated, but as always, they must be returned to the prices currently available. For me, that is BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD, trained by Gordon Elliott. The market penalizes her very heavily for her last two defeats in this event, but there was nothing wrong with giving her five pounds as she was second to Golden Ace in a very tactical renewal of the Novice Hurdle for fillies, and she returned with physical problems after a poor performance in last year’s Champion Hurdle.
The key to Brighterdayshead, in my opinion, is to use her and drag others into the deep waters. I thought Gordon might run Casheldale Rudd to push the pace, but there are still a few players in Tutti Quanti and Workahead who could push the pace in his absence.
Whatever the result, I don’t expect Brighterdaysahead to be far away and I could see Jack Kennedy gaining momentum early in the closing stages and looking to put his rivals into a corner. To me, she is too great a price to pay and represents a very fair value at this time.
Kevin Blake’s best bet
2.00 Cheltenham, Tuesday – Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy Novice Tracking
Ruramba
3.20 Cheltenham, Tuesday – Trustmark Altima Handicap Chase
Johnny Who
4.00 Cheltenham, Tuesday – UNIBET Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy
Brighter Daysa Head
