CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL DAY 1 TIPS
CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL DAY 1 TIPS
Time | Race | Our Tip | Place Bet |
---|---|---|---|
1.20 | Supreme Novices'Hurdle |
|
Bet now |
1.55 | Arkle Chase | Bet now | |
2.30 | Ultima Handicap Chase | Bet now | |
3.05 | Champion Hurdle | Bet now | |
3.40 | Mares Hurdle | Bet now | |
-:-- | Boodles Juvenile Hurdle | Bet now | |
-:-- | National Hunt Chase | Bet now |
Time | Race | Tip | Place Bet | ||
13:30 |
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle |
Facile Vega | Place Bet | ||
14:10 |
Arkle Chase |
Jonbon | Place Bet | ||
14:50 |
Ultima Handicap Chase |
Remastered | Place Bet | ||
15:30 |
Champion Hurdle |
Constitution Hill | Place Bet | ||
16:10 |
Mares’ Hurdle |
|
Place Bet | ||
16:50 |
Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle |
Tekao | Place Bet | ||
17:30 |
National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Chase |
Gaillard Du Mesnil | Place Bet |
Looking for the Cheltenham Festival day 1 results? Visit our race by race results page here.
Cheltenham Day One Tips for 2023 includes the big Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1). That is just one of the many highlights of the day’s racing to come from Britain’s biggest and best National Hunt Racing Festival.
In this racing guide, we will take a look at some Cheltenham Festival Day One tips for not only the Champion Hurdle but also for all the races on the opening day.
The famous Cheltenham roar will be going up when the runners are sent off in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at 1.30 pm on Tuesday, 14th March 2023.
You can follow all the latest insights, tips and Cheltenham betting offers for each day of the Festival here with our horse racing experts.
Cheltenham Day 1 Races Schedule
Time | Race | Distance | Type |
1.30 pm | Supreme Novices’ Hurdle | 2m 1/2f | Hurdle |
2.10 pm | Arkle Challenge Trophy | 2m | Chase |
2.50 pm | Ultima Handicap Chase | 3m 1f | Chase |
3.30 pm | Champion Hurdle | 2m 1/2f | Hurdle |
4.10 pm | Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle | 2m 4f | Hurdle |
4.50 pm | Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | 2m 4 1/2f | Chase |
5.30 pm | NH Challenge Cup Novices’ Chase | 3m 6f | Chase |
2023 Cheltenham Day 1 Tips – Tuesday’s Feature Race
The headline act for Cheltenham Day One is the Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy, which is the fourth race on Tuesday’s racecard. Visit our dedicated racecards page for all the runners and riders of every race. The top Grade 1 fixture is the pinnacle of the sport for 2m hurdlers.
3:30pm – The Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 race at 2m and 1/2f (about), and there is no more significant hurdle race in the National Hunt season than this one.
There are eight hurdles in play for the Champion Hurdle, and the race forms part of the Triple Crown of Hurdling. It’s the final leg of that challenge, following on from the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.
The Champion Hurdle has boasted some famous names heading into the winner’s circle throughout its history, like Istabraq, Persian War, Hurricane Fly and Buveur d’Air.
Check out our Champion Hurdle tips for the 2023 edition, as our top tipsters make their recommendations as to who may be the next one grabbing the glory.
Bet £10 Get £30 in FREE BETS
Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets
Champion Hurdle Review – Honeysuckle Too Good
As for last year’s renewal of the Champion Hurdle Honeysuckle proved once again too good as the incredible mare ran out a comfortable winner.
An 8/11 favourite for trainer Henry de Bromhead, Honeysuckle had most of her rivals off the bridle on the turn as she turned in another huge performance to go back-to-back in the feature race on the opening day.
2023 Champion Hurdle Prize Money
The 2021 Prize money stood at £337,500, and the winnings for Honeysuckle was £189,911. The purse for the 2023 Champion Hurdle renewal will not be known until closer to the start of the Festival’s opening day.
Champion Hurdle Jockey Overview
Interestingly for Champion Hurdle betting tips, the jockey factor isn’t quite as significant as one would expect it to be. Since the turn of the century, Ruby Walsh, Barry Geraghty and Noel Fehily were the dominant riders.
Those three have all retired, leaving just two active riders who have claimed the Champion Hurdle top prize in the last 20 editions. One of those was last year’s winner Rachael Blackmore, and the other was 2019 winner Mark Walsh on Espoir d’Allen.
Champion Hurdle Trainer Overview
The winning Champion Hurdle trainer offers a little more coverage for racing trends. The dominant two have been Nicky Henderson and Willie Mullins in the last 20 renewals of the Cheltenham Festival feature race.
Henderson has seen five of his charges come home, with Mullins having had four winners in the big Grade 1 contest. No other trainer in that span has produced more than one winner other than Henry De Bromhead (Honeysuckle 2021,2022), which for Champion Hurdle betting 2023 highlights the presence and threat from the entries of Henderson and Mullins.
Bet £10 Get £30 in FREE BETS
Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets
2023 Champion Hurdle Preview
Constitution Hill has been the ante-post favourite for the 2023 Champion Hurdle since he demolished the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle field at last year’s Festival.
He has only got shorter in the betting as we have got closer to this year’s event. He has made light work of both assignments winning grade 1 events at both Newcastle and Kempton by a combined 29 lengths.
For many punters he is the ‘banker’ of the week and will be in all of the Cheltenham accumulator bets no doubt.
There will be some smart horses planning on making it a contest however, with Willie Mullins aiming State Man at the Day 1 feature. There’s a good chance that Honeysuckle, the winner over the past two seasons, will also be lining up.
The Other Races on Day 1 Of The Cheltenham Festival
The 2023 Champion Hurdle is just one of seven races that make up a tremendous racecard on Day One of the Cheltenham Festival. The feature race is one of four Grade 1 fixtures to come on Tuesday.
As we move closer to the Festival’s opening day, our Cheltenham racing tips will be available for all races across the four days.
For now, we take a preview of the rest of Cheltenham Day One races:
The Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Race
The Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ is the curtain-raiser to the Festival and one of the most eagerly anticipated fixtures on the National Hunt calendar. The Supreme Novices is a 2m 1/2f hurdles challenge.
Last year’s winner of the Supreme Novices’ was Constitution Hill, who didn’t just beat the field – he obliterated it. Nicky Henderson’s rising star is now odds-on favourite to win the Champion Hurdle on Day One of Cheltenham this year.
Supreme Novices tips for 2023 will be looking deeper into the field, as again the race features some top novices who could be back in the future for bigger Cheltenham Festival affairs.
The 2023 renewal has strong favourite Facile Vega at the top of the market, the winner of the Champion Bumper last year. He was surprisingly defeated at Leopardstown last time by stable companion Il Etait Temps who could be one of his biggest dangers on Tuesday.
Bet £10 Get £30 in FREE BETS
Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets
The Sporting Life Arkle Challenge Trophy Steeple Chase
The Arkle is also a Grade 1 fixture for the Cheltenham Festival Day One over a distance of about 2m. This is a contest for the novice chasers, and it is the top fixture of its kind over the distance in the National Hunt season.
Last year’s race was won by Alan King’s Edwardstone who is now vying for favouritism for the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Day 2. Nicky Henderson has a great record in the Arkle and is represented by Jonbon. His main market rival is El Fabiolo who won the Irish Arkle at Leopardstown in fine style.
The Ultima Handicap Steeple Chase
The Ultima is a Grade 3 handicap chase at a distance of 3m 1ft which was won in dramatic fashion by Corach Rambler last year. Lucinda Russell’s gelding came from the back of the field to hit the front inside the final 100 yards. His main target is the Aintree Grand National but he is weighted to go close as he attempts a repeat victory.
Another entry to catch the eye is Into Overdrive, the winner of the Rowland Meyrick Chase at Wetherby on Boxing Day. The form has been boosted by runner-up Sounds Russian who finished second in the Grade 2 Cotswold Chase next time.
Bet £10 Get £30 in FREE BETS
Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets
The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle Race
After the running of the 2023 Champion Hurdle, the next race up will be the Mares’ Hurdle – a Grade 3 contest over a distance of 2m 4f or thereabouts.
This is a relatively new event at the Cheltenham Festival but its profile was immediately raised thanks to Quevega who won it for a record six straight years. It stands as one of the most incredible Cheltenham Festival winning streaks ever. Marie’s Rock ran out a superb winner last year for Nicky Henderson to give the British contingent something to smile about.
This year’s renewal looks set to feature dual Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle who will be making her final racecourse appearance. She won’t have it all her own way with Nicky Henderson supplementing 2020 Champion Hurdle winner Epatante.
The Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
Brazil denied well-backed favourite Gaelic Warrior in 2022 in a thrilling finish up the Cheltenham hill. It leaves Band Of Outlaws (2019) as the only winning favourite in this race in the past twelve seasons. 2021 winner Jeff Kidder returned at 80-1 in a race which has consistently produced shock results.
This year’s renewal is still wide open in the betting with Tekao the market favourite currently at 4/1. The Rated Novice Hurdle at Naas in February has produced three of the last four Boodles winners. Sir Allen defeated Morning Soldier and Byker last month and all three could line up again here.
The National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Steeple Chase
Day One of Cheltenham 2023 draws to a close with the Grade 2 National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Chase, run over a gruelling 3m 6f trip. The runners face 23 fences on a massive stamina test with Stattler having won last year’s renewal for Willie Mullins.
Gaillard Du Mesnil represents the all-conquering Mullins stable this year after some consistent efforts against top class opposition. Gordon Elliott’s Chemical Energy hacked up at Cheltenham in October but looked rusty when finishing a well-beaten fourth at Naas last time.
We Got You Covered For Each Day of The Cheltenham Festival
Day One, which is Champions Day, is just the opening act of the Cheltenham Festival 2023. There are three other fantastic days of racing lined up.
Here are the feature races of each of the other days:
- Cheltenham Festival Day 2 – It’s Ladies Day featuring the Queen Mother Champion Chase
- Cheltenham Festival Day 3 – Thursday is St Patrick’s Day featuring the Ryanair and Stayers’ Hurdle
- Cheltenham Festival Day 4 – It’s the big one – Cheltenham Gold Cup Day
Tuesday’s Results
TIME | RACE | RESULTS |
13:30 | Supreme Novices | See Result |
14:10 | The Arkle | See Result |
14:50 | Ultima Handicap Chase | See Result |
15:30 | Champion Hurdle | See Result |
16:10 | Mares’ Hurdle | See Result |
16:50 | Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | See Result |
17:30 | National Hunt Chase | See Result |