Cheltenham Festival 2025 LIVE: Tips and results from Day One as bookies breathe a sigh of

When asked for tips, the boxer offers this pearl:

Got a horse tomorrow, Ballyburn. Put your house on it!

ITV Racing are quickly prompted to remind you, as I will now – do not do that. Bet responsibly.

The wonders of live television. For what it’s worth, last year’s Novices’ Hurdle winner is a great prospect in tomorrow’s Novices’ Chase.

Our first handicap of the Festival is primed to get underway, with the pack led to the finish line. Certainly enough runners – they’re packed tightly with just moments before we get going.

Katate Dori – Dylan Johnston – 13/2

Broadway Boy – Sam Twiston-Davies – 10/1

The Changing Man – Brendan Powell – 11/2

Crebilly – Jonjo O’Neill Jr – 8/1

Myretown – Patrick Wadge – 7/1

Henrys Friend – Ben Jones – 12/1

Whistle Stop Tour – Derek Fox – 10/1

The Short Go – Rachael Blackmore – 11/1

Sequestered – Jack G. Gilligan – 16/1

Malina Girl – Keith Donoghue – 14/1

Famous Bridge – Sean Quinlan – 16/1

Grandeur Dame – Tom Cannon – 25/1

Victorrino – Charlie Deutsch – 20/1

King Turgeon – Jack Tudor – 25/1

Stay Away Fay – Harry Cobden – 20/1

Search For Glory – Sam Ewing – 33/1

Happygolucky – Jonathan Burke – 28/1

Zanahiyr – Carl Millar – 25/1

Trelawne – Tom Bellamy – 30/1

Richmond Lake – Brian Hughes – 30/1

Straw Fan Jack – Sean Houlihan – 35/1

Farouk D’Alene – Richie McLernon – 100/1

Guard Your Dreams – Kielan Woods – 40/1

Frero Banbou – Ned Fox – 50/1

Odds courtesy of Paddy Power correct at the time of publication

A little liquid courage ahead of watching Consitution Hill’s return too, perhaps.

He’s never been as fast as when he came up the hill. He’s never been so fast in his life.

Stamina was always going to be there, he’s only a young horse, but he’s very brave to take off like that. Flew the last. The girls were pretty convinced he’d passed the lot!

1. Jango Baie
2. Only By Night
3. Majborough

Sir Alex Ferguson’s third act has involved impressive success as an owner, and after a number of splashy wins last year, the Man United legend is back for more.

His L’eau Du Sud wasn’t able to claim anything in the Arkle, however.

As Nicky Henderson makes it one for Britain, one for Ireland after the opening two races.

Not sure there was any stage the hosts were level with the visitors last year. Reasons to be cheerful for the home contingent.

It all sort of fell into my lap after jumping the last. I thought, oh gosh, we could be in for a squeak here.

He’s pinged the last, and then i thought he’s got a squeak here.

That was the worst timing imaginable for Majborough, who struggled with the landing on the penultimate fence. Despite giving it his all, he loses ground to the only mare in the race Only By Night, but the pack closes in and a winner could be anyone here – until Jango Baie sneaks through the middle to claim the ultimate prize!

What a twist. He came from nowhere…

But Majborough is jumping more cleanly after coming down the hill. Can he be caught with two fences to go?

Rounding the corner, Majborough’s stride is looking strong, but loses the back end ahead of the final fence!

Sitting neatly on the inside as they head for the first of the open ditches, while former leader Jango Baie trails the back of the chasers.

L’eau Du Sud heads forward with three fences to go, and could yet improve after Majborough struggles with that leap before heading up the hill.

Only By Night the backmarker, with Majborough, who is fantastically strong to look at, stays close before dropping down to third ahead of the third.

Touch Me Not heads forward into the lead over the fourth, before the pack round the bend heading away from the concourse.

Just moments before the Arkle is underway. Nico de Boinville and Keith Donoghue bring L’eau du Sud and Only By Night respectively to look at the first fence, before being followed by Majborough.

… with just 10 minutes to go before the second race of the day. He’s wearing earplugs to block out the noise.

The favourite was scratched from the race in February, leaving ample room for last year’s Triumph Hurdle winner Majborough to step up.

The Mullins-trained five-year-old is aiming to be the first Arkle winner for nearly 20 years. And if he can do… the bookies’ certainly won’t be smiling with two races run.

Majborough – M.P Walsh – 4/9

L’eau Du Sud – Harry Skelton – 9/2

Jango Baie – Nico de Boinville – 11/2

Touch Me Not – J.W Kennegy – 16/1

Only By Night – Keither Donoghue – 22/1

Odds courtesy of Paddy Power correct at the time of publication

A meaningful opening win on opening day. The Mullins team and Charlie McCarthy picked up the trophy from O’Sullivan’s uncle, Eugene, in another poignant moment.

There’s a well-trodden path of footballers and their managers making their way through the Cheltenham gates, and just some of the famous faces on day one include Jordan Pickford, Jonny Evans, and John O’Shea.

After an emotional start to the Festival, who could argue with this from Mail Sport columnist Ed Chamberlin?

Read more on the specific magic that hangs in the air at Prestbury Park, below.

Perfect start, got in a lovely position, good gallop early.

I was in front sooner than I wanted to be. He’s relatively inexperienced, saw the crowd, even in the hood (and was unnerved).

When asked about Michael O’Sullivan, however, Mullins can’t get the words out, his voice cracking before he can answer.

Returning to firmer ground with Kopek Des Bordes, he adds:

He’s not the finished article. Hopefully he can keep improving.

I don’t want to cry for you, but i can tell you one thing. I’m on cloud nine, is there a bigger cloud?

After everything i’ve been through, it is a dream come true, and the dream isn’t finished yet.

He’s over the final hurdle with a thump but no one can touch him now – the favourite breezes past the post to beat scrappy second William Munny.

The crowd are absolutely delighted with their banker. What a start for Willie Mullins. Business as usual…

Workahead ceded the ground with little irritation, but Kopek Des Bordes is still in touch in second.

Heading over the penultimate hurdle, Kopek Des Bordes cruises past Romeo Coolio… and is in the lead with two lengths to go!

All over number two, followed by backmarker Tutti Quanti. Kopek Des Bordes is keeping watch in third, with six hurdles to go.

They turn up the gas a little over flight number three, but Tutti Quanti trails off, losing the chasing pack.

Those three in front, Workahead, Romeo Coolio, and Kopek Des Bordes have some distance too.

Hear the famous roar from the grandstand as the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle runners take off for the Festival opener. There’s little like it.

All 11 are off safely, including Salvator Mundi – who would have likely been ridden by Michael O’Sullivan – had tragedy not struck.

Romeo Coolio leads the pack, with Kopek Des Bordes not holding back at the start. He sits at the front of the bunched group, with Workahead moving forward as the front runner.

Likely for tack adjustments, but we’ll keep you informed as the rest of the horses head down to the start.

Just moments to go until the opening race of the Festival!

… and Kopek Des Bordes is looking in fine fettle.

His owner, Charlie McCarthy, is understandably almost overwhelmed by emotion as he shares with ITV Racing how his horse has helped him through his battle with cancer:

He’s a decent horse, win, lose or draw, we celebrate it.

I had my right kidney removed on February 26. But he kept me going. Through all of it.

We’re having a fantastic time with him. This is a dream come true.

To say that anticipation about Constitution Hill’s return to Cheltenham is reaching fever pitch is an understatement.

To further your interest, why not take a look at his resurrection – just a year on from disappointment, even Nicky Henderson can’t keep a lid on his excitement.

After a touching video showing his own Supreme Novices’ Hurdle triumph with Marine Nationale, the racecourse stands in silence to applaud his memory.

Jockeys will also be wearing red and white armbands today, the colour of his county, Cork, in Ireland.

The jockeys in the paddock pause for a minute’s silence in honour of Michael O’Sullivan ahead of today’s races.

A sobering reminder of the risks – however rare – jockeys face in their profession.

Ultimate betting guide – with a name like that, how could you resist?

If somebody told you he’d have 103 winners, you’d think they need their head looking at!

So says AP McCoy on ITV Racing, but Willie Mullins has only gone and done it – the King of Cheltenham got his century of winners last year with some spare, and is only likely to add more to his tally this week.

In the Champion Hurdle, he has last year’s winner State Man and Winter Fog – but there’s no Lossiemouth, after last year’s winner of the Mares’ Hurdle was switched late on to return to that race, despite being tipped for today’s showpiece.

Kopek Des Bordes – P Townend – 8/11

Romeo Coolio – J.W Kennedy – 11/2

William Munny – Sean Flanagan – 13/2

Workahead – Rachael Blackmore – 13/2

Irancy – M.P Walsh – 14/1

Salvator Mundi – P.W Mullins – 16/1

Karbau – S.F O’Keefe – 40/1

Karniquet – D.E Mullins – 35/1

Sky Lord – D.J O’Keefe – 50/1

Funiculi Funicula – B Hayes – 66/1

Tutti Quanti – Harry Cobden – 100/1

Non-runner: Tripoli Flyer

Odds courtesy of Paddy Power correct at the time of publication

The 24-year-old Irish jockey died last month after a tragic accident mid-race, and with the racing world in mourning, the decision was taken to rename the first race – the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – for the young talent.

Mail Sport’s DOMINIC KING paid tribute to the jockey in his thoughtful obituary – you should read this, below.

Not already a subscriber to Mail+? Tsk, tsk – you’ll miss DOMINIC KING on the inside scoop from inside the paddock every week.

And this week’s Cheltenham edition is a doozy. You can find out for yourselves, below.

Last year saw Willie Mullins-trained State Man claim ultimate honours in the Champion Hurdle after seeing off competition in gritty, unflashy style one year on from coming a far-off second to the towering Constitution Hill.

Then absent from the field, Constitution Hill is of course back, like all the best protagonists, to reclaim the top prize. But having tasted victory, could State Man pull off an upset and do so again?

The eight-year-old comes into the race off a strong win at the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown last month.

And he certainly looked in high spirits last night…

That’s what the crack meterologists think – after yesterday’s showers, it looks like it will be dry at Prestbury Park all the way through until the final race of the day.

After last year’s torrents saw such extreme conditions one race was even postponed, that’s a hearty relief.

Pondering your selections for day one? Why not pick the brains of some of the sport’s finest, including Ruby Walsh and jockey Harry Cobden, as they run through their tips for each of the day’s races.

Ahead of this afternoon’s first race, Paul Scholes has tipped Kopek Des Bordes to take the spoils in the 2m hurdle, to the tune of a stake worth £2,500.

The Willie Mullins-trained prospect was a bumper debutant last season, but shone at the Tattersall Ireland Novice Hurdle last month – much like former winners of this race Samcro, Appreciate It, Sir Gerhard – and last year’s runaway winner Ballyburn.

Continuous improvement of the sport’s horse welfare remains paramount to its organisers, and this year, there’s fresh innovation in Gloucestershire.

For more information, have a read through our report, below.

Nicky Henderson’s Cheltenham Curse rolls on – after a number of high profile withdrawals last year, the yard has suffered the ‘dreadful news’ this morning that Triumph Hurdle hopeful Palladium got cast last night.

‘We have had quite a blow this morning when it appears that Palladium had got cast overnight and is quite sore this morning and we really can’t see how he can be fit to run in the JCB Triumph Hurdle,’ Henderson’s team wrote on X.

‘This is dreadful news and an unfair shock for the Bamford family as we seriously thought we had an outstanding chance on Friday. We are confident he will soon be able to resume training but he will require a few easy days.

‘He would be back in time for Aintree but I think in all probability he will now return to his flat career. He is a very good looking and talented young horse with a great temperament and he has a really bright future under both codes.’

Are the bookies due a bad day at the office in the opening stages of the week? Punters certainly seem to think so, with over 85,000 of them hoping that Paddy Power’s most popular accumulator pays off after the dust has settled on the first five races.

Favourites Kopek Des Bordes, Majborough, Lossiemouth, and Constitution Hill’s travails could lead to the bookie paying out a staggering eight-figure sum, in one of the biggest multiples in Cheltenham’s history.

The number of backers is also only set to rise – Paddy Power suggests it could be up to 250,000 by the time the starters line up at 1.20pm.

Odds courtesy of Paddy Power correct at the time of publication

Without further ado, here’s this year’s inaugural Cheltenham Breakfast – your guide by Mail Sport’s racing expert DOMINIC KING on all things Prestbury Park, served up every morning ahead of the day’s action.

Why not take a leaf through, below.

Ready for his close-up, it’s Nicky Henderson-trained Constitution Hill.

The eight-year-old claimed ultimate honours in the Champion Hurdle in 2023 and was widely tipped to make it two-in-two last year before disaster struck on the eve of the Festival, with an unsatisfactory blood sample coming on the heels of a shaky performance in training.

But Henderson has been pleased as punch to tell punters that his Champion Hurdle is back in rip-roaring form.

See for yourselves, below.

There’s no keeping a blue-blood from a racecourse, and keen equestrian – and Olympian – Zara Tindall is no different, back this year at the Festival after taking in a number of days in 2024’s iteration.

Tindall appears to have left behind her husband, former England rugby star Mike, mid-paper round: the ex-professional was snapped at Paddington Station greeting pundits Cheltenham-bound with special edition copies of Sporting Life.

… look no further – legendary jocket and racing pundit Ruby Walsh is here to provide his A to Z. In other words, taking you from Arkle Chase to… well, why not find out below?

To ensure you don’t miss a minute, here’s an overview of today’s race card. It’s Champions Day, named the day’s standout race, the Champion Hurdle at 4pm.

1.20pm Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

2.00pm Arkle Novices’ Chase

2.40pm Ultima Handicap Chase

3.20pm Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle Race

4.00pm Unibet Champion Hurdle

4.40pm Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

5.20pm Princess Royal National Hunt Novices’ Chase

Don’t even think of picking your favourites without it – Jon Pullin, Cheltenham’s Clerk of the Course at Prestbury Park, is here to update us that the going ahead of the start of the race will be good to soft after 3.5mm rain yesterday afternoon and into the evening.

Good morning and welcome to Mail Sport’s live coverage of Cheltenham Festival – in all its glorious entirety – with the start of day one just hours away.

Ahead of the start of National Hunt’s racing showpiece event, capped off by Friday’s jewel in the crown, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, there’s just enough time to ponder some of the most anticipated questions in the sport: can Constitution Hill claw back his Champion Hurdle title after missing last year’s race? Can Galopin Des Champs make it back-to-back-to-back Gold Cup wins? Will the Willie Mullins machine ever so signs of slowing? And can Britain ever wrestle back control of the Prestbury Cup…

There’s just under two hours to go until curtain-up on the first race, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, and I can already hear the stirrings of the roar – shall we get underway?