Cheltenham Favourites 2025
The Cheltenham favourites are invariably the most popular horses throughout the Festival, so it’s worth getting familiar with the likely contenders. They’re likely to be the centrepiece of most betting sites’ betting offers, so it’s good to know which to look out for and which to avoid.
Cheltenham Gold Cup favourites
Cheltenham favourites are often based on the good form they bring, the best jockeys and trainers, recent trial races and having good winning past form at the Cheltenham Festival.
2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup odds and runners
Below we’ll keep a close how on how the odds of the Cheltenham Gold Cup favourites fluctuate in the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival’s biggest race.
The Christmas period saw a significant amount of movement in the Cheltenham Gold Cup odds, as Galopin Des Champs solidified his position as Gold Cup favourite by winning the Savills Chase in Leopardstown. Fastorslow’s no-show in the King George. Fact To File is still rated as Galopin Des Champs’ main rival for Cheltenham, despite being beaten in the Savills by 7½ lengths, whilst Banbridge is a new addition to the market after coming out on top in the King George on Boxing Day.
| Gold Cup runners | Odds on 20 Nov | Odds on 31 Dec |
|---|---|---|
| Galopin Des Champs | 7/2 | 6/4 |
| Fact To File | 4/1 | 4/1 |
| Gerri Colombe | 16/1 | 16/1 |
| Montys Star | 25/1 | 20/1 |
| Spillanes Tower | 25/1 | 33/1 |
| Banbridge | – | 33/1 |
| Grey Dawning | 16/1 | 33/1 |
| Corbetts Cross | 25/1 | 40/1 |
| Inothewayurthinkin | 16/1 | 50/1 |
| I Am Maximus | 25/1 | 66/1 |
Cheltenham Festival favourites
Find the Cheltenham favourites for all the biggest races of Cheltenham Festival 2025.
Cheltenham favourites 2025
| Day | Races | Cheltenham Favourites | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Supreme Novices | Salvator Mundi | 10/1 |
| 1 | Champion Hurdle | Constitution Hill | 8/11 |
| 2 | Coral Cup | Hamsiyann | 10/1 |
| 2 | Champion Chase | Jonbon | 9/4 |
| 3 | Stayers’ Hurdle | Teahupoo | 7/4 |
| 4 | Gold Cup | Galopin Des Champs | 6/4 |
*Odds subject to change and correct at 6pm on 31st December 2024.
Cheltenham Festival betting guide 2025
Many horses are returning for another crack at the Cheltenham Festival in 2025, and we often see previous winners heading up the ante post market. One of the Gold Cup favourites, Galopin Des Champs, is a two-time champion. Gerri Colombe, who came home in second in last year’s race, also features in the 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup betting.
2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup results
| Gold Cup Results | Gold Cup Runners | SP |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Galopin Des Champs | 10/11 fav |
| 2nd | Gerri Colombe | 13/2 |
| 3rd | Corach Rambler | 14/1 |
| 4th | L’Homme Presse | 16/1 |
| 5th | Bravemansgame | 14/1 |
Top Cheltenham 2025 Races
There are several feature races held over the four day Cheltenham Festival.
Day 1 – Champion Hurdle 2025
The championship race on day one of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival is the two-mile Champion Hurdle. Constitution Hill was forced to miss out in 2024 after undergoing wind surgery, but victory in Kempton’s Christmas Hurdle, ahead of Lossiemouth, solidified the 8 year old’s position as Champion Hurdle favourite this March.
Based on the average ante post odds, our table below gives you an idea of the perceived percentage chance the current top five have of winning the 2025 Champion Hurdle.
| Champion Hurdle Runners | Winning Chance |
|---|---|
| Constitution Hill | 57% |
| Brighterdaysahead | 16% |
| Lossiemouth | 12% |
| State Man | 8% |
| Anzadam | 7% |
Implied probability based on best odds on 2nd January 2025. Percentages may add up to more than 100% due to bookmakers’ margin.
Champion Hurdle 2024 Winner – State Man
Heavy favourite State Man romped home to land for favourite backers. The absence of his most significant rival, Constitution Hill, will lessen his victory for some. However, a Cheltenham Festival win is a massive achievement regardless of the circumstances.
Day 2 – Champion Chase 2025
The Champion Chase, a top Grade 1 contest, features the best two-mile chasers in the business. El Fabiolo is expected to have another go in March, but it’s Jonbon that looks the one to beat, having won at the Cheltenham November Meeting and again at Sandown in the Tingle Creek.
| Champion Chase Runners | Winning Chance |
|---|---|
| El Jonbon | 30% |
| Energumene | 16% |
| Gaelic Warrior | 16% |
| El Fabiolo | 10% |
Implied probability based on best odds on 2nd January 2025. Percentages may add up to more than 100% due to bookmakers’ margin.
Champion Chase 2024 Winner – Captain Guinness
Staged on Cheltenham’s Old Course, this race really is a speed test and was won in 2024 by Captain Guinness, after odds-on favourite El Fabiolo came up well short of pre-race expectations.
Day 3 – Ryanair Chase 2025
Day three’s most valuable race, if not the feature event, is the 2½-mile Grade 1 Ryanair Chase. Also known as the Festival Trophy, this event has raised its profile gradually over the years to become one of the most important races on the National Hunt calendar.
There’s currently uncertainty over exactly which horses will come forward for the Ryanair Chase in March. Some Grand National contenders, including Spillane’s Tower, are thought to be in the reckoning, but it’s Banbridge that finds himself as Ryanair Chase favourite, after taking the King George ahead of Il Est Francais. The Ryanair odds would be given a major overhaul if the likes of Jonbon and Il Est Francais are eventually added into the mix too.
| Ryanair Chase Runners | Winning Chance |
|---|---|
| Banbridge | 14% |
| Fact To File | 13% |
| Gaelic Warrior | 12% |
| El Fabiolo | 11% |
Implied probability based on best odds on 2nd January 2025. Percentages may add up to more than 100% due to bookmakers’ margin.
Ryanair Chase 2024 Winner – Protektorat
Favourite Envoi Allen and eventual winner Protektorat pulled clear of the rest of the field at the last fence. After a competitive battle, Harry Skelton’s mount found more, winning by around three lengths.
Day 3 – Stayers’ Hurdle 2025
Thursday’s championship event is the Stayers’ Hurdle, a three-mile slog around the New Course. Teahupoo is favourite to win the race once again, though his rivals are unclear at present, with doubts over Ballyburn in particular.
Grand National watchers will also have an eye on I Am Maximus, as the 2024 Grand National winner completes what will be his final race before heading back to Aintree to defend his crown.
| Stayers’ Hurdle Runners | Winning Chance |
|---|---|
| Teahupoo | 36% |
| Ballyburn | 11% |
| Home by the Lee | 9% |
| Lossiemouth | 6% |
| Crambo | 6% |
| Lucky Place | 6% |
| I Am Maximus | 5% |
Implied probability based on best odds on 2nd January 2025. Percentages may add up to more than 100% due to bookmakers’ margin.
Stayers Hurdle 2024 Winner – Teahupoo
Teahupoo proved to be the class of the field in the Stayer Hurdle. He travelled well throughout and pulled clear from Flooring Porter when Jack Kennedy asked him to go and win.
Day 4 – Gold Cup 2024
This is the big one. The Cheltenham Gold Cup staged on the final day of the meeting, is the sport’s ‘Blue Riband’ event. Run over 3¼ miles of the New Course, the Gold Cup really takes some getting with only the very best able to conquer it down the years.
Galopin Des Champs certainly justified favouritism in both 2023 and 2024, and he heads the Cheltenham Gold Cup ante post market once again.
| Gold Cup Runners | Gold Cup Betting Odds | % Chance of Winning |
|---|---|---|
| Galopin Des Champs | 6/4 | 40% |
| Fact to File | 4/1 | 20% |
| Gerri Colombe | 16/1 | 6% |
| Monty’s Star | 25/1 | 4% |
| Spillane’s Tower | 33/1 | 3% |
Implied probability based on best odds on 2nd January 2025. Percentages may add up to more than 100% due to bookmakers’ margin.
Cheltenham Gold Cup 2024 Winner – Galopin Des Champs
The heavy favourite, Galopin Des Champs, justified his short price by capturing his second consecutive Gold Cup relatively easily. Grand National 2023 winner Corach Rambler stayed on strongly to finish third, a very positive sign for his chances at Aintree.
Cheltenham Favourites 2025 – Ante-Post betting guide
One of the Cheltenham’s perks is ante-post betting on the major championship races – this is when you can bet on the Cheltenham Festival races way in advance of the meeting.
As soon as the Festival is over there is betting on the races for the next Cheltenham Festival. Betting sites like Paddy Power and Betfair issue ante-post betting for races like the Festival’s Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase.
Nearer the time, most of the races will have betting available and these markets change all the time based on how horses are performing in the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival.
Non-Runner, No Bet
In the weeks before the Cheltenham Festival most of the main betting sites like Paddy Power, William Hill, Coral and bet365 will make their ante-post Cheltenham markets ‘Non-Runner, No Bet’ – this means that if your Cheltenham bet (horse) doesn’t run you will get your money back – it will be classed as a non-runner.
Ante-post betting can be fraught with danger because if the backed horse is withdrawn before the day of the race all stakes are lost. In the weeks leading up to the Festival, some bookmakers offer the concession of non-runner/no bet.
This means if a horse is taken out of the race before race day it counts as a non-runner. Bookmakers refund all the placed stakes on the horse. In placing ante-post bets on Cheltenham favourites you should identify which bookmaker offers non-runner/no bet for all 28 races at the festival.
Initially, the offer might only apply to the feature race on each of the four days of the festival but nearer the time will be extended to cover all the races. Operators like Paddy Power and Betfair will offer extra places and odds boosts on winners at Cheltenham.
Cheltenham Festival: Horse Racing – Cheltenham Festival – Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Britain – March 12, 2019 Jeremiah McGrath on Beware The Bear celebrates winning the 2:50 Ultima Handicap Chase REUTERS/Eddie Keogh/Ritzau Scanpix
Live Cheltenham betting
Paddy Power and bet365 are two of the biggest UK bookmakers and each operator offers live betting on Cheltenham favourites. Customers can bet on the winner of a race at the festival once the race has begun. Prices are updated as the race develops and betting is available until the outcome is obvious.
Some operators offer place only betting and others will accept each-way betting for live races which are often Cheltenham favourites.
Live streaming is available with several UK online bookmakers, but customers must place a bet to gain access to this service. There is also a cash-out option with Cheltenham favourites which means customers cash close bets before expiry to guarantee a profit or limit a loss.
Cheltenham betting offers 2025
Most bookmakers will have extra Cheltenham Festival offers in the weeks leading up to the event – these can include faller insurance and extra place offers so it’s always best to shop around and find the best Cheltenham offers.
The welcome offers are generally matched deposit and bet bonuses. Any bonus funds can be used for betting on winners at Cheltenham. Each welcome offer is available when the Terms & Conditions are followed completely.
Check out the Cheltenham 2025 betting offers here.
Cheltenham favourites summary
The festival is huge for betting and all the major bookmakers offer ante-post betting for the winners at Cheltenham. Customers can place win and each-way bets on races at the Festival and some bookmakers offer enhanced odds.
Non-runner/no bet is a popular concession during the few weeks before Cheltenham. It is easily the biggest betting meeting of the year with opportunities to enjoy welcome offers and place bets on Cheltenham favourites.
*All odds subject to change.
Cheltenham Festival Favourites FAQs
How many favourites win at Cheltenham Festival?
Over the past five meetings there have been 45 winning favourites from 149 total races at the Cheltenham Festival. The exact number of winning SP favourites varies from year to year.
What percentage of favourites win at the Cheltenham Festival?
Using the data from the last five years, 32.1% of horses that were the SP favourite at the Cheltenham Festival won. This result correlates closely with the well-established belief among horse racing fans that roughly 1 in 3 SP favourites go on to win.
Who is the heaviest favourite at Cheltenham?
The heaviest favourites at this year’s Cheltenham Festival are Sir Gino in the Arkle and Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle. Both are odds-on, so bookmakers will be facing an expensive first day payout if the double comes in.
Who is favourite to win the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle?
Constitution Hill is now the odds-on favourite for Tuesday’s Cheltenham Champion Hurdle. The Nicky Henderson trained superstar was forced to miss Cheltenham 2024 due to illness so would prove a popular winner.
Who is favourite to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
Galopin Des Champs is a strong favourite for this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup. The Willie Mullins star won the race at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, as well as the Irish Gold Cup in 2023 and 2024.
What is the most popular race at Cheltenham?
The Gold Cup is undoubtedly the headline contest of the Cheltenham Festival. The majority of racing fans recognise it as the most prestigious race at the year’s most significant jumps meeting. While the Cheltenham Gold Cup is a highlight, there’s elite action to enjoy throughout the card on all four days.
Who is the leading jockey at Cheltenham Festival?
Champion Jump Jockey Paul Townend has won the Leading Jockey title at the Cheltenham Festival in four of the last five years. His total of 6 winning runs in 2024 put him head and shoulders above his nearest rival. Townend’s haul included winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Galopin Des Champs and the Champion Hurdle on State Man. Given the quality of his potential rides, he has a solid chance of retaining the title at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.
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