With the Cheltenham Festival just around the corner, there is no better place to be than OddsMonkey to get a preview of the different days throughout the festival, as we are going to be looking at each day individually! In this piece, we will look through the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival and what different races take place across the day. Not only looking at the races but also at the past winner of the race, how long the race is, how many runners usually take part in the race and some particularly interesting horses to look out for during the race, alongside the favourite this year.
Cheltenham Festival Day 1 Overview
The first race of Cheltenham Festival 2025 takes place on Tuesday, the 11th of March, and the first day is named ‘Champion Day’. The names of the days are a tradition which does not change annually, and there are seven races that are scheduled for day one of the Cheltenham Festival. It is typical for the most important or most notable races to take place around 16:00 (GMT). This is the case for the first day as The Unibet Champion Hurdle takes place at this time, and this is a 2-mile Grade 1 race. These are the scheduled races which are set to take place throughout Cheltenham Festival day one:
- Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Race
- My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase
- The Ultima Handicap Chase
- Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle Race
- Unibet Champion Hurdle
- The Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race
- The National Hunt Novices’ Chase
If you are not sure about some of the terminology we have used so far, we have a horse racing betting guide that can clue you in on everything about horse racing.
Cheltenham Festival Day 1 Races
Here, we will go through each of the different races that are set to take place across day one and some of the different odds that each horse will be placed at. With these odds available, users can look to make the most of Cheltenham betting offers!
13:20 – Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Race (Hurdle)
With a distance of 2 miles, the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Race kicks off the Cheltenham Festival with a bang as this event is a 2-mile race with 8 hurdles in total. Last year, Slade Steel was able to come out victorious, with Rachael Blackmore adding another win to her highly successful jockey career. This year, we turn our heads to Kopek Des Bordes, who is Evens to win the race, whilst Romeo Coolio and Salvator Mundi are both decent shouts at 6/1 each.
14:00 – My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase (Chase)
Being slightly shorter than the race before, this race takes place across 1.7 miles yet offers 13 hurdles throughout the race! With 15 runners, the smaller field makes for fewer betting options. In 2024, Gaelic Warrior was able to win the race at the age of 6, whilst in 2025, Majborough is expected to take the win at odds of 8/13. L’Eau Du Sud looks to be the second favourite at 5/1, whilst tipsters seem to see the value in Firefox at odds 18/1. By looking for value, users can make the most of value betting, which is a betting strategy used by many horse racing enthusiasts.
14:40 The Ultima Handicap Chase (Chase)
The longest race so far and the second longest of the day, this race takes place across 3 miles with 20 fences being in play. The race is only open to horses aged five years or older, and it is a handicap race. With Chianti Classico winning the 2024 edition, the odds are spread quite evenly here, with Masaccio being the favourite at 7/1! Sitting close behind him are options The Changing Man and Johnnywho, which are both set at 8/1.
15:20 – Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle Race (Hurdle)
Lossiemouth was the victor in the 2024 edition of this race, whilst, in the 2025 festival, Brighterdaysahead looks to be the favourite with odds of 2/1, whilst JAde De Grugy is placed 11/4 in second favourite. This race takes place over 2 miles, with 10 hurdles and 23 runners taking part.
16:00 – Unibet Champion Hurdle (Hurdle)
Being the most notable race of the day, the Champion Hurdle only features 10 runners and 8 hurdles! Being a firm favourite as a previous winner before, Constitution Hill looks to win the Champion Hurdle once again, whilst tipsters are looking at the value of State Man at 4/1, as he was the winner of the race last year in 2024. For those who are not sure about the different ways to bet on the Cheltenham Festival, we have a detailed Cheltenham Festival Matched Betting Guide, which is full of tips.
16:40 – The Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race (Hurdle)
Only open to horses under the age of four, the race is a 2-mile race where 8 hurdles must be jumped in total. With a whopping 47 runners, the favourite seems to be Stencil, who is placed at 9/2, whilst Total Look sits as the second favourite at 6/1. The last winner was Lark In The Mornin, who was placed on 9/1.
17:20 – The National Hunt Novices’ Chase (Chase)
Being the last and longest race of the day, this long, challenging race requires 23 hurdles to be jumped in total. With Corbetts Cross winning in the 2024 event, the favourite for this race is currently Now Is The Hour, whilst Captain Cody is catching some attention whilst being at 9/1.
To conclude, there is a huge range of different and interesting races throughout the first day of the Cheltenham Festival, setting the event up for another memorable year. If users are looking for the best ways to make the most of the Cheltenham Festival, we have a Cheltenham Festival Profit guide that also includes a horse racing matched betting guide for those who are new to the sport. OddsMonkey has different tips and guides for all horse racing fans!
We also have day specific guides, such as our Cheltenham Festival day 2 guide and our Cheltenham Festival day 3 guide.
