Delve into key Cheltenham Day 1 trends and stats. With these Day 1 trends to hand, you can be prepared to pick a horse for the 2026 Festival.
Cheltenham Festival is the most prestigious horse racing event in the entire National Hunt calendar, bringing together only the best horses, jockeys, and trainers. Day one, known as Champions Day, kicks off the occasion and is home to some of the most historical and memorable moments the festival has ever seen. But what does history have to say about the first day of Cheltenham Festival?
If you’re newer to Cheltenham, learning about the trends that have become apparent over the years will give you a better idea of how to approach your horse racing betting strategy. Although they aren’t guarantees to make every bet come through, they can help to improve your chances of success.
So, lets break down some key Cheltenham day one stats.
Cheltenham Festival day 1 trends by race
Day one at Cheltenham Festival is a great tone setter, being action packed and filled with seven races, all of which keep punters and horse racing fans on their toes. Below, we will provide you with an overview of the most important trends on a race-by-race basis – including how often the favourite takes the crown.
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (13:20)
Kicking off Cheltenham day one, we have the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, where the last 10 winners have entered the race with average odds of 6.16/1 – though, the previous five winners have run with much shorter odds (averaging out at 2.33/1).
Over the last decade, the favourite has won this meeting just 30 per cent of the time; though, once again it’s worth looking at recent years for a clearer picture, with three of the last five winners cited as the bookies’ choice:
How many times the favourite has won since 2016: 3 (2025, 2022, 2021)
The odds of the last ten winners: 4/6 (Kopek Des Bordes, 2025), 7/2 (Slade Steel, 2024), 9/2 (Marine Nationale, 2023), 9/4 (Constitution Hill, 2022), 8/11 (Appreciate It, 2021), 6/1 (Shishkin, 2020), 6/1 (Klassical Dream, 2019), 9/1 (Summerville Boy, 2018), 25/1 (Labaik, 2017), 4/1 (Altior, 2016).
To find out more on the trends in this event, read our Supreme Novices’ Hurdle trends guide for more information!
Arkle Novices’ Chase (14:00)
Following on from the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is the Arkle Novices’ Chase. Looking at the last 10 winners here, they have begun the race with average odds of 3.34/1 – which is no surprise considering how much the favourites have dominated this fixture.
The top-ranked horses have seen great success over the last decade, winning this meeting 70% of the time. Some non-favourited winners of the race also sat at the upper end of the market, with Jango Baie (2025) and Duc Des Genievres (2019) fitting that category; though Put The Kettle On (2020) was more in the mid-range odds when they saw victory.
How many times the favourite has won since 2016: 7 (2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016)
The odds of the last 10 winners: 5/1 (Jango Baie, 2025), 2/1 (Gaelic Warrior, 2024), 11/10 (El Fabiolo, 2023), 5/2 (Edwardstone, 2022), 4/9 (Shishkin, 2021), 16/1 (Put The Kettle On, 2020), 5/1 (Duc Des Genievres, 2019), 5/6 (Footpad, 2018), 1/4 (Altior, 2017), 1/4 (Douvan, 2016).
Ultima Handicap Chase (14:40)
Next up in the day is the Ultima Handicap Chase, with the previous 10 winners of this race beginning with odds averaging at 9.9/1 – possibly suggesting that horses that lie in the middle of the market are strong choices here.
Similarly to the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, only 30 per cent of the favourites have gone on to win the race over the last 10 years, suggesting that betting against them isn’t the worst idea. Mind you, two of these winning favourites have come in the last three years – though Corach Rambler (2023) was a joint favourite rather than outright.
How many times the favourite has won since 2016: 3 (2025, 2023, 2018)
The odds of the last 10 winners: 13/2 (Myretown, 2025), 6/1 (Chianti Classico, 2024), 6/1 (Corach Rambler, 2023), 10/1 (Corach Rambler 2022), 28/1 (Vintage Clouds, 2021), 15/2 (The Conditional, 2020), 10/1 (Beware The Bear, 2019), 5/1 (Coo Star Sivola, 2018), 9/1 (Un Temps Pour Tout, 2017), 11/1 (Un Temps Pour Tout, 2016).
Have a look at our guide if you would like to learn more about the Ultima Handicap Chase trends!
Mares’ Hurdle (15:20)
The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle comes up next, where the average starting odds for the last 10 winners have been 5.34/1. This indicates that this event is competitive between the leading contenders that sit close to the head of the market.
The last 10 years have seen 40% of the favourites manage to come out on top of this race; though recent history supports the favourites chances more as they have won for last three years running.
How many times the favourite has won since 2016: 4 (2025, 2024, 2023, 2016)
The odds of the last 10 winners: 4/6 (Lossiemouth, 2025), 8/13 (Lossiemouth, 2024), 9/4 (Honeysuckle, 2023), 18/1 (Marie’s Rock, 2022), 11/1 (Black Tears, 2021), 9/4 (Honeysuckle, 2020), 10/1 (Roksana, 2019), 9/2 (Benie Des Dieux, 2018), 7/2 (Apple’s Jade, 2017), 4/6 (Vroum Vroum Mag, 2016).
Champion Hurdle (16:00)
The biggest event of Cheltenham day one is the Champion Hurdle, which is among the most famed hurdling events in the National Hunt season. The previous 10 winners have average odds of 5.38/1 – however this is slightly affected by Golden Ace’s win as an outsider in 2025. If we omit his 25/1 victory, the previous nine winners won with shorter average odds of 3.2/1.
Favourites have thrived in this event, seeing 70% of the victories over the last decade. Despite their dominance, there have been winners from non-favourited horses, like the previously mentioned Golden Ace (2025) with bigger-priced odds, Espoir d’Allen (2019) who sat in the mid-range odds, and Buveur d’Air (2017) who was well fancied but not the favourite.
How many times the favourite has won since 2016: 7 (2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2018, 2016)
The odds of the last 10 winners: 25/1 (Golden Ace, 2025), 2/5 (State Man, 2024), 4/11 (Constitution Hill, 2023), 8/11 (Honeysuckle, 2022), 11/10 (Honeysuckle, 2021), 2/1 (Epatante, 2020), 16/1 (Espoir d’Allen, 2019), 4/6 (Buveur d’Air, 2018), 5/1 (Buveur d’Air, 2017), 5/2 (Annie Power, 2016).
Want to find out more information? Read our dedicated Champion Hurdle trends guide!
Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (16:40)
Towards the back end of the day is the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, showcasing top young talent – with only those horses up to four years old being allowed to compete. The last 10 winners have started the race with odds of 20.9/1 – though this is largely altered by Jeff Kidder’s win in 2021 after he saw victory as a complete outsider. Without his 80/1 miracle, the average odds of the other listed winners sit at 14.33/1.
This is not necessarily a race to back the favourites, with the previous decade only seeing one of them cross the finish line in first place. Incredibly, looking back even further, only three horses in the race’s entire history have ever won as favourites with Gaspara (2007), Sanctuaire (2010), and Band of Outlaws (2019).
How many times the favourite has won since 2016: 1 (2019)
The odds of the last 10 winners: 17/2 (Puturhandstogether, 2025), 9/1 (Lark In The Mornin, 2024), 18/1 (Jazzy Matty, 2023), 10/1 (Brazil, 2022), 80/1 (Jeff Kidder, 2021), 15/2 (Aramax, 2020), 7/2 (Band Of Outlaws, 2019), 33/1 (Veneer Of Charm, 2018), 33/1 (Flying Tiger, 2017), 13/2 (Diego Du Charmil, 2016).
National Hunt Novices’ Chase, 17:20
To round off the day, the National Hunt Novices’ Chase is held, proving to be a good producer of future Grand National winners. The average odds ahead of the race for the last 10 winners are 6.63/1, suggesting horses that sit in the middle-upper end of the market are good choices.
Here, the favourites are rarely the ones to end up victorious: the last decade has only seen favourites win 20% of the time, with Haiti Couleurs (2025) being a joint favourite. That said, both winning favourites came in the last three years, so it is possible that there is a new trend settling in.
How many times the favourite has won since 2016: 2 (2025, 2023)
The odds of the last 10 winners: 7/2 (Haiti Couleurs, 2025), 15/8 (Corbetts Cross, 2024), 10/11 (Gaillard Du Mesnil, 2023), 2/1 (Stattler, 2022), 7/2 (Galvin, 2021), 12/1 (Ravenhill, 2020), 14/1 (Les Breuil, 2019), 9/2 (Rathvinden, 2018), 16/1 (Tiger Roll, 2017), 8/1 (Minella Rocco, 2016).
Why is it important to consider Cheltenham day 1 trends?
Now that we have discussed the main trends and stats to consider for all seven Cheltenham day one races, it’s worth talking about why it’s so important to keep in mind when planning out your betting strategy.
As is the case with all sports, stats like form and reputation can be useful to indicate how riders and horses may perform next time out. They aren’t guarantees of anything however, with a horse being labelled as the favourite not meaning that they will win in the upcoming race.
As always if you would like to get more tips on how to best prepare for Cheltenham Festival or specific races, have a read of our Cheltenham blog for more guides like this!
How to bet on the Cheltenham Festival
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