The best backed horses at Cheltenham 2026

Discover which horses are the best backed at Cheltenham festival in 2026. Learn more information about each horse, and how you can begin to bet on the festival!

Knowing which horses are backed to do well before a festival or race can be helpful when making decisions on which horses you would like to bet on yourself.

With Cheltenham 2026 now arriving, it’s worth looking at the best backed horses so that you know who other punters are touting to be successful. We’ve produced a list of the most bet-on horses at the festival, and offered a profile of some of the top picks to help you understand why they’re getting so much support.

Who are the most backed horses at Cheltenham 2026?

Considering Betway’s latest betting data, we’ve determined the most backed horses for Cheltenham 2026. Have a look through the table to view the best supported runners ahead of the festival and to see which races that they’ll be competing in: 

 
All-in-all, the above 13 picks account for well over a third of all bets placed on the festival so far – with the top five accounting for nearly 20% – so should offer some steer as to where other punters are placing their wagers!

A look at some of the best backed horses at Cheltenham

Now that you’ve seen a breakdown of the best backed horses, let’s have a more in depth look into some of the picks, giving you a glimpse into why people believe they’ll do well:

• Fact to File: Last year’s Ryanair Chase winner is in great form to see success again at Cheltenham in 2026 after recent promising performances – in fact, nearly 4% of all festival bets so far, across the entire week, have backed Fact to File. The 9-year-old won the Irish Gold Cup in early February, beating rivals like Galopin Des Champs, Gaelic Warrior, I Am Maximus, and Firefox. Combining this with his trainer, Willie Mullins, being the most successful in the history of the festival, he’s one of the strongest candidates out there for 2026.

• Majborough: As the winner of the 2024 JCB Triumph Hurdle, Majborough is a proven winner at Cheltenham already, and over 3% of all bets wagered back this theory. Having recently won at Leopardstown in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase, the 6-year-old has a recent record of winning races against tough opponents like Marine Nationale and Found A Fifty. Considering he’s also another Willie Mullins prospect, there’s every chance he’ll win again at the festival.

• Kopek Des Bordes: As reigning champion of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Kopek Des Bordes is another horse that’s got the knowledge of how to win races at Cheltenham Festival. Though yet to race this year, his last race was a win at Navan in November meaning that he’s had plenty of rest and is in good form. Unsurprisingly, he’s another that continues the trend of being trained by Willie Mullins. Though this isn’t a surprise as there are few better to be your trainer with his record! So far, 3.23% of all festival bets are attributed to Kopek Des Bordes.

• Old Park Star: This six-year-old is in great form having won in all three of his last races. Most recently, he raced in January and won at Haydock where he pushed clear before the last to beat Hurricane Pat and Soldier Reeves. Old Star Park is trained by the second most successful trainer at the festival, Nicky Henderson, making him a fantastic option to back as well.

• Bambino Fever: One of the most in-form horses here is Bambino Fever as she’s won all but one of the six races she’s competed in. With her also being the winner of the 2025 Champion Bumper, she’ll be motivated to win at the festival for a second year in a row. With recent success in her January outing at Fairyhouse, she’s got a good combination of form and rest ahead of the festival to be a great betting prospect.

• Lulamba: Another horse with a stellar racing record is Lulamba, who’s won six of the seven races he’s featured in so far. His recent venture out at Newbury in February has shown he’s in good form heading into the festival, placing the five-year-old in good stead. As his trainer, Nicky Henderson can have high hopes that Lulamba becomes another one of his many Cheltenham winners.

• The New Lion: Dan Skelton’s hotshot The New Lion has great potential to achieve victory at the Cheltenham Festival in 2026, as he’s also won six out of the seven races he’s competed in. Considering he was the Turners Novices’ Hurdle winner in 2025, he’ll also be looking to win at back-to-back festivals. With a good win at Cheltenham racecourse in late January too, he’s certainly one who’s on track to taste victory again at the Cheltenham Festival.

Betway’s biggest liability of the week is running in the opening race

Though not listed above, one horse that’s certainly one to watch is Mydaddypaddy / , running in the week’s opening race – the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. In fact, Mydaddpaddy is Betway’s biggest liability of the week!

Currently priced just outside the favourites, Dan Skelton’s five-year-old was last seen finishing second to Idaho Sun at Aintree in the Grade 1 Formby Novices’ Hurdle.

Lewis Knowles, Betway’s spokesperson, said: 

”We were laying some pretty big prices about Mydaddypaddy earlier in the season when he was the talking horse for the Supreme, and, as a result, we’ve got a pretty hefty liability on Dan Skelton’s horse heading into the festival.

”Old Park Star is solid at the head of the market, and there’s been plenty of chat around Mighty Park / in recent weeks, but it will be a long week for us if Mydaddypaddy gets the Skelton team off to a flyer in the opening race on Tuesday.”

Meanwhile, we’ve recently seen a couple of large bets for Feet Of A Dancer for the Stayers’ Hurdle, so have almost cut her odds in half from 40/1 for the race.

”Paul Nolan’s mare has a few entries at the festival, but we saw a couple of fairly chunky bets for her overnight at big prices that would set off a few alarm bells – so we’ve cut her to from 40/1 for Thursday’s feature race.”.

How to bet on Cheltenham 2026

Now that you’re clued up on the most backed horses at the Cheltenham Festival, you might be keen to begin betting. If you are, Betway is the best place to go, with a user-friendly interface that makes your betting experience smooth and streamlined! Check out the Cheltenham Festival betting odds to begin placing your bets now.

Alternatively, place your bets on the go with our handy app. You can experience the thrill of Cheltenham Festival, including live betting, real-time updates, and exclusive offers via the Play Store or the App Store.