National Hunt Chase Betting Preview – Cheltenham Day 1 Tips (2025)

The National Hunt Chase is the final race on Day 1 of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival and 12 runners have been declared for one of the biggest horse racing betting heats of the season.

We’ve known the early entries for the National Hunt Chase for some time now but decisions have been made and all eyes will be on Prestbury Park on Tuesday afternoon.

Here, we look at some of the leading players in the Cheltenham odds for this year’s race, with a National Hunt Chase selection ahead of the 2025 renewal.

Now Is The Hour has been the antepost favourite for the National Hunt Chase for a while and he has a really unexposed profile over fences. He is the type that Gavin Cromwell does particularly well with and Keith Donoghue is as good as anyone around Cheltenham.

I give him a decent chance of going close in this race but the drying conditions are a slight concern as most of his best form comes on testing ground. Having said that, he could be considerably better than his current BHA mark of 139.

Haiti Couleurs is an obvious contender and he is one of the main runners that benefits hugely from the race becoming a handicap. If the National Hunt Chase was still a Grade 2 event, chances are he wouldn’t be running in it but here we are.

Rebecca Curtis has a talented chaser on her hands and he ticks plenty of boxes, with Cheltenham form to his name and he ran a nice race over hurdles to blow the cobwebs away at Newbury. He has a cracking chance of placing in the race.

Another runner with genuine claims is Transmission – Neil Mulholland is a very shrewd trainer and this staying chaser could have a fair bit in hand off 133. Patrick Mullins gave him an excellent ride at Cheltenham’s November meeting and he returns to the saddle on Tuesday.

He has improved considerably for going over fences and his run in the Cleeve Hurdle the last day shouldn’t put punters off. That was merely a pipe opener and he goes to the Festival with a live chance.

It’d be some story if Captain Cody could win the race given connections have expressed their desire to win the race to honour Michael O’Sullivan. Danny Mullins takes the ride and there won’t be a dry eye in the house if he gets his mount home in front.

Captain Cody ran an eye-catching race alongside Now Is The Hour at Navan in January and it’ll be interesting to see if both are in contention late in the race. He wouldn’t be my first choice here but he’d be a popular winner amongst racing fans.

The one I’ve landed on is GERICAULT ROQUE. He’s had a number of issues over the last couple of years but he was kept in training with the Aintree Grand National in mind. He won’t be running at Aintree but he can take this staying handicap chase for the David Pipe team.

His form behind Corach Rambler is strong and he ran an encouraging race on his return to the track at Windsor in January. He has course form, has finished in the places at the Cheltenham Festival before and he’s primed for a big run. I can’t see him out of the first five.

SELECTION: GERICAULT ROQUE (E/W)