Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival: Day 1 Schedule and Odds
The opening day of the Cheltenham Festival is arguably the most eagerly anticipated day in the racing calendar.
Tuesday brings a host of high-class action, as well as the infamous “Cheltenham Roar” which signifies the start of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, and a brilliant four days of racing.
Here’s the schedule for the opening day in 2026.
Tuesday 10th March 2026
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
Kicking off the week, with an official start time of 13:20, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is the Festival’s curtain raiser. The Cheltenham Roar will be in full voice when the runners set off for what is a star-studded contest.
Nicky Henderson’s Old Park Star is the current 9/4 favourite after three successive victories this season, including an 18-length demolition job in the Grade 2 Rossington Main at Haydock in January.
Arkle Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
40 minutes later we have a second Grade 1, with the best of the novice chasers taking their chance of two miles. The race has been won by stars such as Sprinter Sacre, Altior and Shishkin in the past, and could produce another great this season.
Kopek Des Bordes was a long-time favourite for the race for Willie Mullins, but after missing the Dublin Racing Festival he has been pushed out to second favourite and is currently a 2/1 shot. Lulamba heads the betting at 13/8 to give Nicky Henderson a fine start to the Festival.
Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
Next up is the first of 12 handicaps over the four days. Called the McCoy Contractors Juvenile Handicap Hurdle for sponsorship reasons in 2026, most know it as the Fred Winter. It is an intriguing contest which often sees those juveniles who hadn’t done enough yet for the Graded contests go to battle.
It is often an open betting contest, and this year is no different, with the entire field 5/1 or bigger, as Winston Junior and Saratoga share favouritism. Manlaga is another interesting prospect for Seven Barrows at 7/1, and Festival-opening hat-trick for Nicky Henderson would be quite something.
Ultima Handicap Chase
Then we move onto the first handicap chase of the Festival, the Ultima. A real test of stamina and class over three-miles-two-furlongs, the Ultima is almost like the handicappers’ Gold Cup. We’ve seen horses like Corach Rambler win it on the way to Grand National success, and there are a few emerging stars in this year’s entries.
Jagwar heads the betting at 4/1 for the JP McManus team, followed by another in the infamous green and gold, Iroko (8/1). Wendigo is also an 8/1 shot, with Handstands and Myretown both priced at 10s. The trickiest task with finding the Ultima winner a couple of weeks out from the race is that a lot of the contenders will have multiple entries, making our Non Runner Money Back offer more useful.
Champion Hurdle
The feature race on Tuesday is the first of the championship races, the Champion Hurdle. A serious test of speed and jumping for the world’s greatest hurdlers, a Champion Hurdle victory is enough to etch any jockey, trainer or horse’s name into the history books.
A prime example of that came in 2025, when Golden Ace sprung a shock and capitalised on falls by Constitution Hill and State Man to take victory, instantly writing her name, as well as Lorcan Williams and Jeremy Scott’s, into Cheltenham folklore. She’ll be back again this year and is 7/2 to defend her crown, but punters are latching onto Constitution Hill in the hope of an epic comeback. He’s the 7/4 favourite ahead of The New Lion at 9/4.
Plate Handicap Chase
The penultimate race on day one is the Plate. Another fiercely competitive handicap, it’s no surprise to see as many as 66 horses entered for this year’s renewal. Over two-miles-four-furlongs, the speedy two-milers can be sapped of stamina, while the better stayers can get run off their feet, making for an interesting race.
Madara heads the betting here at 4/1 for the Skelton’s, while Jagwar could also look to defend his win in the race last year at 6/1 NRMB. JP McManus holds a strong hand in this one, with McLaurey (8/1) and Waterford Whispers (10/1) also towards the top of the market.
National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase
Tuesday ends with a true test of stamina in the three-miles-six-furlongs novices’ handicap chase. This race is one for those who will be hoping to add a Grand National to their CV somewhere down the line, as shown by Tiger Roll who won the race in 2017 before going on to win back-to-back Nationals.
Newton Tornado for Rebecca Curtis is this year’s favourite at 6/1 in what looks an open contest. Emmet Mullins certainly knows how to place one and he’s got Backmersackme in at 7/1, while Willie Mullins joins the party with a proper stayer in Argento Boy at 8/1.
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*
