Cheltenham Festival Ante Post Tips 2027: Expert Insight & Best Bets For March!

Welcome back to William Hill’s 2027 Cheltenham Festival antepost predictions, with our racing expert providing his best bets every week in the build-up to Prestbury Park in March.

Ante-post betting on the Cheltenham Festival is very popular because it allows punters to take significantly bigger odds before the autumn and winter trials shorten the prices up.

Cheltenham Festival Antepost Tips 2027:

Wednesday 28th October 2026:

• Lossiemouth to win the Champion Hurdle (6/4)

Tuesday 20th October 2026:

• Gaelic Warrior to win the Gold Cup (7/4)
• Old Park Star to win the Arkle (3/1)
• Kopek Des Bordes to win the Champion Chase (4/1)

Without further ado, horse racing expert Steve Mullington provides his latest ante-post Cheltenham Festival selections to “lock into” right now.

Lossiemouth – Champion Hurdle (6/4)

My most confident ante-post selection for the 2027 Festival is Lossiemouth in the Champion Hurdle. Her outstanding record at Cheltenham, proven ability at the highest level and performances last season make her a strong candidate to retain her hurdling crown in March.

Lossiemouth’s biggest career achievement came at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, when she won the Champion Hurdle by six and a half lengths from Brighterdaysahead. The performance demonstrated her class over the two-mile distance and showed that she could compete successfully against the leading horses, both male and female, in open company.

Having previously landed the Triumph Hurdle and Mares’ Hurdle, she already had a proven record at Prestbury Park. Her Champion Hurdle victory further strengthened that “horses for courses” tag and confirmed her ability to deliver when the chips are down.

Consistency

Another reason to support Lossiemouth is the consistency of her overall form. She has repeatedly pulled the rabbit out of the hat in Grade 1 races on either side of the Irish sea.

Her jumping, speed and ability to finish strongly are particularly valuable at Cheltenham, where she literally glides along the uphill run like a Rolls-Royce. She really is an equine sight to behold on a going day.

Furthermore, her six-and-a-half-length winning margin in last season’s Champion Hurdle proves that she possesses the ability to dismantle competitive fields when she’s at her best.

Master trainer and top jockey combination

Willie Mullins is an exceptionally successful Festival trainer, while Paul Townend has considerable experience riding in the premier races. Together, their understanding of Lossiemouth’s temperament should aid them in preparing her for another tilt at the Champion Hurdle.

Not just a one-trick pony

Last campaign, Lossiemouth followed her Cheltenham triumph with another Grade 1 victory at Punchestown, proving she is adaptable and not totally restricted to one racecourse.

Latest Lossiemouth news (as of 27.10.26)

Trainer Willie Mullins confirmed in his 2026/27 stable tour that Lossiemouth has returned to the yard looking well and is expected to make her seasonal reappearance in the Morgiana Hurdle.

The contest is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 21 November 2026 and the Grade 1 race highlights day one of the newly sponsored William Hill Premiere Weekend at Punchestown Racecourse.

Overall, Lossiemouth is my selection for the 2027 Champion Hurdle because of her proven Cheltenham record and continued success at Grade 1 level. If she arrives at the Festival in the same vein of form, she should defend her crown.

I personally think she will go off something like an 11/10 shot on Champion Hurdle Day itself, and I believe her current odds of 6/4 in our ante-post horse racing betting represent value.

Gaelic Warrior – Gold Cup (7/4)

Given the manner of his victory in 2026, it’s very hard to imagine there is another horse currently in training that can scupper his repeat bid in 2027?

His Gold Cup performance last year was described as “spellbinding” and a “procession,” cruising on the bridle two fences from home before thrusting clear up the hill under Paul Townend.

Trainer Willie Mullins himself has an exceptional track record of repeat Gold Cup winners with horses like Al Boum Photo and Galopin Des Champs both following up with equally dominant performances the second time around.

Quite often punters and pundits are put off backing a horse who had a hard-fought race in the Gold Cup due to its physical toll, however the Rich Ricci-owned gelding had pretty much everything his own way in last March’s renewal and was totally spared any kind of dog-fight.

At his current ante-post horse racing betting odds of 7/4, he’s already a solid looking bet at this stage in the season.

Old Park Star – Arkle Chase (3/1)

Trained by Nicky Henderson, Old Park Star catapulted himself to the head of the antepost betting for the Arkle Chase 2027 after a spectacular victory in last season’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

The 2026/27 National Hunt season will see him being plotted and steered through the novice chase ranks, with the Arkle in March being the ultimate goal.

Just like the other Henderson greats that went before him, he fits the historical profile of previous top-flight Arkle champions like Altior and Shishkin, and he is a natural, slick jumper who is made for two-mile chasing.

I won’t lay you in any odds on him being entered up for the Grade 2 Wayfarer Novices’ Chase held at Kempton over Christmas, as this is the traditional stepping stone for smart, two-mile Seven Barrows chasers.

Kopek Des Bordes – Queen Mother Champion Chase (4/1)

Viewed as one of the most exciting young chasers in training, Kopek Des Bordes will hopefully have his day with destiny in next season’s Champion Chase.

Before he uncharacteristically unseated as the hot favourite in a Grade 1 novice chase at the Punchestown Festival, Willie Mullins’ young star chaser had finished a desperately unlucky second to stablemate Kargese in the 2026 Arkle Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

He looked all over the winner before overpitching after the final fence, an error that ultimately checked his momentum and cost him the trophy.

I can see Mullins targeting the Tingle Creek for him in early December. The race is certainly a pre-Christmas target for horses with a high cruising speed that can jump stiff fences quick and fast. We will then have a much clearer idea as to whether our 4/1 dockets for next March are up to much?

*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*