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:

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.

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*