Cheltenham Festival Day 1

The first day of the Cheltenham Festival is known as Champions Day. In this Cheltenham Festival Day One Guide, you will learn everything you need to know from the latest news, tips, stats and information on all the Day 1 action from Cheltenham Racecourse.

The official date of day one of the Cheltenham 2025 Festival is Tuesday 11th March.

This first day, is the first of four days of top-class racing, starting on a Tuesday and finishing on Friday.

The opening day showcases the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle which is a fiercely contested 2m hurdling race for the best hurdlers in the world. Other major races on the first day include the Grade 1 Arkle Trophy and the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

It also sees the start of the British and horses Irish runners competing against each other in The Prestbury Cup annual challenge.

Find out more about the first day of racing at the Cheltenham Festival:

Cheltenham Festival Day One Racecards

Here are the following races competed on day one of the Cheltenham Festival, Tuesday 11th March 2025:

13:20 The Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

The curtain-raiser of the Festival is the The Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, there are eight hurdles to jump during the race, which is 2 miles and 12 furlongs long.

The opening race always draws huge loud cheers from the horse racing fans – known as the “Cheltenham roar”.

Cheltenham 13.20 Tips – The Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

• Cheltenham 13.20 NAP – Kopek Des Bordes
• Cheltenham 13.20 NB – The New Lion
• Cheltenham 13.20 Long Shot – Workahead

14:00 The My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase

The My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase for horses aged five and above.

It is run over a distance of 2 miles on the Old Course and there are 13 fences to jump during the race.

It is always one of the most thrilling and eagerly anticipated races of the festival.

Cheltenham 14.00 Tips – The My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase

• Cheltenham 14.00 NAP – Majborough
• Cheltenham 14.00 NB – L’Eau du Sud
• Cheltenham 14.00 Long Shot – Firefox

14:40 Ultima Handicap Chase

The Ultima Handicap Chase is a Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase for horses aged 5 and over.

It is run a distance of around 3 miles and 1 furlong on the Old Course at Cheltenham, and there are twenty obstacles to jump during the race.

Cheltenham 14.40 Tips – The Ultima Chase

The third race of the meeting at 2:40 pm is the Ultima Handicap Chase. A race where novices have a strong record.

• Cheltenham 14.40 NAP – Broadway Boy
• Cheltenham 14.40 NB – The Changing Man
• Cheltenham 14.40 Long Shot – Trelawne

15:20 The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle Race

The David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle, now known as the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle for sponsorship reasons, is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle event for mares aged four years and above.

It is run a distance of around 2 miles and 4 furlongs on the Old Course, and there are 10 hurdles to leap during the race.

Cheltenham 15.20 Tips – The Mares Hurdle

• Cheltenham 15.20 NAP – Jade De Grugy
• Cheltenham 15.20 NB – July Flower
• Cheltenham 15.20 Long Shot – Golden Ace

16:00 Champion Hurdle (the feature race)

The fourth race of the meeting at 4:00 pm is the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle where the best hurdlers lock horns on the biggest stage.

This is the feature race on the opening day. It is run a distance of 2 miles and 12 furlongs on the Old Course, and there are eight hurdles to leap during the race.

For a full guide on the Champion Hurdle, or the Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy to give it its full name, check out our review page.

Cheltenham 16.00 Tips – The Unibet Champion Hurdle

• Cheltenham 16.00 NAP – Constitution Hill
• Cheltenham 16.00 NB – Brighterdaysahead
• Cheltenham 16.00 Long Shot – State Man

16:40 Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle

The Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle, also known as the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle for sponsorship purposes, is a Grade 3 National Hunt hurdle competition for horses aged four years.

It covers a distance of around 2 miles and 12 furlongs, with eight hurdles to overcome along the way.

These are the youngest horses that can compete over jumps and it is often a tricky race to predict.

The race is normally run at break-neck speed, so accurate jumping, stamina and guys are normally required to win.

Cheltenham 16.40 Tips – Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race

Our Cheltenham 16.40 Tips is to wager on

• Cheltenham 16.40 NAP – Stencil
• Cheltenham 16.40 NB – Beyond Your Dreams
• Cheltenham 16.40 Long Shot – Hot Fuss

17:20 National Hunt Novices’ Chase (Novices’ Steeple Chase) (Novices’ Handicap)

The last race on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival meeting at 5:20 pm is the National Hunt Novices’ Chase (Novices’ Steeple Chase) (Novices’ Handicap), a Grade 2 steeplechase for amateur riders on horses that are five years old or above.

It is run over a distance of approximately 3 miles and 6 furlongs, with 23 hurdles to be jumped along the way.

Cheltenham 17.20 Tips – The National Hunt Cup

• 5.20 NAP – Now Is The Hour
• 5.20 NB – Haiti Couleurs
• 5.20 Long Shot – Sa Majeste

Cheltenham Festival Day One Tips – 11th March 2025

Here are the betting tips for Day One of the Cheltenham Festival 2025.

• Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) – Kopek Des Bordes
• Arkle Challenge Trophy (Grade 1) – Majborough
• Ultima Handicap Chase (Grade 3) – Broadway Boy
• Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1) – Jade De Grugy
• Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) –  Constitution Hill
• Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle – Stencil
• National Hunt Chase (Grade 2) – Now Is The Hour

If you are looking to bet on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival make sure you check out any Cheltenham Festival free bets and sign-up offers, you can see these on our Cheltenham Free Bets page.

If you are looking for Cheltenham tipsters on which horses to wager there is no better source of information than the trainers direct. Check what the trainers have to say about their horses running on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival.

• Henry De Bromhead Cheltenham Best Selections on the First Day
• Paul Nicholls Cheltenham Best Selections on the First Day
• Willie Mullins Cheltenham Best Selections on the First Day
• Nicky Henderson Cheltenham Best Selections on the First Day
• Gordon Elliott Cheltenham Best Selections on the First Day
• Dan Skelton Cheltenham Best Selections on the First Day

Champions Day Cheltenham 2025 Tickets

Day One kicks off The Cheltenham Festival with Champion Day.

With seven races, including the Unibet Champion Hurdle, the tickets for opening day sell quickly and it is advised that you purchase in advance.

The best place to purchase tickets for Champions Day is from here.

Cheltenham Favourites for Day 1 Racing

Many punters are looking for the runners and favourites at Cheltenham today and for the whole Festival week.

If you are a favourite backer you will want to check out our guide to the amount of Starting Price favourites to win at the Cheltenham Festival.

Here are the current Cheltenham Favourites for Tuesday 11th March (1st Day of the Festival):

• 1:20 – Kopek Des Bordes
• 2:00 – Majborough
• 2:40 – The Changing Man
• 3:20 – Brighterdaysahead
• 4:00 – Constitution Hill
• 4:40 – Stencil
• 5:20 – Now Is The Hour

The first race at Cheltenham today is 1:20pm and the last race at Cheltenham today is 5:20pm.

Of the Cheltenham Favourites today the main bankers for punters in Acca bets would be Honeysuckle and Edwardstone.

Betting on Cheltenham Festival Day 1

Cheltenham Day 1 Free Bets And Betting Offers are out in force for the opening Champions Day at 2025 Cheltenham Festival.

If you are looking to bet on the first day of Cheltenham check out great deals by some great bookies.

Many have some great offers for new customers at the moment, they all have wide sportsbook market betting options (not just racing), so they can be used for all your sports betting needs as well as having great horse racing market betting. 

Summary of Day 1 Racing at the Cheltenham Festival

The first day of the Cheltenham Festival, known as Champion Day is held on a Tuesday at the world-class Cheltenham racecourse, the feature race is the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle where all eyes will be on Constitution Hill.

The first day of Cheltenham is famed for a cracking atmosphere and the “Cheltenham roar” which goes up after the tapes rise on the first race.

The Grade 1 Arkle Trophy and the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle are the two other significant races on the opening day. Along with several excellent handicaps including the Festival Handicap Chase, which is always a tough race.

The first day at Cheltenham is one of British sports’ great days out, and the teams here at British Racecourses highly recommend it.