Cheltenham Tips

The track at Cheltenham is unique in that it has an ‘old course’ and a ‘new course’. The old course is used for the Showcase and November Meetings + the first two days of The Cheltenham Festival. 

Many of our tipsters tips for Cheltenham will include an understanding as to whether the horse will perform on the unique course. Some horses can have amazing form but just don't like the characteristics of the horse at Cheltenham.

 Horses for Courses is a term that is more significant at Cheltenham than perhaps any other course. Many horses become course specialists and win many times at Cheltenham, some coming back to the festival each year to win or run well in top-class races. So a major Cheltenham tip is to look at horses with proven course form.

The New Course is used for The International, New Year's Day, Festival Trials Day, the 3rd and 4th days of The Cheltenham Festival and the late-season April and May meetings.

The ‘old’ course is said to ride faster, meaning strong-travelling, prominent running types are favoured over hold-up horses or those who take some kidding along.

Type of Racing: National Hunt Only

Highlights: The Cheltenham Festival (March) and ‘The November Meeting’.

TV Channel: Racing TV.

Check out our Best Bookmaker For Live Streaming Guide for alternative live viewing options for watching your Cheltenham best bets.

If you are off to Cheltenham races today then why not download the OLBG app to get all the latest Cheltenham tips at the course.

* All statistics below are based on the previous five years at Cheltenham

Cheltenham Outright Favourite Statistics

• Handicap Chases: 23-112 (21%) -17.79
• Handicap Hurdles: 20-91 (22%) -6.96
• Non-Handicap Chases: 47-122 (39%) -10.04
• Non-Handicap Hurdles: 47-117 (40%) -13.09

Course: ('Old' and 'New') Left-handed, undulating, galloping with uphill finish.

The make-up of each is broadly similar in that they are vast, galloping, undulating and left-handed. The last half mile is taken uphill placing emphasis on stamina and, whilst the fences are more forgiving these days, the fourth and third last taken on the side of the course before the turn for home, still catch plenty out. 

Racing has taken place at Prestbury Park since 1831.  Now considered the home of National Hunt racing, the Gold Cup was first run as a National Hunt race in 1924. Its iconic modern status wasn’t always as such – the County Hurdle and the National Hunt Chase were the ‘big’ races in the early days.

‘All roads lead to Cheltenham’ is the recognised trend nowadays and whereas the Grand National may still be regarded as the most significant one-off race, the Cheltenham Festival is the target and the climax of the present-day jumps calendar.  

Along the way, other significant meetings take place from October and conclude in May with a Hunter Chase evening.  After the Cheltenham Festival in March, the November meeting featuring The Paddy Gold Cup (formerly the Mackeson) is the next best in terms of importance and participation.

In recent seasons, the number of Irish-trained Cheltenham winners from the Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott yards have increased hugely. There is also a large number of UK trainers based in or nearby Cheltenham, including Nigel Twiston-Davies, Jonjo O’Neill, Fergal O'Brien and Tom George who are always to be respected. Nigel Twiston-Davies tends to have winners at the October and November meetings, but generally finds winners harder to come by as the season draws on.

As you’d expect, the facilities at Cheltenham are extensive.  Viewing the action and the paddock can be challenging at the Festival, although at other meetings it’s excellent.  Accommodation and travel arrangements should be planned as far in advance as possible as the town and surrounding routes can get extremely busy.  Any challenges aside, the racecourse itself is a must-see, positioned as it is with the beautiful and iconic backdrop of Cleeve Hill. They don’t come much better than the modern-day Cheltenham, whichever way you look at it and the anticipation, buzz and roar from the spectators as the tapes go up for the first race of the Festival meeting is an experience to savour.

Finding winners at Cheltenham is no easy task.  The best horses, trainers and jockeys always feature. Consequently, races at all meetings are seldom uncompetitive or lacking in class and depth. To make the challenge slightly easier here are a few general considerations.

Course and distance winners are positive at any meeting, on any given day.  At Cheltenham, this is more so and any horse that has proven capable of negotiating the undulations and defying the ‘Cheltenham Hill’ should be kept on the short-list. Look for the letters 'CD' next to a runner on the racecard.

2018 was rare in that the Festival was run on the bog-heavy ground.  This was an exception to the norm and typically 'Good' ground features in the going description.  If this is the case, look for form in the book on the quicker ground, it is not uncommon for horses to have been running under-par on winter ground only to come into their own in springtime. Whilst not impossible it can be difficult for hold-up horses that do not 'travel' well on the bridle to land a blow at Cheltenham, especially at the Festival where races are usually run at a relentless pace with large field sizes. 

Certainly, any horse that travels on and off the bridle, or has a history of unwillingness is probably not going to have the heart or the luck-in-running required to feature at the finish. Horses that can jump and travel fluently in strongly run races with plenty of stamina reserves and the ability to see out the race distance up the Cheltenham hill have the key attributes for Prestbury Park. Be cautious of horses with a history of falls and be careful of Novice Chase events where a lack of experience can prove costly, regardless of class or form over hurdles.

You can view the latest betting odds for each horse in every race at Cheltenham along with comments from OLBG tipsters. You may soon find one particular tipster you like and want to follow! 

You’ll notice the number of tips made on each horse, also expressed in % terms and the number of tips made with comments for each one. Our star rating is extremely useful in that it combines the popularity (i.e. how many tips were made) and the latest betting odds. 

Once you have chosen your bets, be sure to check out the latest betting offers as betting websites will often have generous Cheltenham offers to encourage people to open a new account in the run-up to or during the Cheltenham festival. 

Who are the best national hunt jockeys and trainers to bet on at Cheltenham?

Whilst N J Henderson is the most successful trainer at Cheltenham with a total of forty-eight winners, if you backed all of their runners you would be showing a loss. Gordon Elliott is the most successful trainer at Cheltenham for those who show a profit if backing all their runners thanks to a total of thirty-two winners and an LSP of +71.93. When looking at trainers and looking for some eachway value at Cheltenham then the trainer who shows the best eachway profit is Miss Rebecca Curtis, that LSP is +36.08 which has been accumulated by a total of eight placings which includes four winners. With an LSP of -131.59 at Cheltenham, P F Nicholls heads the list for worst trainers at this course, which is a result of twenty-three winners from two hundred seventy-nine runners which is a strike rate of 8%.

Backing all of the Harry Skelton rides would have produced backing the most winners for a jockey here at Cheltenham with twenty-two but you would have returned a loss by doing so, Nico Boinville leads the way for profitable jockey with an LSP of +25.06 from their twenty-one winners. If you are more of an eachway player then you may want to know which jockey is best to follow at Cheltenham and that would be J W Kennedy who shows the best eachway LSP which is +21.49 thanks to their twenty-one placings (nine winners). The jockey with the worst record at Cheltenham based on LSP is Sam Twiston-Davies who has only a 7% strike rate with sixteen winners from two hundred seventeen rides which have returned an LSP of -110.59.

Cheltenham Picks & Hints

Here are some factors at Cheltenham for certain trainers or jockeys which have been profitable:

• 5-10 (50%) +18.33 - Backing Bryony Frost rides when on horses aged 6yo

Cheltenham Top Jockey and Trainer Combinations

Here are the best trainer and jockey combinations here at Cheltenham based on the number of winners:

• 20 Wins: Daniel Skelton & Harry Skelton
• 19 Wins: N J Henderson & Nico Boinville
• 14 Wins: W P Mullins & P Townend
• 13 Wins: Fergal O'Brien & P J Brennan
• 12 Wins: N A Twiston-Davies & Sam Twiston-Davies

Cheltenham Top Trainers By Most Winners and a Level Stakes Profit

Cheltenham Top Jockeys By Most Winners and a Level Stakes Profit

Willie Mullins is well out in front when it comes to the number of winners at the Cheltenham Festival in the last ten years with sixty-four winners.

Willie Mullins has double the number of winners the next best has and that is his Irish counterpart Gordon Elliott (32). The best of the Brits is Nicky Henderson with 26 winners.

At the other end of the spectrum, Charlie Longsdon has had 52 runners without recording a single winner and only two placed runners.

Others who have failed to record a win in the last ten years are Fergal O'Brien (41), Donald McCain (34) and  Dr Richard Newland (30).

Gordon Elliott has an excellent win LSP and his place statistics are good too with 39% of his runners placing for an eachway LSP of +52.48.

Best Cheltenham Festival Trainers over the past ten festivals:

Both Paul Townend and Davy Russell have notched up thirty-eight winners between them over the past ten years and both show healthy profits too, Townend is the only jockey have passed the twenty mark with twenty-two winners whilst Davy Russell has sixteen winners. 

Nico de Boinville (15), Rachael Blackmore (12) and Jack Kennedy (10) are the only other jockeys in double figures, back those top five jockeys over the last ten festival would have returned a combined LSP of +169.69!

Those who have not fared well and not ridden a winner in the last ten years are Paddy Brennan (61) & Sean Bowen (29).

Best Cheltenham Festival Jockey by Wins over the last ten festivals:

In this section, we have added some valuable trends and pointers from previous Cheltenham Festivals.

These Cheltenham Festival pointers below will hopefully help narrow down your selection process and shortlist for your Cheltenham best bets...

• For runners coming to the festival having previously won at the festival, the 7yo runners are the standout with a strike rate of 28% since 2013. In 2018 Buveur D'Air, Presenting Percy and Penhill were all successful with only Road to Respect and Ibis Du Rheu unsuccessful. In 2017 Yorkhill, Tiger Roll and Altior were all winners, however, they then went for a combined 0-12 in 2019 & 2020. In 2021 they were back with a bang producing four winners in Shishkin, Honeysuckle, Monkfish & Put The Kettle On and then in 2022 Sir Gerhard, Bob Olinger and Flooring Porter all went on to success.
• Last time out fallers do not have a great record, only 8 winners spanning over 181 races since 2003. In both 2018 (0-10) and 2019 (0-13), they drew a blank, however, in 2020 they did provide two winners in Ravenhill and Champ and then in 2021 Mrs Milner was successful but eight others lost and then in 2022 it was another blank from 7 runners.
• Since 2003, 76% of the races (394 from 520) have been won by a runner who had won within its last three starts in the UK/IRE.
• Don't write off female jockeys, this season they have produced some top-class wins. Between 2011 and 2014 they were 0-57 at the festival. However, the number of wins has been steadily improving, 2015 (1), 2016 (2), 2017 (3), 2018 (4), 2019 (4) & 2020 (2) and then in 2021 they had their best festival with 6 winners and with the like of Bryony Frost and Rachael Blackmore they are proving their worth and in 2022 Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the Gold Cup at a festival the females picked up another 4 winners.
• Avoid old boys! When considering the age of the horse compared to the youngest in the race, those who are 5+ years older have an awful record. Just 12 winners since 2003 covering 233 races, in 2017 they were 0-26, 2018 they were 0-29 and although hitting a winner in 2019 that was from 28 runners and then again in 2020 they drew a blank from 30 runners and in 2021 they failed to produce a winner from 19 runners, they did have a couple in 2022 with Global Citizen & Coole Cody but there were also 12 other losers.

If you are looking for individual race trends, past winners etc then we have pages set up for each race which you can find over in the Cheltenham Festival blogs section.

Cheltenham Festival races for Tuesday 14th March 2023

Cheltenham Festival races for Wednesday 15th March 2023

Cheltenham Festival races for Thursday 16th March 2023

Cheltenham Festival races for Friday 17th March 2023

The Open at Cheltenham is a three-day festival which takes place in November, starting on Friday it runs through to Sunday.

On Friday which is known as 'Countryside Day', you have the Grade 2 Novices Hurdle and also the Cross Country Chase.

Saturday which is known as 'Gold Cup Day' features the Grade 3 Gold Cup Handicap Chase and the Grade 2 Novice Hurdle which acts as a trial for the Triumph Hurdle.

'Open Sunday' as its known features Grade 2 trials for both the Arkle and the Supreme, the Grade 2 Shloer Chase and the Grade 3 Greatwood Handicap Hurdle.

The leading trainers at the open since 2003 are Paul Nicholls (42), Philip Hobbs (30), David Pipe (25) and Nicky Henderson (21). 

The top jockeys are Paddy Brennan (17), Tom Scudamore (15) and Sam Twiston-Davies (11).

Outright favourites have a 32% strike rate, in Novice Chases they have a 47% strike rate and in Handicap Novice Hurdles they have a 47% strike rate.

The NHF races do not have a great record for favourites with 16% while runners within the first three odds positions of the market have a 65% strike rate.

Runners who ran at the Cheltenham three day meeting in October last time out have produced 52 winners at this meeting, those who won at that meeting and then came here have a 21% strike rate.

Finally, on a whole last time out winners have won 44% of the races which featured one since 2003.