NEWS | PREMIUM TIPS | STAKING | RESULTS | PLAY
NEWS | PREMIUM TIPS | STAKING | RESULTS | PLAY
At Romping Home Racing, our daily tips normally go through extensive database stress testing before being released. However, the Cheltenham Festival brings together the very best horses in the sport, where statistical angles alone often struggle to identify value.
For this reason, the selections below are RHR expert fancies for the Festival, based on form, race trends, and experience rather than our usual database model.
RHR Selection: Talk The Talk (5/1)
The opening race of the Cheltenham Festival is always one of the most competitive contests of the week, but Talk The Talk is a horse that has been firmly on the radar of the Romping Home Racing team for some time. In fact, RHR highlighted the horse ante-post in a previous blog several weeks ago (bit.ly/4s4Maxa), identifying him as a serious contender for the Festival opener.
Talk The Talk arrives at Cheltenham with a progressive profile and comes here off the back of a Grade 1 success at Leopardstown, where he finished strongly to get up close home in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle. That victory was an important response to his previous run at the same track over Christmas, when he fell at the final flight when moving into a winning position. Taken together, those two runs show both his class and the strength of his form coming into the Festival.
This is undoubtedly a high-quality renewal of the Supreme, with Old Park Star and Mighty Park both bringing top-class form to the race and fully deserving of their positions as favourite and second favourite in the market. However, with Talk The Talk currently around 5/1, RHR believes the value lies firmly with him. Having followed the horse since our ante-post analysis, this is the runner the RHR team will be backing to get Day One of the Festival off to a winning start.
RHR Selection: Kargese (6/1)
The second race on Day One of the Cheltenham Festival is the always thrilling Arkle Challenge Trophy, a race that regularly showcases the very best novice chasers in training. This year’s renewal again looks packed with quality, but Kargese arrives at the Festival with a strong body of form and proven Cheltenham credentials.
Kargese already has Festival success on her record, having produced a determined performance to win the County Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham in March 2025, finishing strongly to land the competitive handicap from a large field. That victory showed she handles the unique demands of the track and thrives in the pressure of a Festival race.
This season she has begun her chasing career in impressive fashion. At the Leopardstown Christmas Festival in December, she made a winning start over fences in a beginners’ chase before stepping up into Grade 1 company at the Dublin Racing Festival in February, where she ran an excellent race to finish second in the Irish Arkle, beaten only late after travelling strongly throughout.
There is no doubt the race features some exceptional rivals. Kopek Des Bordes and Lulamba both bring high-class form and are fully deserving of their positions towards the head of the market. However, with Kargese already a Cheltenham Festival winner and now proving she belongs at the top level over fences, she looks more than capable of playing a major role here. At around 6/1, she is the runner the RHR team will be siding with in the Arkle on Day One.
RHR Selections: Glen To Glen (10/1) & Ammes (8/1) – Each Way
The third race on Day One of the Cheltenham Festival is the McCoy Contractors Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, a race that regularly proves to be one of the most competitive puzzles of the entire meeting. With 24 runners declared at the declaration stage, big-field handicaps like this often require punters to take a slightly different approach. The betting market also highlights how open the race looks, with the top three horses all priced around 6/1, suggesting very little separates a large group of contenders.
The first of the RHR selections is Glen To Glen (10/1), who represents the powerful yard of Joseph O’Brien. The gelding showed clear promise earlier in the season when landing a maiden hurdle at Cork, travelling strongly through the race before finishing well to score in a competitive field. Since then he has continued to gain experience in stronger company, shaping like a horse still progressing with racing. Horses with relatively light experience but obvious potential often perform well in this contest, and Glen To Glen fits that profile heading into the Festival.
The second RHR selection is Ammes (8/1), who lines up with Sean Bowen in the saddle. Ammes has been competing consistently in juvenile hurdle races throughout the season and has built up a solid level of form against competitive opposition. Bowen’s presence is an interesting angle. He was crowned Champion Jockey in the 2024–25 season and is on course to retain the title in 2026, highlighting the remarkable consistency he has shown over the past two seasons. While his Cheltenham Festival record has not always reflected the level of success he enjoys throughout the rest of the campaign, his strength in a finish and ability to position horses effectively in large fields remain valuable assets in a race like this.
Historically, this contest often rewards improving four-year-olds who are still ahead of their handicap mark, and the combination of a large field, competitive weights and unexposed runners frequently produces unpredictable results. With that in mind, Glen To Glen and Ammes both appeal as runners capable of getting heavily involved in the finish, and RHR will be hoping the pair can give us a strong each-way presence in one of the trickiest races on the Day One card.
RHR Selections: Konfusion (16/1) & Resplendant Grey (12/1) – Each Way
The Ultima Handicap Chase is one of the longest-standing handicap contests at the Cheltenham Festival and regularly produces one of the toughest stamina examinations of the opening day. Run over three miles and one furlong, the race traditionally favours seasoned staying chasers who have already proven themselves in competitive winter handicaps. With 22 runners declared at the declaration stage, this year’s renewal looks another typically deep and competitive running.
The headline RHR selection in the race is Konfusion (16/1), a horse the team highlighted in a recent Romping Home Racing ante-post blog as one to follow for this contest. His performances this season have suggested a race of this nature could be ideal. Earlier in the campaign he ran a solid race when finishing third in a competitive three-mile handicap chase at Cheltenham, staying on strongly up the hill after being slightly outpaced turning for home. He followed that effort with another encouraging performance when finishing second in a staying handicap chase at Warwick, again shaping like a horse who thrives over extended distances. Those efforts have shown both his stamina and his ability to handle strongly run handicaps — two key attributes for the Ultima.
Given the size of the field and the competitive nature of the race, RHR will also be supporting a second runner each-way in the shape of Resplendant Grey (12/1). The gelding has built up a solid profile in staying handicap chases this season, most notably when finishing second in a three-mile handicap chase at Haydock earlier in the winter, where he travelled strongly for much of the race before being narrowly denied late on. He also produced a creditable performance when finishing fourth in a competitive handicap chase at Kempton, again shaping like a horse who is well suited to races run at a strong pace over extended trips.
Historically, the Ultima has often rewarded horses who arrive at the Festival battle-hardened from competitive winter handicaps, and both Konfusion and Resplendant Grey fit that mould. With Konfusion already identified by the RHR team earlier in the season as an ideal candidate for this race, and Resplendant Grey bringing consistent staying handicap form into the contest, the pair represent the RHR selections in what is always one of the most demanding races at the festival.
RHR Selection: The New Lion (5/2)
The Champion Hurdle is the feature race on Day One of the Cheltenham Festival and remains one of the most prestigious contests in National Hunt racing. Run over two miles, it regularly crowns the best hurdler in training and carries the highest prize money on the opening day. Victory in the Champion Hurdle places a horse alongside some of the greatest names the sport has produced.
Heading the market this year is the outstanding mare Lossiemouth, trained by Willie Mullins. Lossiemouth has established herself as one of the leading two-mile hurdlers in training and arrives with an exceptional record in Grade 1 company. Her combination of pace, class and Festival form makes her a very worthy favourite for the championship contest.
The Romping Home Racing selection, however, is The New Lion (5/2), a horse who already boasts an outstanding record at Cheltenham. He first demonstrated his ability on the biggest stage when winning the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, producing a powerful performance to land the Grade 1 contest and announce himself as a top-class hurdler. That victory showed he handles the unique demands of Cheltenham particularly well.
This season has not been completely straightforward. On his reappearance he fell in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, an unfortunate incident that briefly interrupted his campaign. However, he quickly put that behind him when returning to Cheltenham in January where he won the International Hurdle, travelling strongly before asserting late on to land the Grade 2 contest. That success means The New Lion has now won twice at Cheltenham, a significant positive when assessing his chances in the Champion Hurdle.
The horse is trained by Dan Skelton and ridden by his brother Harry Skelton, a partnership that has been enjoying a superb season. The Skelton yard has been operating at an excellent strike rate throughout the campaign while mounting a strong challenge in the trainers’ championship, and Harry Skelton continues to ride with the confidence of one of the leading jockeys in the weighing room.
With Lossiemouth bringing elite Grade 1 form into the race, this promises to be a fascinating renewal of the Champion Hurdle. However, The New Lion’s proven Cheltenham record, including two victories at the course, combined with the outstanding form of the Skelton team this season, makes him a compelling contender for the championship race on Day One, and he is the horse RHR will be siding with in the feature event.
RHR Selections: Downmexicoway (9/1) & Down Memory Lane (11/1) – Each Way
Downmexicoway (9/1) is a horse who has been building a consistent profile in handicap chases throughout the season and arrives at the Cheltenham Festival looking like a runner who may still have improvement to come.
His performances this campaign have generally come over slightly shorter distances, where he has travelled strongly through his races before finishing his races off well in the closing stages. That running style suggests the step up in trip could bring further improvement, particularly around a track like Cheltenham where stamina often proves crucial late in the race. This will also be his first appearance at the course, but his ability to travel comfortably through races and keep finding under pressure suggests the track could suit him well.
Given the size of the field, the RHR team will also support a second runner each way in the shape of Down Memory Lane (11/1). The gelding has been competing consistently in competitive handicap chases throughout the season and arrives with a solid body of form. Earlier in the campaign he produced a strong performance when finishing second in a competitive handicap chase, staying on well through the closing stages to chase home the winner, before following that effort with another respectable run when finishing fourth in a similar contest, again shaping like a horse capable of holding his own in deep handicap company.
An added positive for Down Memory Lane is the presence of Jack Kennedy in the saddle. Kennedy is widely regarded as one of the most talented jump jockeys in the sport and has already built an impressive record at the Cheltenham Festival, regularly delivering high-class rides in major races. His experience in navigating large-field handicap contests can often make a significant difference in races of this nature.
With 23 runners declared, races like this can often produce unpredictable results, so supporting two each-way runners offers the RHR team a stronger presence in what promises to be another fiercely competitive handicap.
RHR Selections: Newton Tornado (5/1) & Grand Geste (14/1) – Each Way
The final race on Day One of the Cheltenham Festival is the National Hunt Challenge Cup, a demanding staying contest run over an extended distance that often rewards novice chasers who already have proven stamina earlier in the season. With 17 runners declared, it looks another competitive renewal to close the opening day.
The main RHR selection is Newton Tornado (5/1), a horse who has built an impressive staying profile during the current campaign. Earlier this season he showed his ability when winning a novice chase over three miles, staying on strongly through the closing stages after travelling comfortably for much of the race. He has since backed that up with another solid effort in graded company, finishing second in a competitive novice chase, again shaping like a horse whose strengths lie in stamina and resilience over longer distances.
Given the nature of this race, RHR will also support a second runner each way in Grand Geste (14/1). The gelding has been steadily progressing over fences this season and produced a notable performance when winning a novice chase earlier in the campaign, before following that up with a placed effort in a competitive staying contest, staying on well through the latter stages. Those performances suggest the extended trip in the National Hunt Challenge Cup could bring further improvement.
With both horses arriving with solid staying form over fences this season, Newton Tornado and Grand Geste look two interesting contenders to carry the RHR hopes in the final race.