The first Championship race of the year, the Champion Hurdle takes place on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.
Our Champion Hurdle tips are below, along with the latest odds, a runner by runner preview of the race, all the key information, plus free bets and enhanced prices.
Our tip for the Champion Hurdle will be posted in the afternoon of Monday 9th March, along with a full writeup and preview of all the runners.
This year's Champion Hurdle promises to be one of the most open races in recent memory, with five horses holding realistic chances of victory if entered - and unusually, all trained by different trainers.
The New Lion currently heads the market narrowly for Dan Skelton. The 7 year old won the Turners' Novices Hurdle last year, showing he's got plenty of stamina for this contest, and is still lightly raced with just 6 races over hurdles so far.
He's only raced twice this season; falling when competitive in the Fighting Fifth , before winning the International Hurdle after Sir Gino's unfortunate injury.
Fighting for favouritism is the main Irish chance, Brighterdaysahead. She disappointed in this race last year but had excuses and was an impressive winner of the Irish Champion Hurdle.
She benefits from the 7lb mares allowance which gives her every chance on form figures.
Constitution Hill's last four races can be best described as a nightmare for trainer Nicky Henderson. He fell last time out at just the second fence. Prior to that, he finished a distance fifth when odds on at the Punchestown Festival, fell in the Aintree Hurdle, and fell in this race last year...
Nevertheless he retains the best form any horse has shown in this race, having won this race by 9 lengths in 2023, and he will be popular in the betting despite the question marks.
The Mares' Hurdle looks the more likely option for Lossiemouth, although we'd love to see her take her chance here.
Like Brighterdaysahead, she also benefits from a 7lb allowance. She has won all 4 of her Cheltenham starts, and has won the Mares' Hurdle in both 2024 and 2025.
Finally, last year's winner Golden Ace. Despite winning by 9 lengths, his 2025 victory was rated as worthy of just a handicap mark of 152 by the handicapper. Since then, he has form figures of 2212, but none of those runs have rated at Racing Post Rating of more than 154.
In a normal year that would be no where near enough to win this race, but with question marks over all the horses in the field Jeremy Scott will be hoping for another surprise win.
Further down the odds, contenders include Poniros, winner of the Triumph Hurdle here last year on his British debut, Ballyburn, who has shown good hurdles form after being switched back from fences, and Casheldale Lad, who caught the eye when finishing quickly behind Lossiemouth and Brighterdaysahead in the December Hurdle.
The latest Champion Hurdle odds from Sky Bet are:
Odds correct as of 2pm, 17th Feb 2026.
| Full Race Name | Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy |
| Date | Tuesday 10th March 2026 |
| Time | 4:00pm |
| Distance | 2 miles 87 yards |
| Race Type | Grade 1 National Hunt Hurdle |
| Course | Old Course |
| Number of Hurdles | 8 |
| Minimum Age | 4 years old |
| Weights | 11 stone 0lb for 4 year olds. 11 stone 10lb for 5 year olds and older (7lb mares allowance) |
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Tuesday - Champion Hurdle Tips
Wednesday - Champion Chase Tips
Thursday - Stayers Hurdle Tips
Friday - Cheltenham Gold Cup Tips
A small field of just 7 horses lined up for the Champion Hurdle in 2025, and all eyes were on Constitution Hill.
Opening at 8/13 in the ring he was sent off as the strong 1/2 favourite. Brighterdaysahead was relatively unfancied, drifting from 15/8 out to 5/2, while there was money around for State Man at 8/1.
Making up the rest of the field was Golden Ace - 25/1, having touched 66/1 at times - Burdett Road (66/1), Winter Fog (150/1) and King of Kingsfield (200/1).
An uneventful start to the race saw the rank outsider setting the pace, with the second favourite sitting just behind.
Just as they reached half way, the race exploded into life though. Constitution Hill misjudged a fence coming down the hill, sending a roar of disbelief around the Cheltenham crowd.
Brighterdaysahead hit the front but was joined and then quickly passed on the final bend by the strong travelling State Man who showed an impressive turn of pace to pull well clear ahead of the last.
There was another twist to come though, as he completely misjudged the last, taking off too early and falling. Golden Ace shot through to pick up the lead, and his advantage was extended when Brighterdaysahead was hampered by the rising State Man.
A huge forecast landed as the 25/1 Golden Ace beat Burdett Road at 66/1, in a huge shock and a big win for the bookmakers.
The Champion Hurdle is one of our favourite races of the year, with the star two milers showing amazing speed and flawless jumping to win.
This has long been a race for favourites, with numerous odds on winners in recent years. The combination of hurdles (which are more forgiving than fences), the short distance, and the typically small field means there is less to go wrong than in many other races at Cheltenham.
Our tipsters review every Cheltenham Festival Champion Hurdle field in full before picking our selections. They'll rewatch all previous races for each of the runners, before assigning them their own projected prices - "tissue prices", as they are called in horse racing.
Armed with this data, they will then monitor the market, trainer and jockey form, and the weather conditions as the big day draws closer. Using this information to tweak their prices, they will have an excellent idea on the day of which horses are both overestimated and underestimated by the market.
