Most significant horse racing meetings have one headline race that becomes the culmination of the entire event and defines its character. For the first day of the Cheltenham Festival, this role is performed by Champion Hurdle. Champion Hurdle odds are offered by all major betting platforms.
The Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race that accepts both male and female horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles and 1/2 furlong (2 miles and 87 yards or 3,298 metres) and includes eight hurdles to be jumped.
In this article, you will find a detailed review of the Champion Hurdle betting markets, inspect the currently offered odds, and get to know other important information regarding betting for the feature race of the Cheltenham Festival. If you want to know more about the Champion Hurdle, race cards of Cheltenham Tuesday, and list of runners, take a look at our article about Cheltenham Day 1.
Champion Hurdle Odds
The initial runners for Champion Hurdle were announced on 13 January 2026. Bookmaking platforms usually start offering Champion Hurdle odds as soon as the initial runners are declared, with some of them providing odds even before that happens. If you are planning to place a wager on any of the Champion Hurdle betting markets, you should remember that odds on horse races are subject to frequent fluctuations up until the point the race starts. That is why it is often advised to wait until the final declaration of runners to have full information before placing a bet.
When betting on horse racing, you will find a variety of betting markets at your disposal. The most popular ones are the Win, Forecast, and Tricast markets. Below you will find a detailed description of how they work when you place a wager on the Champions Hurdle.
If you are interested in betting on the Cheltenham Festival races, here you will find the odds 7bet offers.
Win Odds
Below you will find Champion Hurdle odds. The race will be conducted on Tuesday, 10 March. Be sure to check the current odds before placing a bet.
Champion Hurdle Odds
| Horse | Age/Weight | Jockey/Trainer | Odds |
| Alexei | 6 11-10 | J: Brendan Powell
T: Joe Tizzard |
SP |
| Anzadam | 6 11-10 | J: Patrick Mullins
T: Willie Mullins |
SP |
| Poniros | 5 11-10 | J: Danny Mullins
T: Willie Mullins |
SP |
| The New Lion | 7 11-10 | J: Harry Skelton
T: Dan Skelton |
SP |
| Tutti Quanti | 6 11-10 | J: Harry Cobden
T: Paul Nicholls |
SP |
| Workahead | 8 11-10 | J: Darragh O’Keeffe
T: Henry De Bromhead |
SP |
| Brighterdaysahead | 7 11-3 | J: Jack Kennedy
T: Gordon Elliott |
SP |
| Golden Ace | 8 11-3 | J: Lorcan Williams
T: Jeremy Scott |
SP |
| Lossiemouth | 7 11-3 | J: Paul Townend
T: Willie Mullins |
SP |
If you have ever placed a wager on any sport, you will have no trouble following the Win market in horse race betting because it works under the exact same mechanism. But even if it is your first time betting, this betting market is easy to understand and is often recommended to novice bettors.
One difference you will find between horse race and team sport betting is the number of potential outcomes. For example, in football a match can end in one of three ways: a home win, an away win, or a draw. In horse racing, any of the runners can potentially become the winner. It is your task as a punter to predict which one of them will be the first to finish the race.
If your prediction happens to be correct and the horse you bet on wins the race, you will get a payout proportional to the offered odds and your stake.
Forecast & Tricast Odds
Two other popular Champion Hurdle betting markets are the forecast and the tricast bets. Same as the win bet, they focus on the outcome of the race, however they work under a significantly different mechanism.
While in the win bet you place a wager on a horse to win the race, in the forecast bet you are betting on two horses at the same time but with different outcomes. Your prediction is that horse A will finish the race first and horse B will finish second. If you are betting on a straight forecast, the horses have to come to the finish line in the exact order you specified for them, otherwise you will lose your wager.
If you are betting on a reverse forecast, both the direct and the reverse order work in your favour. That means, if horse B comes to the finish line first and horse A comes second, your wager is still eligible for a payout.
The tricast betting market follows the exact same mechanism but now you are adding another horse to your prediction for a total of three. If you are betting on a straight tricast, all three horses have to come to the finish line strictly in the order you defined in your bet, otherwise your wager will be lost. If you are betting on a combination tricast, any combination that involves all three horses reaching the finish line in top three qualifies you for a payout.
For any of these bets, it is important that all the horses you specify in your bet reach the top two (forecast bet) or top three (tricast bet). If any of them isn’t placed within the winning top, you will lose your bet.
Forecast and tricast betting markets involve higher risks compared to the win market, because here your results depend on the performance of two or three horses, which produces more variables. As a means of balancing these risks out, bookmaking platforms usually offer higher odds on forecast and tricast bets. So if you do make a correct prediction, you will have a higher payout.
Below you will find Champion Hurdle odds for forecast and tricast.
Forecast Odds
| Horse | Age/Weight | Jockey/Trainer | 1 | 2 | Any |
| Alexei | 6 11-10 | J: Brendan Powell
T: Joe Tizzard |
SP | SP | SP |
| Anzadam | 6 11-10 | J: Patrick Mullins
T: Willie Mullins |
SP | SP | SP |
| Poniros | 5 11-10 | J: Danny Mullins
T: Willie Mullins |
SP | SP | SP |
| The New Lion | 7 11-10 | J: Harry Skelton
T: Dan Skelton |
SP | SP | SP |
| Tutti Quanti | 6 11-10 | J: Harry Cobden
T: Paul Nicholls |
SP | SP | SP |
| Workahead | 8 11-10 | J: Darragh O’Keeffe
T: Henry De Bromhead |
SP | SP | SP |
| Brighterdaysahead | 7 11-3 | J: Jack Kennedy
T: Gordon Elliott |
SP | SP | SP |
| Golden Ace | 8 11-3 | J: Lorcan Williams
T: Jeremy Scott |
SP | SP | SP |
| Lossiemouth | 7 11-3 | J: Paul Townend
T: Willie Mullins |
SP | SP | SP |
Tricast Odds
| Horse | Age/Weight | Jockey/Trainer | 1 | 2 | 3 | Any |
| Alexei | 6 11-10 | J: Brendan Powell
T: Joe Tizzard |
SP | SP | SP | SP |
| Anzadam | 6 11-10 | J: Patrick Mullins
T: Willie Mullins |
SP | SP | SP | SP |
| Poniros | 5 11-10 | J: Danny Mullins
T: Willie Mullins |
SP | SP | SP | SP |
| The New Lion | 7 11-10 | J: Harry Skelton
T: Dan Skelton |
SP | SP | SP | SP |
| Tutti Quanti | 6 11-10 | J: Harry Cobden
T: Paul Nicholls |
SP | SP | SP | SP |
| Workahead | 8 11-10 | J: Darragh O’Keeffe
T: Henry De Bromhead |
SP | SP | SP | SP |
| Brighterdaysahead | 7 11-3 | J: Jack Kennedy
T: Gordon Elliott |
SP | SP | SP | SP |
| Golden Ace | 8 11-3 | J: Lorcan Williams
T: Jeremy Scott |
SP | SP | SP | SP |
| Lossiemouth | 7 11-3 | J: Paul Townend
T: Willie Mullins |
SP | SP | SP | SP |
Popular Champion Hurdle Betting Markets
Other popular betting markets that are available for Champion Hurdle betting include:
Each Way Betting
Inexperienced bettors often overlook this bet, however it can provide some interesting value. Here you are betting on one horse twice. One stake is for the horse to come to the finish line first and win the race. The other one is for the same horse to take one of the placements. Of course, you are doubling your stake.
If you were correct and your horse does win the race, you will get not one but two payouts: one for the win and one for being placed. However, if the horse doesn’t emerge as a winner but still makes it into the winning top, your win wager will be lost, but your placement wager will qualify you for a payout. The number of winning placements is announced before the race and depends on how many runners have entered the race.
Match Bets
Instead of focusing on the outcome of the race, this Champion Hurdle betting market is aimed at the results two horses will show in the race in relation to each other. This means that you pick two horses and bet on which one of them will finish the race in a higher position compared to the other. Keep in mind that, while they may, none of these two horses have to win the race or even be placed in the winning top. The only thing that will influence the outcome of this bet is the positions they take in relation to each other.
Non-Runner No Bet (NRNB)
For the events with the size and significance of the Cheltenham Festival, it is typical for all official declarations on runners to be made within the 48 hour window before the start of each race. If a necessity arises, trainers can still withdraw their charges before and on the morning of the race.
If you placed your wager on a non-runner after the official announcements, you are guaranteed to get your stake back. However, if you placed an early bet and the horse was declared a non-runner later, you will typically lose your wager.
The non-runner no bet betting market acts as a safeguard for your bet for this specific situation. Bookmakers offer NRNB as a promotion to encourage ante-post betting among punters.
Betting is only available to participants aged 18 years and over. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org