Cheltenham Favourites 2024
The Cheltenham favourites are invariably the most popular horses throughout the Festival, so it’s worth getting familiar with the likely contenders. They collectively proved worth backing on day one at Prestbury Park, despite the heavy ground, but it remains to be seen when the trend will continue.
Cheltenham Gold Cup favourites
Cheltenham favourites are often based on the good form they bring, the best jockeys and trainers, recent trial races and having good winning past form at the Cheltenham Festival.
2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup odds and runners
Let’s take a look at how the odds have fluctuated on the top five in the betting in the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival’s biggest race.
| Horse | Odds on 13/04/23 | Odds on 29/12/23 | Odds on 12/02/24 | Odds on 15/03/24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galopin Des Champs | 6/4 | 15/8 | 10/11 | Evens |
| Gerri Colombe | 16/1 | 11/1 | 10/1 | 13/2 |
| Fastorslow | 66/1 | 5/1 | 5/1 | 8/1 |
| LHomme Presse | 16/1 | 20/1 | 10/1 | 14/1 |
Cheltenham Festival favourites
Find the Cheltenham favourites for the biggest races of Cheltenham Festival 2024.
Cheltenham favourites 2024
| Day | Races | Cheltenham Favourites | Odds | Finished |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Supreme Novices | Tullyhill | 3/1 | 8th |
| 1 | Champion Hurdle | State Man | 4/9 | 1st |
| 2 | Coral Cup | Built By Ballymore | 9/2 | 14th |
| 2 | Champion Chase | El Fabiolo | 1/3 | PU |
| 3 | Stayers’ Hurdle | Teahupoo | 15/8 | 1st |
| 4 | Gold Cup | Galopin Des Champs | Evens | TBC |
*Odds subject to change and correct at 14:00 on 15th March 2024.
Cheltenham Festival betting guide 2024
Many horses are returning for another crack at the Cheltenham Festival in 2024, and we often see previous winners heading up the ante post market. One of the Gold Cup favourites, Galopin Des Champs, was last year’s winner. Bravemansgame, who came home in second in last year’s race, features in the 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup betting, while Hewick is also set for another shot at the big prize after impressing when winning the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.
2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup results
| Gold Cup Results | Gold Cup Runners | SP |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Galopin Des Champs | 7/5 fav |
| 2nd | Bravemansgame | 6/1 |
| 3rd | Conflated | 22/1 |
| 4th | Noble Yeats | 14/1 |
| 5th | Protektorat | 25/1 |
Top Cheltenham 2024 Races
There are several feature races held over the four day Cheltenham Festival.
Day 1 – Champion Hurdle 2024
The championship race on day one of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival is the two-mile Champion Hurdle. Based on the average ante post odds, our table below gives you an idea of the perceived percentage chance the current top four have of winning the 2024 Champion Hurdle.
| Champion Hurdle Runners | Winning Chance |
|---|---|
| State Man | 69% |
| Irish Point | 17% |
| Iberico Lord | 9% |
| Nemean Lion | 7% |
Implied probability based on best odds on 12th March 2024. Percentages may add up to more than 100% due to bookmakers’ margin.
Champion Hurdle 2024 Winner – State Man
Heavy favourite State Man romped home to land for favourite backers. The absence of his most significant rival, Constitution Hill, will lessen his victory for some. However, a Cheltenham Festival win is a massive achievement regardless of the circumstances.
Day 2 – Champion Chase 2024
The Champion Chase, a top Grade 1 contest, features the best two-mile chasers in the business. Staged on Cheltenham’s Old Course, this race really is a speed test and was won in 2023 by Energumene, after chief rival Edwardstone came up well short of pre-race expectations. A leg injury is expected to rule Energumene out for the season, leaving last year’s Arkle winner, El Fabiolo, as the one to beat.
| Champion Chase Runners | Winning Chance |
|---|---|
| El Fabiolo | 75% |
| Edwardstone | 13% |
| Captain Guinness | 11% |
| Elixer De Nuts | 3% |
Implied probability based on best odds on 13th March 2024. Percentages may add up to more than 100% due to bookmakers’ margin.
Champion Chase 2024 Winner – Captain Guinness
Short-price favourite El Fabiolo was pulled up after a big mistake at an early fence. Outsider Captain Guinness took full advantage, showing grit to see off a late challenge from Gentleman De Mee.
Day 3 – Ryanair Chase 2024
Day three’s most valuable race, if not the feature event, is the 2½-mile Grade 1 Ryanair Chase. Also known as the Festival Trophy, this event has raised its profile gradually over the years to become one of the most important races on the National Hunt calendar.
Having won the race in spectacular style for Willie Mullins in both 2021 and 2022, Allaho had been favourite to make it three in a row. Sadly, injury forces him to miss a second successive Cheltenham Festival, which has opened the door for 2023 Ryanair Chase winner Envoi Allen to retain his crown.
| Ryanair Chase Runners | Winning Chance |
|---|---|
| Envoi Allen | 29% |
| Stage Star | 17% |
| Banbridge | 17% |
| Conflated | 10% |
Implied probability based on best odds on 14th March 2024. Percentages may add up to more than 100% due to bookmakers’ margin.
Ryanair Chase 2024 Winner – Protektorat
Favourite Envoi Allen and eventual winner Protektorat pulled clear of the rest of the field at the last fence. After a competitive battle, Harry Skelton’s mount found more, winning by around three lengths.
Day 3 – Stayers’ Hurdle 2024
Thursday’s championship event is the Stayers’ Hurdle, a three-mile slog around the New Course. Teahupoo was seen as the one to beat, but it was Sire Du Berlais who upset the odds to leave the bookies celebrating. Once again, Teahupoo is the bookies favourite, with Sire Du Berlais a relative afterthought in the betting, but will history repeat itself?
Grand National watchers will also have an eye on Noble Yeats, with the 2022 Aintree winner showing good form already this season.
| Stayers’ Hurdle Runners | Winning Chance |
|---|---|
| Teahupoo | 38% |
| Crambo | 13% |
| Noble Yeats | 13% |
| Sir Gerhard | 13% |
Implied probability based on best odds on 14th March 2024. Percentages may add up to more than 100% due to bookmakers’ margin.
Stayers Hurdle 2024 Winner – Teahupoo
Teahupoo proved to be the class of the field in the Stayer Hurdle. He travelled well throughout and pulled clear from Flooring Porter when Jack Kennedy asked him to go and win.
Day 4 – Gold Cup 2024
This is the big one. The Cheltenham Gold Cup staged on the final day of the meeting, is the sport’s ‘Blue Riband’ event. Run over 3¼ miles of the New Course, the Gold Cup really takes some getting with only the very best able to conquer it down the years.
Galopin Des Champs certainly justified favouritism in 2023, and he heads the Cheltenham Gold Cup ante post market once again.
| Gold Cup Runners | Gold Cup Betting Odds | % Chance of Winning |
|---|---|---|
| Galopin Des Champs | Evens | 50% |
| Gerri Colombe | 13/2 | 13% |
| Fastorslow | 8/1 | 11% |
| L’Homme Presse | 14/1 | 8% |
| Corach Rambler | 18/1 | 5% |
Implied probability based on best odds on 15th March 2024. Percentages may add up to more than 100% due to bookmakers’ margin.
Cheltenham Gold Cup 2024 Winner – Galopin Des Champs
The heavy favourite, Galopin Des Champs, justified his short price by capturing his second consecutive Gold Cup relatively easily. Grand National 2023 winner Corach Rambler stayed on strongly to finish third, a very positive sign for his chances at Aintree.
Cheltenham Favourites 2024 – Ante-Post betting guide
One of the Cheltenham’s perks is ante-post betting on the major championship races – this is when you can bet on the Cheltenham Festival races way in advance of the meeting.
As soon as the Festival is over there is betting on the races for the next Cheltenham Festival. Bookmakers such as Paddy Power and Betfair issue ante-post betting for races like the Festival’s Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase.
Nearer the time, most of the races will have betting available and these markets change all the time based on how horses are performing in the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival.
Non-Runner, No Bet
In the weeks before the Cheltenham Festival most of the main bookmakers like Paddy Power, William Hill, Coral and bet365 will make their ante-post Cheltenham markets ‘Non-Runner, No Bet’ – this means that if your Cheltenham bet (horse) doesn’t run you will get your money back – it will be classed as a non-runner.
Ante-post betting can be fraught with danger because if the backed horse is withdrawn before the day of the race all stakes are lost. In the weeks leading up to the Festival, some bookmakers offer the concession of non-runner/no bet.
This means if a horse is taken out of the race before race day it counts as a non-runner. Bookmakers refund all the placed stakes on the horse. In placing ante-post bets on Cheltenham favourites you should identify which bookmaker offers non-runner/no bet for all 28 races at the festival.
Initially, the offer might only apply to the feature race on each of the four days of the festival but nearer the time will be extended to cover all the races. Operators like Paddy Power and Betfair will offer extra places and odds boosts on winners at Cheltenham.
Cheltenham Festival: Horse Racing – Cheltenham Festival – Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Britain – March 12, 2019 Jeremiah McGrath on Beware The Bear celebrates winning the 2:50 Ultima Handicap Chase REUTERS/Eddie Keogh/Ritzau Scanpix
Live Cheltenham betting
Paddy Power and bet365 are two of the biggest UK bookmakers and each operator offers live betting on Cheltenham favourites. Customers can bet on the winner of a race at the festival once the race has begun. Prices are updated as the race develops and betting is available until the outcome is obvious.
Some operators offer place only betting and others will accept each-way betting for live races which are often Cheltenham favourites.
Live streaming is available with several UK online bookmakers, but customers must place a bet to gain access to this service. There is also a cash-out option with Cheltenham favourites which means customers cash close bets before expiry to guarantee a profit or limit a loss.
Cheltenham betting offers 2024
Most bookmakers will have extra Cheltenham Festival offers in the weeks leading up to the event – these can include faller insurance and extra place offers so it’s always best to shop around and find the best Cheltenham offers.
The welcome offers are generally matched deposit and bet bonuses. Any bonus funds can be used for betting on winners at Cheltenham. Each welcome offer is available when the Terms & Conditions are followed completely.
Check out the Cheltenham 2024 betting offers here.
Cheltenham favourites summary
The festival is huge for betting and all the major bookmakers offer ante-post betting for the winners at Cheltenham. Customers can place win and each-way bets on races at the Festival and some bookmakers offer enhanced odds.
Non-runner/no bet is a popular concession during the few weeks before Cheltenham. It is easily the biggest betting meeting of the year with opportunities to enjoy welcome offers and place bets on Cheltenham favourites.
*All odds subject to change.
Cheltenham Festival Favourites FAQs
How many favourites win at Cheltenham Festival?
Over the past five meetings there have been 45 winning favourites from 149 total races at the Cheltenham Festival. The exact number of winning SP favourites varies from year to year.
What percentage of favourites win at the Cheltenham Festival?
Using the data from the last five years, 32.1% of horses that were the SP favourite at the Cheltenham Festival won. This result correlates closely with the well-established belief among horse racing fans that roughly 1 in 3 SP favourites go on to win.
Who is the heaviest favourite at Cheltenham?
The heaviest favourites at this year’s Cheltenham Festival are State Man in Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle and El Fabiolo in Wednesday’s Champion Chase. Both are heavily odds-on, and neither looks likely to drift before their races go off.
Who is favourite to win the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle?
State Man is now the heavy odds-on favourite for Tuesday’s Cheltenham Champion Hurdle. The Nicky Henderson trained superstar Constitution Hill had been the favourite for a while, but will miss Cheltenham 2024 due to illness.
Who is favourite to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
Galopin Des Champs is a strong favourite for this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup. The Willie Mullins star won the race at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, as well as the Irish Gold Cup in 2023 and 2024.
What is the most popular race at Cheltenham?
The Gold Cup is undoubtedly the headline contest of the Cheltenham Festival. The majority of racing fans recognise it as the most prestigious race at the year’s most significant jumps meeting. While the Cheltenham Gold Cup is a highlight, there’s elite action to enjoy throughout the card on all four days.
Who is the leading jockey at Cheltenham Festival?
Champion Jump Jockey Paul Townend has won the Leading Jockey title at the Cheltenham Festival in three of the last four years. His total of 5 winning runs in 2023 put him head and shoulders above his nearest rival. Townend’s haul included winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Galopin Des Champ and the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Energumene. Given the quality of his potential rides, he has a solid chance of retaining the title at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival.
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