2025 National Hunt Chase Betting Odds at Cheltenham racecourse

Tuesday, 11 March 2025

The National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup is a beast of a race to cap off Day One at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, with this encounter taking place over three miles and six furlongs. There will be amateur jockeys on board the various horses that will comprise the field in an encounter where Now Is The Hour has emerged as the favourite to win.

The truth is that there are lots of potential winners of this race, with Deafening Silence certainly looking a backable price each-way based on performances to date. Haiti Couleurs is available at similar odds, with Chapeau De Soleil and Cleatus Poolaw other contenders that should be considered for your Cheltenham bets.

2025 National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup Tips

Now Is The Hour is a horse who is regarded as the most likely to win the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup by the bookies, although the betting market is still wide open. There was a solid effort at Navan last time out when the horse claimed fourth place out of eleven horses when the 20/1 shot outperformed his odds.

Previously to this, there were some encouraging performances at Navan and Punchestown, with Deafening Silence another horse to consider. The runner finished second out of six runners at Windsor, with this coming after a disappointing showing at Cheltenham, although there was a successful outing when finishing third at Haydock Park.

Rebecca Curtis knows how to train a Cheltenham winner and she might be in the winners’ enclosure with Haiti Couleurs, with the horse a notable victory at 4/1 at Cheltenham in mid-December when scoring by nearly three lengths. This came after a success at Aintree in November, with the horse opening with a solid display at Chepstow.

Willie Mullins has an interesting seven-year-old in the form of Chapeau De Soleil, with the horse finishing second out of fourteen runners when performing well at Gowran Park at the end of January. This came after a smart showing at Leopardstown and we think there’s more to come from this particular horse who will have a good jockey on board.


2024 National Hunt Chase Tips

Embassy Gardens is a horse who merits plenty of respect from the bookies when it comes to the National Hunt Chase. The eight-year-old is unsurprisingly trained by Willie Mullins who saw the runner achieve a thirteen-length victory at Punchestown Rcecourse back in December, with the horse beating five other rivals on that occasion to seal the win.

Grangeclare West is another from the Mullins stable who deserves plenty of respect. The horse has achieved three consecutive wins at the time of writing, with the latest coming at Leopardstown over the festive period. It was a six-length win over Corbetts Cross when sent off at odds of 4/1 and that came after a victory at Naas in November.

Henry de Bromhead has Monty’s Star in the race and the seven-year-old was able to record a New Year’s Eve win over Three Card Brag among others at Punchestown. Rachael Blackmore was able to guide the horse to victory and that came after finishing third in a race at Fairyhouse at the beginning of December which suggests the horse is on an upward peak.

Nick Rockett goes for Mullins and the seven-year-old was able to secure a seven-length win against four other rivals at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day, with the runner sent off as the short-priced favourite in a Beginners Chase. Previously to that, the horse was narrowly behind Monty’s Star over two miles, five and a half furlongs at Fairyhouse.


2023 National Hunt Challenge Cup Betting Tips

Gaillard Du Mesnil ran reasonably well in the Ladbrokes Novices Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival, although the horse finished well behind eventual winner Mighty Potter. Perhaps he will find the opposition less stiff when competing in this long distance race at the Cheltenham Festival, with the bookies affording the seven-year-old plenty of respect.

Previously to this race, the same horse obliged as the odds-on favourite to land the spoils in the Neville Hotels Novice Chase, with the runner winning over three miles on soft ground when competing at Leopardstown on 29 December, with while the horse was also highly competitive in the Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase.

However, it only takes one horse to beat the favourite and perhaps that comes in the form of stablemate Ramillies. Trainer Willie Mullins also has this horse as part of his mob-handed approach to the final race on Day One of the Festival, with the runner winning a beginners’ chase at Thurles back in December although the horse was then demoted to second at Naas.

Churchstonewarrior finished second to Gaillard Du Mesnil at Leopardstown at the end of 2022, although the horse was back in the winners’ enclosure when winning a Grade 2 Novice Chase over three miles at Navan. Trainer Jonathan Sweeney will now hope that the runner finds the necessary improvement over this longer distance in order to secure some prize money.


2022 National Hunt Challenge Cup Tips

There are a maximum of sixteen runners who can line up in the 2022 National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys' Novices' Chase, with the field still sorting itself out and it’s worth noting that there are several horses entered who might be rerouted to another encounter at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival.

However, Stattler looks to be a likely runner and the Willie Mullins-trained horse is bidding for a third consecutive victory this season. The seven-year-old won the Naas Racecourse Business Club Novice Chase at the end of January, travelling sweetly over three miles and one furlong and that was on good to yielding ground.

Previously to this, Paul Townend rode Stattler to a win in a Beginners Chase over two miles and five furlongs, with the horse being sent off as the 7/2 favourite to win the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival before finishing fourth and embarking on a chasing career.

Run Wild Fred Will Be Among Cheltenham 2022 Betting Tips

Gordon Elliott will be back at the Cheltenham Festival after previously missing the 2021 meeting, with the Irish handler serving his ban and he will now look to challenge Willie Mullins when it comes to the Cheltenham top trainer betting. The former has Run Wild Fred and there’s plenty to recommend an eight-year-old who hasn’t been out of the first two this season.

The horse was sent off as the 4/1 favourite in the Ladbrokes Troytown Handicap Chase at Navan on 21 November 2021, with the runner impressing thanks to a seven-length victory. However, the runner was beaten by eight lengths when running against Fury Road and perhaps the latter is worthy of consideration.

Indeed, Fury Road is also trained by Gordon Elliott and perhaps we will see this horse come through to take up the running, with the runner having proven underwhelming when finishing well behind the leaders on a recent outing at Leopardstown in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase.

Galvin Favourite to Win 2021 National Hunt Chase

Galvin looks like the best chance for Gordon Elliott at the time of writing and the famous Irish trainer has already secured four victories in the National Hunt Chase, with Jamie Codd likely to be on board a runner who might just be peaking at the right time when this race comes around in March 2021.

The six-year-old lay down a marker when winning the recent Matchbook Better Way To Bet Novices' Chase at Cheltenham Racecourse and that was over a distance of three miles which suggests that the horse should able to get the further trip for this race.

Indeed, Galvin was second to Imperial Aura at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival in a Novices’ Chase and that form is stacking up pretty well considering the latter turned in a recently impressive performance over the big obstacles.

Monkfish, Fury Road and Next Destination Next in the Betting

Monkfish is a talented six-year-old and could be the best chance for trainer Willie Mullins, with the horse carrying the colours of Rich Ricci and he managed to get up to win the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle when being sent off at odds of 5/1.

Since then, the horse made an appearance at Fairyhouse in a Beginners Chase where the horse was sent off as a short price favourite, while Fury Road also looks like an interesting contender and Fury Road was third in the Albert Bartlett and seems to relish the soft ground that is likely to be in evidence on Day One of the Festival.

Next Destination could line up for this race and trainer Paul Nicholls looks as though he could have a long-distance star, with the horse winning the Ladbrokes John Francome Novices' Chase at Newbury which looks like a useful marker.


The National Hunt Chase takes place on Tuesday 10 March 2020, with this being one of the longest races at the Cheltenham Festival. The horses compete over a distance of three miles and seven furlongs, with this also being a historic race due to it first being inaugurated in 1860.

The National Hunt Chase takes place on Day One of the meeting and the novel thing about this race is that amateur jockeys are on board the runners, with the runners and riders having to encounter 25 obstacles as they look to make their way around roughly two circuits of a demanding track.

This is clearly a race that rewards stamina and it was Le Breuil who won for trainer Ben Pauling in the 2019 renewal. The seven-year-old was being ridden by Jamie Codd who has developed a reputation for being the finest amateur jockey around, having won this race on board Cause of Causes in 2017.

The most famous winner of the National Hunt Chase is Tiger Roll, with the two-time Grand National winner obliging in 2017 and recent winners have also been Minella Rocco and Rathvinden, with this race resembling something of a Grand National trial in certain years.

As you might expect, the betting for this race is currently wide open, with Champagne Classic trading as the favourite with many bookmakers and the horse is available at 10/1 for those punters who are wanting to back the horse early.

The eight-year-old won the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at last season’s Cheltenham Festival and the Gordon Elliott horse has since recorded victories at Fairyhouse and Wexford, with Gigginstown probably targeting this race next spring.

Sam Spinner is also a well-known horse who has run well at the Cheltenham Festival in the past, with the runner having performed in the Stayers’ Hurdle in 2019 and finished second behind Paisley Park.

Trainer Jedd O’Keeffe has decided to put the horse over timber this year and two successive wins at Wetherby suggests that the runner has a lively chance in this race.

Battleoverdoyen is the other horse featuring prominently in the betting at the moment. The Gordon Elliott charge was sent off as the 3/1 favourite to win the Ballymore at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival although it was pulled up after weakening before the finish.

Since then, the horse has passed examinations in races at Galway and Punchestown, with Elliott potentially having two of the favourites in this race through this horse and Champagne Classic.

National Hunt Chase FAQ

The National Hunt Chase takes place on Day One of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, with this being an entertaining encounter which is a stern test of stamina. The runners and riders compete over three miles and five furlongs, with a big field always battling it out and there are amateur riders on board.
Haiti Couleurs was installed as the New Year favourite to win the National Hunt Chase although the bottom line is that there are any number of possible winners when it comes to this long distance encounter. High Class Hero and Sa Majeste are some of the other contenders at an early stage.
Betting on the National Hunt Chase involves having an online betting account. It often pays to have more than one so that you are able to compare the latest prices and establish where the value lies, while there’s the option to bet win only or go for an each-way option instead.
The favourites in the National Hunt Chase don’t have a particularly strong record. Only one horse from the past ten encounters has been sent off as market leader and it often pays to look at the bigger-priced alternatives. However, there are a lot of seven-year-olds who have landed a triumph.
Last year’s National Hunt Chase was won by Corbetts Cross and that was the fourth consecutive time that a seven-year-old had landed a success. Previously to him winning, Galvin, Stattler and Gaillard Du Mesnil had been successful for their connections.
Betting each-way on the National Hunt Chase is advisable if you are going for a big price selection. It can be beneficial to land a profit if your horse is able to hit the frame without actually winning the race. Choose a selection and then split your stake evenly between win and place.
Watching the National Hunt Chase involves logging into your betting account and accessing the live stream. You generally need to have a funded balance or place a bet on the action in order to watch the action unfold and this Bet and Watch service also features commentary.
Sometimes a punter will pick a number of horses and create a shortlist before deciding where to stake their money. It can be beneficial to have an each-way wager on the action and there are often price boosts available when it comes to selected runners. Make sure you compare the latest odds.