For early value before the festival, see our Cheltenham 2026 ante-post betting tips covering all four championship races and key supporting events.
DAY 2 – WEDNESDAY 11TH MARCH 2026 – LADIES DAY
The feature race on Day 2 is The Queen Mother Champion Chase 2026 and all eyes are on Majborough after his demolition job in the Dublin Chase, but can Marine Nationale defend his crown?
The Champion Chase has been won by some absolute legends down the years, including dual winners like Master Minded, Sprinter Sacre and Altior.
And who could forget one of the modern-day greats Moscow Flyer.
- 13:20 Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
- 14:00 The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
- 14:40 The Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
- 15:20 The Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase
- 16:00 The BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1)
- 16:40 The Debenhams Grand Annual Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
- 17:20 The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Grade 1)
But, that’s enough of a ride down memory lane, let’s get down to the serious business of this Cheltenham Festival Preview Day 2 edition.
13:20 TURNERS Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
The first race of the day is the Turners Novices’ Hurdle run over 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and you will have seen from our full 2026 Cheltenham Festival betting preview page, that this is shaping up to be a fascinating contest for the staying novice hurdlers.
Act Of Innocence heads the market after being confirmed for this race rather than the Supreme, and sits around the 5/2 mark. The Willie Mullins-trained runner has been impressive in his novice campaign and looks well suited to this step up in trip.
Ballyfad is next in at 5/1, with Taurus Bay at 6/1 and The Reverend at 8/1 completing the leading quartet. This is The New Lion’s race from last year, and he went on to become a Champion Hurdle favourite, so the winner here could be a star in the making.
And with seven races each day, you might want to look at an each-way bet for fun. We’ll often see an odds-on favourite each day so if we leave that race out, it leaves us six races. Perfect for a Heinz or a Lucky 63.
Best Betting Offers for Today’s Racing
RACE ANALYSIS & SELECTIONS
This looks a typically competitive renewal of the Turners, and Act Of Innocence sets a solid standard at the top of the market. Being confirmed for this race rather than the Supreme suggests connections feel the step up in trip will suit, and at around 5/2 he looks a fair price.
Ballyfad at 5/1 is an interesting alternative and should appreciate the test of stamina, while Taurus Bay at 6/1 comes here with progressive form that marks him down as a live player.
FORM PICK
With the market still forming, ACT OF INNOCENCE 5/2 looks the solid favourite here and should take plenty of beating if reproducing his best form. For those looking at a bit more value, THE REVEREND 8/1 EW could outrun his odds in what looks a competitive heat.
14:00 The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
The second race of the day is one of the big chasing events for the staying novice chasers and is run over 3 miles. This was the race formerly known as the Royal And Sun Alliance Chase. In our full four-day 2026 Cheltenham Festival Preview page, we highlighted a few horses that were well touted in the betting.
Final Demand heads the market for Willie Mullins at around 3/1, though he has questions to answer after a disappointing run at the Dublin Racing Festival on heavy ground. That was a real shock given how impressive he’d looked earlier in the season, and punters will be hoping it was just the conditions that didn’t suit.
Jeriko Du Reponet is next in the betting at 5/1 and has emerged as a dark horse in this staying novice chase division. Romeo Coolio at 8/1 is dual-entered and could take his chance here if connections feel this is the right race.
If you like to bet based on trends then with seven races to choose from, it gives us the chance to place some of our single bets into different types of combo bets. Each day there is usually a very short price favourite, so we might skip that race and go for the other six.
So we could pick out six races, and go for a Heinz bet.
RACE ANALYSIS & SELECTIONS
This is a fascinating race where the market leader Final Demand has something to prove after his Dublin flop. The early-season form suggested he was a serious player, but that heavy ground disappointment has raised doubts. If the ground is better here, he could bounce back, but at 3/1 you’re taking a bit on trust.
Jeriko Du Reponet at 5/1 looks interesting as an alternative, while Romeo Coolio’s price will firm up once his final target is confirmed.
FORM PICK
With questions hanging over the favourite, this could be a race to look at the each-way market. JERIKO DU REPONET 5/1 EW looks the value play here and could take advantage if Final Demand doesn’t fire. If you fancy the Mullins runner to bounce back, then FINAL DEMAND 3/1 is still the one to beat on his best form.
14:40 The Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
Race three on Day 2 sees the first big handicap of the day and it is one of the most competitive races of the week with 24+ runners taking to the 2-mile 5-furlong start. A race that is always run at a very fast pace, and if you looked at our 2026 Cheltenham Festival Preview page, you will have seen the market is still forming for this ultra-competitive heat.
The Coral Cup is notoriously difficult to solve, with the large field and fast pace often producing shock results. Handicap entries were only revealed on 17th February, and the market is still bedding in as trainers plot their routes to this race.
This is the type of race where an each-way bet can pay dividends, or even a juicy combination tricast.
Richard’s full analysis will be available here closer to the festival, so make sure to bookmark this page.
RACE ANALYSIS & SELECTIONS
The Coral Cup is always one of the trickiest puzzles of the Festival. With such a large field and a searching gallop over two and a half miles, stamina, position and luck in running all play their part. This is a race where you need to look beyond the favourites and find horses that are well handicapped and capable of staying the trip at a strong pace.
As the market develops over the coming weeks, look for horses with progressive form that may not yet be fully exposed over this trip.
FORM PICK
With the market still forming, this is one to revisit closer to the Festival when the final field and handicap marks are clearer. Bookmark this page for updated selections as we get nearer to race day.
15:20 THE Glenfarclas CROSS COUNTRY Chase
Next up on Day 2 we have the Cross Country race which has become a much-loved race at the festival. It’s a great race for spectators as well, as you can view the race from the grandstand or take a vantage point at designated spots around the course.
Stumptown heads the early betting at around 3/1 after winning this race in 2025, and he’s clearly got the experience and know-how around these unique obstacles. The Cross Country Chase is run over approximately 3 miles and 6 furlongs and features banks, ditches and a whole different type of fence to the regular track.
It’s a specialist race that requires horses with a particular skillset, and those with course experience often have a big advantage. Once we have the full field, we’ll be able to assess which runners look best suited to this unique test.
RACE ANALYSIS & SELECTIONS
The Cross Country is a race apart from anything else at the Festival. Course experience counts for a huge amount here, and horses that have shown they can handle the unique obstacles are always worth serious consideration. Stumptown ticks that box emphatically after his 2025 success.
The race can throw up surprises as horses either take to the course or struggle with it, so it’s not always about the classiest runner on paper. Look for horses with proven cross country form and connections that know how to prepare for this race.
FORM PICK
With course form so important, STUMPTOWN 3/1 has to be respected after winning this 12 months ago. He knows what it takes and at a reasonable price could go close to defending his crown.
16:00 THE BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1)
The feature race of the day is Queen Mother Champion Chase sponsored by BetMGM, and this is shaping up to be an absolute cracker. The big story is Majborough, who put in a performance for the ages when demolishing his Dublin Chase rivals by 19 lengths at the Dublin Racing Festival.
That dominant display saw him cut from 8/1 to 13/8 favourite, and Willie Mullins looks to have a serious Champion Chase contender on his hands. Majborough won the 2024 Triumph Hurdle and after a disappointing 2025 when beaten odds-on in the Arkle, he looks to have turned a corner over two miles.
But he faces a stiff test from defending champion Marine Nationale at 5/2, trained by Barry Connell. Marine Nationale won this race in 2025 by a stunning 18 lengths from Jonbon, and while he was second on heavy ground at Leopardstown, he’s shown his best form on better ground and will relish faster conditions if we get them.
Il Etait Temps at 8/1 won the Tingle Creek at Sandown in December and adds depth to the race, while Dan Skelton’s L’Eau du Sud, also at 8/1, was third in the Tingle Creek and won the Shloer Chase earlier in the season.
This race looks like being a small field and sometimes it is worth looking at the favourites in the small field and Championship races and putting them in a bet like a Trixie or a Patent, and if you fancy four races, then a Lucky 15 could be the way to go.
RACE ANALYSIS & SELECTIONS
This is the race of the day and looks set to be a fascinating battle between Majborough’s explosive Dublin form and Marine Nationale’s proven Festival class. That 19-length Dublin demolition was one of the performances of the season, and Majborough looked like a different horse to the one that disappointed in last year’s Arkle.
However, Marine Nationale showed last year that he’s a different proposition at Cheltenham, putting in a dominant 18-length display of his own. He ran on heavy at Leopardstown and is better on better ground, so if we get decent conditions he’ll be bang there.
Il Etait Temps and L’Eau du Sud both hold solid form but will need to find improvement to trouble the front two. This looks a two-horse race on paper, though you can never rule out a shock in Championship races.
FORM PICK
This is a tough one to call. MAJBOROUGH 13/8 has the form in the book after that Dublin Chase demolition and looks the one to beat if reproducing that level. But you can’t ignore the defending champion MARINE NATIONALE 5/2, who has proven Festival form and may relish better ground if we get it.
If looking for a bit of value, L’EAU DU SUD 8/1 EW represents Dan Skelton and has solid form this season, though he’ll need to step up again to land a blow here.
16:40 The Debenhams Grand Annual Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
The penultimate race on Day 2 is the Grand Annual Handicap Chase, which has a new sponsor in Debenhams for 2026. This race is named after the father of current top trainer Nicky Henderson, and one that he is always trying to win, and he is sure to once again have multiple entries.
The Grand Annual is run over 2 miles and is a competitive handicap chase that often produces a thrilling finish. The market is still forming as trainers plot their routes, with handicap entries only revealed on 17th February.
Once the final race declarations are published, we’ll be casting our eye over the runners to try and pinpoint some value outsiders that can be backed each way. This is exactly the type of race where a well-handicapped runner can strike at a big price.
RACE ANALYSIS & SELECTIONS
The Grand Annual is a fascinating handicap chase puzzle. At two miles with a strong pace guaranteed, you need a horse that combines speed with jumping ability and a decent handicap mark. The race often rewards those that can travel strongly into the race and produce a turn of foot in the closing stages.
With Debenhams coming in as the new sponsor, there’s sure to be plenty of focus on this race, and we’ll have a much clearer picture once the final declarations and weights are known.
FORM PICK
With the market still forming, this is one to revisit closer to the Festival. Check back here for updated selections once we know the full field and can assess the handicapping.
17:20 The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Grade 1)
The final race on Day 2 is the Champion Bumper and often referred to as an Irish benefit, such is the power of the entrants that the top Irish trainers fire at this race. Willie Mullins has historically dominated this contest, and you’d expect him to have a strong hand again in 2026.
Dan Skelton has Risky Obsession entered at around 8/1 as a potential dark horse for the British team, but make no mistake, this is a race where the Irish raiders usually hold all the aces. Mullins has won this race multiple times and will likely have several entries that could go off at single-figure prices.
The Champion Bumper is run over 2 miles and a half furlong and is a Grade 1 National Hunt Flat Race. It’s often a glimpse into the future, with many Champion Bumper winners going on to become stars over hurdles and fences in subsequent seasons.
Once the final declarations are out, we’ll take a look at the Irish challenge and see if we can spot any horses from the home team that might be able to cause an upset.
RACE ANALYSIS & SELECTIONS
The Champion Bumper is Willie Mullins’ personal playground, and history tells us that backing against the Irish in this race is a dangerous game. The market is still thin at this stage, but you can guarantee that once Mullins declares his runners, several will be near the head of the market.
Risky Obsession gives Dan Skelton an interesting each-way player at 8/1, but realistically this is about finding the right Mullins or Elliott runner rather than opposing the Irish challenge entirely.
FORM PICK
The market is too thin at this stage to make a confident selection. History suggests Willie Mullins will have the winner, and once we know his team we’ll have a much better idea of which runner to back. RISKY OBSESSION 8/1 EW is worth noting as a potential British challenger if you fancy an each-way play against the Irish.
Final Thoughts
Another cracking day’s racing ahead, and the Champion Chase promises to be a classic with Majborough’s devastating Dublin form coming up against Marine Nationale’s proven Festival class. This is Ladies Day at its finest, and with seven quality races from the Turners through to the Champion Bumper, there’s plenty to get stuck into for punters.