Cheltenham Tips for 2024: Early Prestbury Park Predictions
With the National Hunt Season already kicking off in style at Chepstow this October, it’s the time of the year when we begin turning our attention to this season’s hurdling heroes.
Marked as a staple event in the horse racing calendar, Cheltenham is considered to be the Olympics of jumps racing, attracting some of the sport’s most prestigious horses and jockeys.
Whilst March may be a while off, it’s never too early for horse racing fanatics to get their ante-post predictions ready and raring to go. With that in mind, we’ve created a round-up of this season’s Cheltenham festival, looking back at 2023 winners, and forward to this year’s favourites for the exhilarating four-day festival.
2024 Favourites
Day one’s Unibet Champion Hurdle predictions are already dominated by last year’s star Constitution Hill, the six-year-old who looks set to stun his rivals again.
However, the odds on favourite will be forced to face new challenger Impaire Et Passe if Nicky Henderson hopes to clinch the trophy once more. He’ll also have to see off competition from State Man, Constitution Hill’s main rival and runner-up in last year’s race.
Another big one to set your sights on this year is Galopin Des Champs, winner of the 2023 Gold Cup.
The Willie Mullins-trained favourite battled fiercely with Paul Nicholls’ Bravesmansgame, but in the end came out on top with a seven-length victory. Following in the footsteps of legendary past winners like Kauto Star and Best Mate, the pair are key contenders for this year’s Gold Cup, alongside the likes of Shiskin and Bravemansgame.
But with the favourite winning in three out of the past four meetings, Galopin Des Champs is poised to do the double with a victory in this year’s chase.
Ones to Watch
Constitution Hill and Galopin Des Champs may be the bookies’ clear favourites so far, but the Prestbury Park grounds have plenty to offer this year. We’ve therefore come up with some other key picks to keep in mind for the 2024 Cheltenham Festival:
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
As the festival’s opening race, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle offers young horses the opportunity to establish themselves as future stars in the sport.
Past winners of this exciting curtain opener include Constitution Hill and Brave Inca, who both went on to clinch the Champion Hurdle title. A notable mention should also go to Altior, making his Festival debut in 2016 with Nico de Boinville, before going on to win the Arkle Challenge Trophy and the Queen Mother Champion Chase twice.
The current favourite for this 2024 2-mile race is A Dream to Share, last year’s Champion Bumper winner and son of leading sprinter Muhaarar. Willie Mullins’ Mirazur West is another one to look out for, the younger brother to Champion Bumper hero Ferny Hollow.
The five-year-old impressed during his debut at Naas in March, and certainly shouldn’t be discounted as a contender to take this title.
Queen Mother Champion Chase
Cheltenham’s two-mile Ryanair Chase was won last year by 6/5 favourite Energumene, another member of the Willie Mullins powerhouse. After winning 2022’s competition, Mullins was looking to seal the hat-trick, but has since confirmed that Energumene is likely to be out for the season with a hind leg injury.
This may improve the chances of 2023 Arkle winner El Fabiolo, who was set to clash with Engerumene in a preview of the Champion Chase at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival in February.
While El Fabiolo is a danger, Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon should also be thrown into the mix. El Fabiolo may have beaten him by five and a half lengths in the Arkle, but he looked strong running the demanding race with so little experience, and has since won more Grade 1 competitions at both Aintree and Sandown.
Jonbon could therefore be one of the main two-mile chasers to keep an eye on this season.
Stayers’ Hurdle
Over to Thursday, the three-mile Stayers’ Hurdle trophy looked set to be claimed by Gordon Elliott’s Teahupoo last year after winning the Galmoy Hurdle.
Despite coming third in a controversial battle with Dashel Drasher, the six-year-old was pipped to the post by Elliott’s Sire Du Berlais, a 33/1 shot that surprised punters to clinch the 2023 title.
Although Teahupoo remains an excellent contender for this year’s battle. Gaelic Warrior looks to be the 2024 ante-post favourite after his first Grade One win at Punchestown. Jockey Paul Townsend steered him to a ten-length win, but we think that he may find Teahupoo to be tougher competition than the current ante-post odds suggest.
How to Choose Winners At the Cheltenham Festival 2024
As one of the highlights of the jumps season, the Cheltenham Festival is a great place for champions to defend their titles, and new talents to start marking their place in history.
However, with such an impressive line-up each year, making your selections can be a challenge, so here are 3 key tips to get you prepared for this season’s racing spectacle:
Consider Past Performances
One of the best ways of getting clued up on the sport’s future stars is to look at the horse’s form over the past season. Specifically, concentrate on races they’ve run over the same length, or with similar ground conditions.
It’s a bonus if they’ve competed in this race or at Cheltenham previously, as the course’s famous hill can really separate winners from those who simply don’t have the stamina required.
Look At Trainer, Owner, and Jockey Records
As Cheltenham’s leading jump jockey, Paul Townsend’s rides are always contenders across the four-day festival. Townsend retained his title last year with 5 winning horses, including Galopin Des Champ and Energumene, so could be a jockey to watch this year.
Similarly, keep an eye out for horses trained by the likes of Willie Mullins, who won 2023’s leading trainer with 6 victorious horses. Gordon Elliott, Henry de Bromhead, Paul Nicholls, Dan Skelton, and Nicky Henderson are some other stand-out names.
Watch Previews
Whilst Cheltenham 2024 may be a while away, the National Hunt season will soon be in full swing. Use this time to watch previews, look at ante-post betting tips, and keep up with the form of potential contenders for this year’s festivities.
Previews are a particularly great way of gathering information from trainers, jockeys, and horse racing experts, who can provide an insight on the best places to put your money this season. There are also several trials that showcase the horses’ form in the build-up to the festival, including Cheltenham’s very own Festival Trials Day.
If you’re looking for more tips, check out our handy Cheltenham Festival racing guide here.
