The talented Kopek Des Bordes is unbeaten after 3 career outings, triumphing in all 3 wins with ease and by a total distance of an impressive 19 lengths. The gelding won the Grade 1 Tatterstalls Novices Hurdle in mighty fashion last time out by 13 lengths – despite being hampered by a loose horse late on.

He has been well backed over recent weeks and it’s likely he’ll be even shorter than this price come raceday. Even his trainer, Willie Mullins, declared Kopek Des Bordes as his Cheltenham Festival banker of the week – after the 5-year-old’s last victory, Mullins said: “If you were to ask me for our banker of the week – it would have to be him.”

Currently available to back at 1.83 with Paddy Power, he looks sure to be much shorter come raceday.

This Willie Mullins-trained talent looks primed to get the Irish trainer off to a flyer on Day 1 of the 2025 Festival, he was the 4/1 second favourite for this, but Sir Gino’s recent withdrawal has Majborough set for another festival win here.

He heads into the Arkle after 3 consecutive wins by a combined distance of 16 lengths, his most recent win was by a huge 9 lengths in the Irish Arkle at Leopardstown at the start of February. His jumping wasn’t perfect that day, indicating that there’s likely plenty more to come if he can be more efficient in the air.

Majborough won the JCB Triumph hurdle at the festival last year on his first run at the course when going off at 6/1, and has notched 2 comfortable victories since then which should see him arrive here in good order. His power and stamina make him look very hard to oppose here, especially having proven that he can cope with the steep Cheltenham hill at the finish.

Constitution Hill will look to record a second Champion Hurdle win here after winning this race in 2023, before missing out last year through injury. The Nicky Henderson-trained gelding has won 10/10 races under the stewardship of the 6-time jump racing Champion Trainer.

He’s won all 3 of his races at Cheltenham by a combined distance of 34 lengths, while his 10 triumphs under Henderson equate to a combined winning distance of over 100 lengths.

Constitution Hill has won on good, good to soft, soft and heavy ground, so is as versatile as they come, and with the ever-present Nico de Boinville in the saddle, it appears a monumental task for any of his rivals to get near the star hurdler here.

Last year’s Gold Cup champion will go in search of backing up that success here. Winning this race a year ago by 3 ½ lengths, the French star failed to win his 2 races after his Cheltenham success (2nd and 3rd), but he bounced back emphatically to win his next 2 and arrives here in perfect order.

A 7 ½ length victory over Fact To File (the current 2nd favourite for this race) and a 4 ½ length win over Grangeclare West (Fact To File finishing in 3rd) in early February has him set up perfectly for a Cheltenham return.

While Fact To File has beaten Galopin Des Champs in the past, that was at Punchestown. Back here at Cheltenham, the Mullins star has won 3/4 races, and should have the beating of the field in the big one.