Below we have a breakdown of common trends that have occurred over the past few Cheltenham Festivals. We've also weaved these into our Cheltenham Festival Day 1 Tips.

We've taken a look at the win market for race, as well as analysing who stands out in terms of value for this year's festival.

Cheltenham is a great time to take advantage of the Cheltenham Festival Free Bets.

📊 Day 1 Trends Cheat Sheet

• Most Grade 1 winners aged 5–7

• Horses arriving off a win perform strongly

• Irish trainers dominate novice races

• Cheltenham form is a big positive

1️⃣ Supreme Novices Hurdle (13:20, Tuesday 10th March)

• Most winners aged 5 or 6

• Usually won last time out

• Typically 3-5 hurdle runs

• Strong Irish record

📋 Summary:

MIGHTY PARK The race looks wide open this year, and while Old Park Star sets the benchmark, the unexposed Mighty Park could outclass the field if building on his impressive Fairyhouse maiden win.

EACHTOTHEIROWN iIf able to claim the lead, I would suggest the opposition jockeys don’t let him loose up front, as he certainly has a good engine.

➡️ See full Supreme analysis

2️⃣ Arkle Novices Chase (14:00, Tuesday 10th March)

• Winners usually 6 or 7

• Most had multiple chase wins

• Often arrive off a win

📋 Summary:

KOPEK DES BORDES He has the all-important track form, having been a superb winner of last season’s G1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, and I have maximum faith that his trainer will have him 100% for this assignment. 

KARGESE She has excellent tactical speed and attacks her fences. I imagine she is likely to set this race up perfectly for her stablemate, but if allowed to lead, it would be folly to dismiss her claims.

➡️ See full Arkle tip

3️⃣ Festival Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (14:40, Tuesday 10th March)

• Most winners had run 4–7 times over hurdles

• 8 of the last 10 winners carried under 11-2

• British trainers have historically done well in this race

📋 Summary:

GLEN TO GLEN fits that brief, as a last-time-out scorer at Cork. That win came as a surprise to his trainer, Joseph O’Brien, but the selection has plenty of room for improvement, from an opening handicap mark of 129. The O’Brien stable have also won the previous two renewals.

➡️ See full Juvenile Handicap tip

4️⃣ Ultima Handicap Chase (15:20, Tuesday 10th March)

• 9 of the last 10 winners were aged 7-9

• 8 of the last 10 winners carried 11-2 or less

• Most winners had 3+ chase wins

📋 Summary:

JAGWAR was another winner for us here last season, over 2m4f. He has been such a model of consistency over fences – especially at this venue – with course form figures of 1132.

➡️ See full Ultima Handicap tip

5️⃣ Champion Hurdle (16:00, Tuesday 10th March)

• 36 of the last 42 winners won their previous race

• 16 of the last 21 winners had previous Cheltenham form

• Most winners were aged 5-7

📋 Summary:

PONIROS could show improved form, returning to this track, as last year’s Triumph Hurdle winner.

➡️ See full Champion Hurdle tip

6️⃣ Festival Plate Handicap Chase (16:40, Tuesday 10th March)

• 8 of the last 10 winners were aged 6-9

• 7 of the last 10 winners carried 10-13 or less

• Irish trainers have dominated recent renewals

📋 Summary:

ZURICH Bit of a lucky dip. There’s usually 20+ runners in this one, so following the patterns listed above could provide a decent each-way angle.

➡️ See full Festival Plate Handicap tip

7️⃣ National Hunt Chase (17:20, Tuesday 10th March)

8 of the last 10 winners were aged 7 or 8

Most winners had already won over 3 miles

Previous Cheltenham form is a strong positive

📋 Summary:

BACKMERSACKME The Emmet Mullins-trained Getaway gelding has a mixed profile, whose best form entitles him to be hard to beat here. He finished his race off strongly, when second over 3m1f here in October.

➡️ See full National Hunt tip

Andy's Bet Club is fully set with Cheltenham Festival 2026 Predictions.

From Tuesday through to Friday, we'll have everything you need to end the Cheltenham Festival in profit, like our Cheltenham Day 1 Place Accumulator, Cheltenham Day 1 Lucky 15 Betting Tips, and Cheltenham Day 1 E/W Betting Predictions.

We have collated the best-value existing boosts for each day of Cheltenham in our Cheltenham Day 1 Best Boosts, Cheltenham Day 1 bet365 Boost, Cheltenham William Hill Epic Boost and, if you want to set up a new account, our Cheltenham Day 1 Free Bets.

If you are a fan of free-to-play games, there are plenty to take part in over the Cheltenham Festival. We'll have a breakdown of predictions for each to give you the best chance of winning, like our Day 1 Paddy Power Horse Racing Eliminator Predictions, Day 1 bet365 6 Horses Challenge Tips, and Day 1 ITV7 Predictions.