Champion Day 2026 Tips: Six Place Bets and a 28/1 Accumulator

13:20 – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

Old Park Star has been imperious this season. Three hurdle starts, three wins, and a combined winning margin of 33 lengths. Nicky Henderson knows this race better than anyone and he has described this horse as a monster in the making, a serious compliment from a trainer who has won the Supreme with the likes of Altior and Constitution Hill. He already has course and distance form at Cheltenham and his time last time out at Haydock was recorded with consummate ease. Top of the ratings, unbeaten, and in the hands of the best trainer in the game. He is the clear percentage call to finish in the first three.

14:00 – Singer Arkle Novices’ Chase

Lulamba is being campaigned in exactly the same way as Sprinter Sacre and Altior before him, which tells you everything about how his connections rate him. He is a perfect three from three over fences and has already beaten open-company stars at Newbury in February, handling heavy ground without breaking sweat. The standout quality is his finishing kick. He has an ability to find another gear and pull away from rivals that makes him exceptionally hard to keep out of the first two, and with only two places to cover here that is exactly what you want.

14:40 – Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

This race has been the long-term plan for JP McManus and trainer Padraig Roche, and that combination tend to have things mapped out well in advance. Saratoga is a former Group 1 Flat performer for Aidan O’Brien who has taken well to hurdles, finishing second at Naas last time in an eye-catching performance on heavy ground. He carries a mark of 130 which analysts consider lenient, and as a horse who brings genuine class and stamina from the Flat, he is built for a test like this. Seven places on offer makes him a very solid pick.

15:20 – Ultima Handicap Chase

Iroko is arguably the safest place bet on the whole card. A former Martin Pipe winner in 2023 who then finished fourth in last year’s Grand National, he is a proven Festival horse who loves a stamina test. Wind surgery has freshened him up and he came back to win convincingly at Ascot in December, beating a field that included subsequent King George winner The Jukebox Man. He jumps accurately, stays all day, and thrives on soft ground. Six places available and a horse who does everything right. Hard to leave out.

16:00 – Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy

Golden Ace is a course specialist in every sense. She goes three from four at Cheltenham and has been running at the top level all season, finishing second to Sir Gino in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton and winning the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth at Newcastle before that. Yes, there was an element of fortune in winning this race last year, but she has more than backed that up since. The Cheltenham atmosphere suits her, the track suits her, and at big odds in a race that has opened right up with State Man sidelined and Constitution Hill retired, she is a dangerous horse to leave off a place acca.

16:40 – Sun Racing Plate Handicap Chase

Dan and Harry Skelton have had a brilliant season and Madara could be the one that rounds off Champion Day nicely. Timeform have him six pounds clear of his official BHA mark, and his Racing Post Rating is 17lbs ahead of what the handicapper gives him credit for. He has solid course form at Cheltenham over this sort of trip and the yard have been pointing him specifically at this race. He was second here in a Grade 3 handicap in December 2024 and ran well again at Kempton in February on his return from a break. A horse with plenty in hand against a field the handicapper has underestimated him against.

17:20 – Novices’ Handicap Chase

One Big Bang has been quietly building a case for this race all season and the form book reads better than his bare results suggest. He ran well here on chase debut in November, going down only after the final fence to Wade Out over three miles on soft ground, which is exactly the sort of run that sets a horse up for a big handicap. He then won easily at Southwell in December before the two mile three furlongs at Doncaster last month was simply too sharp for a horse who wants a proper test of stamina.

Back up to a marathon trip now, back at a track where he has shown he handles the hill, and with a 3lb claimer taking the weight down to a manageable 11-6. James Owen has him in very good hands and at a big price in a wide open novice handicap, he fits the profile of a horse the handicapper has not quite caught up with yet. Solid place pick.