Cheltenham Festival 2025 – Who Do The Irish Bookies Favour?

The Cheltenham Festival beginning on the 11th March 2025 features some of the most talented horses, which is why it is considered one of the top three biggest horse racing festivals in the world. Whilst the prestigious events runs from Tuesday to Friday, the bookies are taking bets way before that. Who are the favourites, and what are the odds?

Champion Hurdle

The Champions Hurdle takes place on the first day of the festival, and sets expectations high. In 2024, State Man won the race ridden by Paul Townend and trained by Willie Mullins. This was a huge shock as the favourite was Constitution Hill, but in horse racing, anything can happen; there was a last-minute withdrawal after a disappointing recent competition.

This year, the bookies favourite is Constitution Hill again, who has won the last five races with the most recent being in January. Ridden by Nico de Boinville and trained by Nicky Henderson, 2025 might be another successful year, just like the Champions Hurdle win in 2023. The odds for Constitution Hill are:

• Bet365: 4/7
• BoyleSports: 4/7
• QuinnBet: 4/7

Brighterdaysahead trained by Gordon Elliott is also in with a chance of winning, with odds of 9/4 with Bet365 and 2/1 with QuinnBet and BoyleSports. Promising recent form, such as first place in the Neville Hotels Hurdle at Leopordstown, means that the Brighterdaysahead is a fierce rival.

Lossiemouth, trained by Mullins, is another huge contender with odds of 4/1 with Bet365, and 4/1 with QuinnBet and BoyleSports. However, Lossiemouth recently fell at Leopordstown and although the horse brazenly shot back up, there is no room for small mistakes in the Champion Hurdle.

Gold Cup

On the final day of the Cheltenham Festival, the highly anticipated Gold Cup will take place over 3m and 2.5 furlongs. This race is significant for Ireland because of the success they have shown in the last few years, as experienced Irish trainers like Willie Mullins (2019, 2020, 2023, 2024), Henry De Bromhead (2021, 2022) , and Jessica Harrington (2017) have worked with the winning horses of the Gold Cup.

As we can see, Mullins has won the cup four times in the last six years, which heavily influences who we believe will take the title this year. His horse Galopin Des Champs is a two-time winner already and the favourite to win the Gold Cup, with odds of:

• Bet365: 1/2
• BoyleSports: 2/5
• QuinnBet: 1/2

Other horses in the running include Fact To File, also under Mullins’ guidance who recently came in 3rd at Leopordstown with jockey Mark Walsh. The betting odds are 6/1 with Bet365, 5/1 with QuinnBet and BoyleSports.

Another horse that bookies favour is Banbridge, who won his last race at Kempton with renowned Irish jockey Paul Townend. The betting odds are 7/1 with Bet365, and 6/1 with BoyleSports and QuinnBet.

All in all, the favourites are the most likely horses to win but in a sport as dynamic as racing, there is no guarantee. Remember to choose the best odds and compare bookmakers, as this will increase your profits!