Who Are The Cheltenham Bankers 2025? Horses That Are Already Odds-On Festival Favourites

With less than a week till the 2025 Cheltenham Festival the ante-post markets are shaping up, but also chopping and changing still as the Prestbury Park hopefuls start their preparations. With that in mind, we look at the current Cheltenham Bankers.

Cheltenham Bankers 2025: Which Horses Are Already Odds On For The Festival?

It’s not long now folks till we brace ourselves for another Cheltenham Festival and the best horse racing betting sites in the UK have been constantly updating their ante-post markets with fancied horses either performing well (or flopping) in their prep races from December, January and February.

See here the latest horses that are being billed up as the Cheltenham Bankers – and already features heavily in many ante-post doubles, trebles and multiples as punters try and gain a price edge before the action starts on Tuesday March 11th.

You can also see which horses are currently the Cheltenham favourites for ALL 28 Festival races here.

Galopin Des Champs, Kopek Des Bordes, Lossiemouth, Jonbon, Majborough and Constitution Hill The Likely Odds-On Cheltenham Favourites At This Stage

A couple of the Cheltenham bankers at this stage (February) are two Nicky Henderson-trained horses – Jonbon and Constitution Hill.

While with Sir Gino now ruled out for the season, the new hot Arkle Novices’ Chase favourite is Majborough, who is trained by Willie Mullins and also landed the Triumph Hurdle at the Festival in 2024.

Another of the main Cheltenham bankers for 2025 is two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs – after he landed another Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival in early February.

Plus the other big Festival fancy (at this stage) is in the opening race – the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, where another Willie Mullins runner Kopek Des Bordes is odds-on to get favourite backers off to a flyer. However, there has only been two outright winning market leaders of the Supreme since 2005.

These are the only horses that are currently odds-on with the best betting sites in the UK – and are sure to figure in many horse racing multiples over the four days.

Mares’ Hurdle (Tues): LOSSIEMOUTH

There was much talk about Lossiemouth going to the Champion Hurdle to set up an epic four-way clash with Consitution Hill, Brighterdaysahead and last year’s winner State Man.

However, connections are expected to opt for the lesser Mares’ Hurdle, which is also run on the opening day of the Festival – which would make her another of the big day one Cheltenham bankers.

Lossiemouth won this race 12 months ago (watch below) in facile fashion and taking on her own sex again is the clear one to beat.

That said, this year’s renewal looks deeper than last year with stablemate Jade De Grugy, Betfair Hurdle winner Joyeuse, July Flower and Golden Ace, who took the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the meeting last year, all lining up.

Lossiemouth will also need to bounce back from a fall in the Irish Champion Hurdle last time out – but she’s a horse that loves Cheltenham – being 3-3 at the track – so it will still be a brave punter that takes her on.

Arkle Novices’ Chase (Tues): MAJBOROUGH

The Nicky Henderson-trained Sir Gino had dominated the Arkle Novices’ Chase market, but after a setback in early February will now miss the rest of the season.

This has paved the way for Irish Arkle winner Majborough to be catapulted to the new Arkle Novices’ Chase favourite on day one of the Festival – making him the a new Cheltenham banker 2025.

Majborough is also no stranger to winning at the Festival – as he won the Triumph Hurdle at the meeting last season.

He’ll also be looking to give trainer Willie Mullins a seventh Arkle Novices’ Chase win – and catch up with Nicky Henderson, who is the leading handler in this race.

No horse has ever won the Triumph Hurdle and the Arkle Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Plus he’ll also be looking to give owner JP McManus a first win in the Arkle. It’s one of five Festival races JP is yet to win.

Those looking to take him on might look to an 18-year-old age Arkle Novices’ Chase trend that hasn’t seen a winning 5 year-old since 2006.

Champion Hurdle (Tues): CONSTITUTION HILL

Constitution Hill won the 2023 Champion Hurdle in fine style, which came a year after he landed the 2022 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

However, the horse had to miss the 2024 Cheltenham Festival with a setback and was only seen back on the track in December 2024 when winning this third Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.

He saw off another potential Champion Hurdle fancy that day (watch below) in Lossiemouth and since that success has been shortened for the 2025 Champion Hurdle market.

If Constitution Hill, who is now 9-from-9 over hurdles, can win the 2025 Champion Hurdle – he’ll be the first horse to regain the title since Hurricane Fly in 2013.

Plus, will also be looking to give Henderson a tenth Champion Hurdle win.

Constitution Hill will face some stern challenges this season too with top mares Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth both confirmed runners – while we’ve also got last year’s Champion Hurdle winner State Man in the race.

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Tues): KOPEK DES BORDES

Trainer Willie Mullins has won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle seven times in the past and this race also provided the Closutton handler with his very first Cheltenham Festival win back in 1995.

He’s back for more in 2025 and looks to have a great chance of making it eight successes in the Festival curtain raiser with the exciting Kopek Des Bordes.

This 5 year-old already has a tall reputation after winning his Fairyhouse bumper back in March 2024 – and has translated that form to hurdles this season with top wins at Leopardstown.

The most recent of those was a facile success in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival at the start of February (watch below) – a win that has since seen his Supreme Novices’ Hurdle odds plumpet into favouritism.

Those looking to take on this Cheltenham banker 2025 might be pleased to know that the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle hasn’t been a great race for favourite backers. Only two winning outright jollies since 2005 have won this Cheltenham prize money.

Champion Chase (Weds): JONBON

Jonbon missed Cheltenham last season with the Nicky Henderson runners under a cloud, but the best betting sites in the UK are expecting him to make amends in 2025.

He’s the big favourite to win the day two feature – the Champion Chase – a race his trainer Nicky Henderson has won six times in the past.

This JP McManus-owned 9 year-old has won 12 of this 14 career runs over fences – with the last a top win over Energumene in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot in January.

He was also runner-up in the 2023 Arkle Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Those against him might look at his Cheltenham record (2-5), whereas he’s not lost a race away from Presbury Park. He’s also yet to win at the Festival, when second in the Supreme and Arkle in past years.

While the Champion Chase trends also tell is this race has been a graveyard for favourites in recent years. Six of the last seven odds-on market leaders have lost.

Cheltenham Gold Cup (Fri): GALOPIN DES CHAMPS

The final of the Cheltenham bankers has to be Galopin Des Champs, who is heading the Cheltenham Gold Cup market.

This Willie Mullins-trained chaser has landed the last two Gold Cups and looks to cement his name in with the greats in this Blue Riband event.

He bounced back to winning ways in the Savills Chase back in December and more recently added another Irish Gold Cup to his CV – beating stablemate Fact To File in both races

Galopin Des Champs will be looking to be the first three-time Gold Cup winner since Best Mate, who won the race in 2002, 2003 and 2004. With the mighty Arkle the three-time hero before that between 1964 and 1966.

He also seems to tick most of the Cheltenham Gold Cup trends and stats – what’s not to like and surely of all the 2025 Cheltenham bankers, he’s the most solid. We’ll see.

Cheltenham Festival 2025 Dates

The 2025 Cheltenham Festival dates sees the four-day meeting runs from Tuesday 11th March to Friday 14th March.

You can see the full Cheltenham Festival 2025 dates, race times and new running order here.

Other Possible Cheltenham Bankers 2025

Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Weds): The New Lion

The New Lion won the Challow Hurdle at Newbury over Christmas and was then purchased by owner JP McManus, who has 78 Festival winners.

The horse will stay with trainer Dan Skelton and won’t run now until taking in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle on day two of the Festival.

Since that Challow Hurdle win, The New Lion has shortened again in the market for the Turners and will be looking to get favourite backers off to the perfect start on the Wednesday.

However, Challow Hurdle winners don’t have a great record in this race – they are currently 0-21 heading into 2025. Can The New Lion end this run?

Stayers’ Hurdle (Thurs): Teahupoo

The Gordon Elliott yard fired in their first Stayers’ Hurdle winner in 2023 with Sire Du Berlais and didn’t have to wait long for their second – when Teahupoo won in 2024.

He’ll be back for more and with this division not as strong as previous seasons many are siding with Teahupoo to defend his Stayers’ Hurdle title and join the likes of Flooring Porter and Big Buck’s as multiple winners of the race.