CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL DAY 2 TIPS 2026

In a strange turn of events, having mopped up the first five runnings, Willie Mullins has managed only a third and two fourths from his 20 runners in the five races since. This time, though, he sends out the odds-on Bambino Fever. Winner of two festival Champion Bumpers (here and at Punchestown) last spring, Bambino Fever hacked up at 1-10 in her latest hurdle race. Those looking to oppose her, however, can point to a half-length defeat by Oldschool Outlaw the time before, and her conqueror has advanced her claims since. They can also point to plenty of other rivals with similar or higher hurdle ratings, with Highland Crystal, Echoing Silence and Carrigmoornaspruce among them.

New for this year is this Grade 2 2m4½f novice limited handicap chase, which takes the place of the Grade 1 Golden Miller Novices’ Chase (run most recently under the Turners sponsorship). The aim is to bolster the Grade 1 numbers in the 2m Arkle and 3m Brown Advisory by removing the option for the top novices at the intermediate distance, while adding a competitive handicap in its place. This is an adaptation of the contest held at the festival from 2006 until 2020, after which it was moved to Sandown. A major difference is that the new race is a limited handicap with a 20lb weight range. If this race follows a similar pattern to the previous version, there will be an accent on strong recent form (look for winners/runners-up last time out) and that will tend to mean the winner is more likely to come from the top six in the betting. There might also be a greater spread of winning connections. Fourteen different trainers were successful in the 15 runnings of the previous novice handicap chase and victory went only three times to the trainers who now make up the ‘big five’.

“It’ll receive more attention and receive the coverage a race of its status merits,” went the explanation for the Mares’ Hurdle being moved from Tuesday to Thursday. So now, rather than being overshadowed by the Champion Hurdle, it will be overshadowed by the Stayers’ Hurdle and the Ryanair. The best news is that Lossiemouth finally runs in the Champion Hurdle instead. Wodhooh, therefore, replaces her at odds-on and there’s an excellent chance that she too would have been well worth a place in the Champion line-up. Jade De Grugy looks like the best shot for second, a berth she filled last year.

A race run in various guises since 1912, with modern runnings widely regarded as having started in 1972, it is the championship race in the staying hurdle programme. Multiple winners are commonplace, with Crimson Embers (two), Galmoy (two), Baracounda (two), Flooring Porter (two), Inglis Drever (three) and Big Buck's (four) all scoring more than once since the 1980s. Irish yards are on the roll, with the last five, courtesy of four horses, exported across the Irish Sea, and three of those four hold an entry this year.

Willie Mullins holds the record for leading trainer, with six wins for this race, including last year's running when Fact to File, scored impressively, and this year is back for more. Contesting the longer race didn’t work out for Banbridge last year, although the trip was seemingly not the primary cause, but he’s now played his full part in a thrilling finish to the King George for the second year running and should be placed in this race. Heart Wood was the 2025 Ryanair second, but at a distance of nine lengths.

Winners of this race haven’t often won their qualifiers, nor are they usually on winning sprees. Hot favourite Supremely West therefore fits the bill for Dan Skelton, but I also can’t get away from just how strongly C’Est Different and Absolutely Doyen have been finishing to notch up their sequences. Electric Mason is clearly a leading light too. Three of the last four winners being 25-1 sounds a cautionary note, and two options from outside the market leaders are Staffordshire Knot and Minella Sixo, both for Elliott, who has a good Pertemps record.

Waterford Whispers is more than a whisper following his latest start, which suggested the promise of his 2024 second in the Martin Pipe might yet be fulfilled. Jeriko Du Reponet’s hurdling efforts are making clear appeal, and his chasing technique is not so much. They dispute favouritism. Last year's winner, Daily Present, is back. Kim Roque, Prends Garde A Toi, Herakles Westwood, King’s Threshold and Ask Brewster should also be considered.