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Christmas and New Year marks one of the most hectic times of the year in jumps racing. With major meetings across the United Kingdom and Ireland, including the standout Christmas Festivals at Kempton and Leopardstown, it’s a telling period for those looking ahead to the Cheltenham Festival in the horse race betting online.
There was an abundance of clues for March’s highlight Festival, with several experienced thoroughbreds cementing their status as the top horses in their respective divisions while an array of exciting youngsters threw their hats in the ring for the high-profile novices’ contests.
That said, let’s assess some of the biggest market movers ahead of the much-anticipated 2025 Cheltenham Festival in the spring.
Constitution Hill – Champion Hurdle
There were major changes to the Champion Hurdle market, as the 2023 winner, Constitution Hill, solidified his hopes of winning the day one feature for a second time with a convincing victory in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.
There was some doubt surrounding the Nicky Henderson-trained horse on his return to the racecourse since winning the same race 12 months earlier after suffering from illness, but he left those who questioned his ability with egg on their face as he romped home from Lossiemouth.
As a result, Constitution Hill is now as short as 4/7 to regain his Champion Hurdle crown in March. Meanwhile, Lossiemouth’s flat performance at Kempton and Brighterdaysahead’s convincing 30-length win at Leopardstown caused further major changes to the market.
Sir Gino – Arkle
From one Henderson stable star to another, Sir Gino made an incredible start to his career over fences with a convincing victory in the Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase at Kempton on December 27.
The Grade 2 contest was a mouthwatering clash between two of last season’s best novice hurdlers—Ballyburn and Sir Gino—in a bid to be just as impressive over the larger obstacles.
However, it was practically a non-contest, as Henderson’s mount won his chase debut at a canter from his Willie Mullins-trained rival to close into 10/11 for the Arkle.
The New Lion — Turners’ Novices’ Hurdle
Over at Newbury, the Grade 1 Challow Novices’ Hurdle saw racing pundits and fans split between Paul Nicholls’ Regent’s Stroll and Dan Skelton’s The New Lion.
The former made a promising start over obstacles at this course in November, winning by almost 10 lengths, while Skelton’s runner was unscathed after two attempts.
Expectations were high, especially with Harry Cobden claiming that Regent’s Stroll was Nicholls’ only horse with star potential, but The New Lion was a different animal to the rest—winning comfortably and is now 3/1 for the Turners’ Novices’ Hurdle.
Galopin Des Champs – Gold Cup
A historic bid to land a third consecutive Gold Cup is on the cards for Galopin Des Champs, and the nine-year-old made a bold statement when scoring a second straight Savills Chase at Leopardstown.
The dual Gold Cup winner was faced with a rematch against his stablemate Fact To File after finishing runner-up to his younger rival at Punchestown in November.
However, he reversed the form and then some with a commanding seven-and-a-half-length victory over the JP McManus-owned horse and is now 6/4 for the three-peat in the Cheltenham highlight.
