Key Points
- My betting tip has excuses for her runs at Cheltenham to date
- This mare won the Irish Champion Hurdle showing that she’s in fantastic form
- I think the current favourite is beatable and nothing else frightens me either!
Today we take a look ahead to the Champion Hurdle at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, which is now less than a week away! With the two best horses over two miles, Constitution Hill and Sir Gino, both out of the race, the contest is wide open this year. But I think I have found the winner. It’s not the market favourite, it’s not the most talked-about horse, and it’s not last year’s winner either!
If you’re just discovering my content in 2026, I’m RacingGav and I’m the resident horse racing expert here at Betting.co.uk. My primary focus is bringing you
free horse racing tips, like this one, but I also publish other articles like big race trends and educational guides too.
If you want some reassurance before backing my selection today, you are welcome to
check out my 2025 results. And if you’d like access to all of my betting tips, rather than just the free tips here, the details for my Discord server are available at the bottom of this article.
Betting advice
- Tuesday 10 March 2026 - Cheltenham - Champion Hurdle -
Brighterdaysahead
@ 7/2 -
1pt Win
Back Brighterdaysahead with StarSports and get a free bet!
At the time of writing this article, StarSports are offering the
best horse racing odds
of 7/2 for my Champion Hurdle selection. In addition, they are a fantastic company when it comes to taking a bet, and we often see big bets being shared publicly across their social media. In addition, if you open an account and bet £20, you’ll get £10 of free bets, which is a great deal!
Back this mare to give your bank account a bright future!
The more I look at the 2026 Champion Hurdle, the more I see Brighterdaysahead being the one to beat. In this article, I’ll explain why I believe she’s this year’s winner.
Brighterdaysahead has excuses for her runs at Cheltenham to date
You may have heard people saying Brighterdaysahead doesn’t like Cheltenham or she doesn’t act on the track. Come 16:10 on Tuesday 10 March, I may have egg on my face, but I think it’s all nonsense, and I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is by backing her!
Both of her two starts at Cheltenham have seen her defeated, but I think she has excuses for both of those runs. She was third in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, losing to Golden Ace, beaten by 1.75 lengths. That was extremely disappointing at the time, but in hindsight, she turned out to be a lovely mare, and a subsequent Champion Hurdle winner (albeit a fortunate one!). The reason she was beaten was the way Jack Kennedy rode her. They absolutely dawdled through the race, and Brighterdaysahead was tapped for toe in a sprint finish. I’m sure if Jack had that ride again, he would be more positive.
Her second Cheltenham defeat was in last year’s renewal of the Champion Hurdle. Despite having Constitution Hill and State Man to beat, she was sent off at just 5/2, which shows the belief behind her that day. She wasn't fluent at the first hurdle, which was far from ideal, but she didn’t seem happy at any pointf the race. She took it up just before three out, but didn't tavel with her usual zest.
She was headed after two out, and weakening in second when badly hampered by State Man falling at the last. She lost a further two places on the run-in, eventually finishing fourth. The RPR of 148 says it all, that is nowhere near her best having run to 165 at Leopardstown the December prior. Jack Kennedy commented that she whinnied crossing the line and that she was very distressed, all of which suggests she wasn’t herself that day. I’m drawing a line straight through that run.
The last time we saw Brighterdaysahead was in the Irish Champion Hurdle where she comprehensively beat Lossiemouth, Poniros and Anzadam. That performance from her was given a RPR of 162, which was within 3lb of her career best, so Gordon Elliott clearly has her in great shape!
It looks likely that Poniros and Anzadam will both reoppose in the Champion Hurdle, but I see no reason why they should reverse the form. Lossiemouth is the talking horse, with many suggesting that she should go for the Champion Hurdle, especially with Constitution Hill, Sir Gino and State Man missing from the lineup. However, I have never been convinced Lossiemouth is a two-miler, and I don’t think her connections are either. I expect they will go for the Mares' Hurdle again, but even if she does run, I’d give Brighterdaysahead every chance of confirming the Irish Champion Hurdle form with her.
I think the current favourite is beatable and nothing else frightens me either!
Constitution Hill won’t line up as he has switched over to Flat racing for fear of him falling again. His stablemate Sir Gino will miss the race through injury, as will State Man for Willie Mullins. All three are a huge loss to the race, and make it a much weaker affair than a Champion Hurdle should be.
The current market favourite is The New Lion, and although he's a lovely horse, I think he is more a 2m 4f horse, rather than a Champion Hurdle contnder. If there was a Ryanair Chase equivalent over Hurdles (Grade 1 over an intermediate trip), I think he’d line up there rather than here. If he runs to his BHA mark of 159, I don’t think it’ll be enough, especially when he's giving 7lb to Brighterdaysahead due to her Mares’ Allowance. He did win a sprint finish in the International Hurdle when he beat Nemean Lion and Brentford Hope, but I don’t think that was a huge achievement, especially as he was receiving 3lb from Nemean Lion!
As touched upon, Brighterdaysahead already has the beating of Poniros and Anzadam, and I don’t think Lossiemouth will turn up here. Golden Ace is consistent and reliable, but I think Brighterdaysahead has considerably more talent. Beyond those, we’re into 25/1+ shots like Alexei, who I don’t believe is up to this level. Tutti Quanti could be a wild card if supplemented, but I think his front running style would only benefit Brighterdaysahead by setting the race up for her!
Can Brighterdaysahead make it third time lucky at Cheltenham?
I think there are plenty of positives for Brighterdaysahead in this year’s Champion Hurdle. First and foremost, she is never going to compete in a more winnable renewal than this one. With a poor ride in 2024, and her not being right in 2025, this is also her first real chance to win at Cheltenham. She is clearly in fantastic form as she showed with her Irish Champion Hurdle win. There is no lining up against her that frightens me, and that includes Lossiemouth if they decide to send her here.
The negative is an obvious one, she must prove she can perform around Cheltenham. However, I think she had excuses for her defeats here, and can now make amends barring any mishaps. Beyond that, I’m struggling to see any negatives whatsoever.
Weighing up all of the factors, I think 7/2 is a fantastic price for Brighterdaysahead in this year’s Champion Hurdle. Especially so when you consider that she went off at 5/2 last year, and faced much stronger opposition in the form of Constitution Hill and State Man. I believe she is being overlooked based on the illusion that she doesn't perform at Cheltenham, which is creating value in her price. I think she is well worth a solid 1pt to win here, and although I was tempted to go bigger on the stake, this is a trappy little race, so I’m not getting too carried away.
Fancy some free bets? Then check out these deals!
Below you will find five of our recommended bookmakers and their fantastic
free bet offers. There is plenty of value to be had from these deals, so make sure you take a look!
1.
Bet £10 Get £40
Requirements (WR): 4x Bonus + 10x Deposit, Min. Deposit: 10
New cust. Deposit £10+ in 7 days & bet on sports. Min odds apply. Reward = 4 x £10 Free Bets (2 x £10 Bet Builders & 2 x £10 Sports bet). Valid 7 days. Free bets not valid on e-sports & non UK/IE horse racing.
18+. T&Cs Apply.
GambleAware.org.
2.
100% Up to £50 + 50 Bonus Spins
Requirements (WR): 40x Bonus, Min. Deposit: £10
18+ | 1st Deposit Only | Min Deposit £10 | Max Bet £1 | Max Bonus £50 | Max Cashout X3 The Bonus | Max Cashout from Bonus Spin Winning £50 | X10 Wagering on Bonus and Bonus Spin Winnings | 2-days Bonus Expiry | 2-days Bonus Spins Expiry | Bonus and Spins Winnings are playable on any Slot and Scratch game, except for restricted-bonus games | BeGambleAware.org - T&Cs apply.
3.
100% up to £50
Requirements (WR): 8x (Bonus + Deposit), Min. Deposit: £15
New players. Choose bonus at signup. Wager bonus 10x. Deposit used 1st. Any withdrawals void bonus. Valid 30 days. Odds, bet & payment limits. T&Cs apply. 18+.
T&Cs apply. 18+.
4.
Bet £20 get £10 in free bets
18+ New customers only. Bet £20 (or more) EVS (2.0) or greater Get 2 x £5 Free Bets. 1 x £5 Free Bet paid automatically & following £5 Free Bet after 24hrs. Min Free Bet odds 4/1 (5.0) on accumulators Trebles & upwards. Expires after 24hrs. Full T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
5.
Bet £10 get £30 in free bets
18+ New customers only. Place a £10+ bet at min odds 1/1 (2.0) within 14 days of sign-up. Get £30 in Free Bets, valid for 7 days on selected bets only. Free stake not returned with winnings. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
Want more RacingGav content? Join my Discord!
While I produce several articles per week for Betting.co.uk, the vast majority of my content is exclusive to members of my Discord server. It’s the only place where you can access all of my betting tips and much more!
The Discord launched back in January 2024 and it’s still going now, so I must be doing something right!
February 2026 was a great month for the Discord, with twelve winners on the board at 14/1, 7/4, 10/3, 3/1, 7/4, 11/4, 7/1, 9/4, 9/2, 10/1, 5/1 & 5/1!
I’m sure you are wondering how much all of this will cost you? Well, it’s just £14.99 per month - less than 50p per day!
Alternatively, you may prefer a longer-term commitment for savings:
- Quarterly: £34.99 (saves £9.98)
- Bi-Annually: £74.99 (saves £14.95)
- Annually: £149.99 (saves £29.89)
I’m confident that you’ll
enjoy the Discord, and I’m also confident that my tips will make a profit, so if you join and don’t make a profit across your first 30 days, I’ll refund your subscription fee!
If you want to know more, my DMs are always open on X – @RacingGav
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
by Racing Gav
31 minutes ago
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
