Join Steve Mullington for his Cheltenham Festival ante-post tips in the build up to the 2025 meeting...
Cheltenham Festival 2025 Tip 1
It’s thirty years since the French last had the winner of the Gold Cup at Cheltenham, so you could say they are well overdue another, but they appear to have a live candidate with a strong chance this year in the shape of Il Est Francais (20/1 in our horse racing betting).
The Noel George & Amanda Zetterholm trained six-year-old has won four of his five starts over fences to date, with his smartest victory coming at Kempton last Boxing Day when he put in one of the performances of the season.
Winner Market -
He made horses such as Hermes Allen, Giovinco and Kilbeg King look pretty ordinary when landing the Grade One Kauto Star Novices' Chase.
The son of Karaktar made a successful seasonal reappearance when cruising home in the Grade Three Prix Richard et Robert Hennessy at Auteuil at the end of September.
With Il Est Francais coming home tailed off in his final outing of last term at Auteuil in April, it was nice to see the horse bounce back in emphatic style. jumping well throughout over two miles and six furlongs on heavy ground.
Toscana Du Berlais was also on the premises turning for home, but Il Est Francais pulled away to oblige by seven lengths under James Reveley.
Noel George indicated afterwards that his star horse would return to Auteuil for the Prix La Haye Jousselin in November, before heading over to England for a crack at the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.
If he was to land the coveted Christmas feature then he would certainly be in with a live chance in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Owned by Richard Kelvin-Hughes and Haras De Saint-Voir, Il Est Francais shows plenty of similarities to some of the French greats that have gone before him.
The Fellow won the Prix La Haye Jousselin on his way to landing the 1991 King George, while First Gold completed the double in 2000.
They both contributed to some golden years for French staying chasers in the UK, so we maybe on the verge of something great once more.
As we all know, Galopin Des Champs is the horse they all must beat in the Gold Cup having doing it twice already, but to win three of them on the bounce is going to require one herculean effort and this could well be the season to take him on.
With a high standard of novice chasers on the scene this season, Il Est Francais could be set to take on a strong field in the Gold Cup in 2025. If successful he will become the fourth seven-year-old to win the race in the last sixteen renewals.
Cheltenham Gold Cup antepost tip: Il Est Francais (20/1 EW)
When is the Cheltenham Festival?
The Cheltenham Festival 2025 will take place between Tuesday 11th and Friday 14th March.
This year Cheltenham Racecourse will celebrate 101 years of the Gold Cup, the pinnacle event of the National Hunt calendar.
This is the one race they all long to win and every horse, jockey, trainer, breeder, owner and racing fan will have their sights set on the Cotswolds.
Four breathtaking days of top class action will see a total of 28 races contested and numerous champions crowned.
There will be plenty of interest in the horse racing betting too that week. So, what can we expect each day at the Cheltenham Festival?
DAY 1 – Champion Day (11th March)
The Grade 1 Supreme Hurdle raises the curtain to the Cheltenham Festival with a famous roar. Last year we saw Slade Steel land the spoils for popular Irish trainer Henry de Bromhead.
The feature race of the day is the Champion Hurdle and last year State Man came home in emphatic style under Paul Townend for Willie Mullins and owner Mrs J Donnelly.
Jumping with speed, precision and accuracy, the hurdling superstar landed Willie Mullins yet another Champion Hurdle winner.
DAY 2 – Festival Wednesday (12th March)
Captain Guinness was a surprise winner of the 2024 Queen Mother Champion Chase but the returning Energumene - off for the whole of last season after suffering a setback - will bid to claim his third success in the race.
Fact To File took the Grade 1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase with ease to give the formidable partnership of JP McManus and Willie Mullins another winner.
It was a performance that caught the eye and they will be targeting the Cheltenham Gold Cup with him this season. He will prove to be a popular pick in the Cheltenham betting odds.
DAY 3 – St Patrick’s Thursday (13th March)
The Cheltenham Festival is a second home to the Irish and St Patrick’s Thursday reflects this both on and off the track. The day itself features the Ryanair Chase and the Stayers Hurdle.
However, it was the home team that celebrated victory in the Ryanair Chase as Protektorat got up to claim a Festival triumph for Dan Skelton, while the Stayers Hurdle went to Gordon Elliott once again as favourite Teahupoo justified the odds to go a couple better than the previous year.
DAY 4 – Gold Cup Day (14th March)
The day features the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the blue riband race of jumping. The pre-race tension, the exhilaration of the race and the jubilations afterwards make it a truly remarkable day.
The 2024 renewal was won by the Willie Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs.
Mullins has now won four of the last six renewals of the race, with fellow Irish trainer Henry De Bromhead winning the other two.
Galopin Des Champs now has the chance to rewrite the history books by winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup for the third year in a row, but can he emulate the likes of Best Mate? What an achievement that would be.
Cheltenham 2025 Tips
We'll be here with daily tips on the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, with our horse racing expert analysing every race at this year's meeting. You can find Cheltenham tips for each day via the links below:
How do you get to the Cheltenham Festival?
By Road: Cheltenham Racecourse, Evesham Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 4SH
By Rail: The nearest train station is Cheltenham Spa. There is a dedicated Races bus service for the Cheltenham Festival from Cheltenham Spa Railway Station.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Adobe*
*Prices correct at the time of writing*
