The 2025 Cheltenham Festival is finally here, and it all kicks off on Tuesday afternoon. One of the best in the business, Mick Fitzgerald, is here to give us his tips on Day One.
You can check out Paddy’s full list of options across all markets at Cheltenham betting as the action gets underway.
Mick Fitzgerald’s Cheltenham Day One tips
13:20 Romeo Coolio (each-way)
14:00 Majborough
14:40 Broadway Boy
15:20 July Flower (each-way)
16:00 Constitution Hill
16:40 Stencil
17:20 Transmission
13:20 Romeo Coolio (each-way)
The opening race of the four-day Festival is always a special occasion, and it’s interesting that connections have put a hood on Kopek des Bordes. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was to wear earplugs also to combat any tendency to get revved up in the preliminaries. Willie Mullins’ short-priced favourite may well win, but he can do so without carrying my money.
I’d rather play ROMEN COOLIE, each-way, in the Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices Hurdle, as he looks like a very solid option. He was second in the bumper last season and won the Grade 1 Paddy Power Future Champion Novices’ hurdle impressively at Leopardstown over Christmas on similar ground to what he’ll encounter on Tuesday.
14:00 Majborough
This is a more straightforward pick for me. I just believe that the favourite, MAJBOROUGH, will win. It’s as simple as that. A small field should make his job that little bit easier.
14:40 Broadway Boy
The first handicap of the Festival, and I really like BROADWAY BOY over this 3m 1f trip.
There’s a lot of noise coming from the Nigel Twiston-Davies camp about how they’ve tweaked a few things to bring out a little more improvement in him after he was disappointed on his last run at this track. A reproduction of his Newbury run when chasing home Kandoo Kid in the Coral Gold Cup should see him go close.
15:20 July Flower (each-way)
The Mares’ Hurdle will see Lossiemouth as odds-on favourite, and deservedly so. I’d sooner an each-way option and JULY FLOWER fits the bill.
Henry de Bromhead’s horses weren’t in great form at Christmas, but she managed to win, and given the stable had a winner at Gowran Park on Saturday, they may have turned the corner now. She looks an each-way play to me.
16:00 Constitution Hill
Quality makes up for quantity in the Champion Hurdle, and even though there are just seven runners declared, it will be some spectacle.
With Brighterdaysahead, Burdett Road, and King of Kingsfield in the line-up, they are going to go hard from flag fall. That will play right into CONSTITUTION HILL’s hands as the faster they go, the better it will make him. A few of the front-runners could hinder each other’s chance, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Golden Ace follow him home in second.
16:40 Stencil
Connections hold French import STENCIL in high esteem, and even though he was beaten 10 lengths by East India Dock in a trial race for the Triumph Hurdle, there was no disgrace in that. This track should suit him better and he’s very well-bred, so can possibly cope with drying conditions even better than the form he’s shown on soft ground so far.
17:20 Transmission
The final race of the opening day is the National Hunt Chase, which has reverted to a handicap this year and is open to professional riders. I’m torn between Rebecca Curtis’ Haiti Couleurs and Neil Mulholland’s TRANSMISSION.
I have a sneaky suspicion that something coming off the pace will be better suited to how this race will be run. It was a tight call but the hold-up tactics might just prevail. Patrick Mullins rides.
Mick Fitzgerald’s Cheltenham Day One tips
13:20 Romeo Coolio (each-way)
14:00 Majborough
14:40 Broadway Boy
15:20 July Flower (each-way)
16:00 Constitution Hill
16:40 Stencil
17:20 Transmission
Read More
- Paddy’s Eliminator! Our new free-to-play horse-racing game ahead of the Cheltenham Festival
- Paddy’s Ultimate Cheltenham Festival 2025 preview night – tips for every race, NAPs and insider info!
- Cheltenham Tips: Timeform’s 4 handicappers for the Festival
- Ruby Walsh: My A-Z of what the Cheltenham Festival means this year
- Who will be the top trainer at the Cheltenham Festival? Odds for 2025
- Who will be the top jockey at the Cheltenham Festival? Odds for 2025
- When is the Cheltenham Festival 2025? Dates for this year’s mega meeting
- Cheltenham Festival race times and schedule for 2025 meeting
THE PADDY POWER GUIDE TO SAFER GAMBLING – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
