Cheltenham Tips: Paddy’s Ultimate Tuesday Cheat Sheet for day 1 of the 2025 Festival

Kopek des Bordes has been doing everything really well at home since winning at the Dublin Racing Festival. With Workahead and Romeo Coolio in here there should be a strong pace so it’s hard to get away from Kopek des Bordes as the likely winner.

Kopek des Bordes may well win but it will be without my money. Romeo Coolio (each-way) looks the solid option to me.

Tutti Quanti is the outsider of the field. If I was riding one of Willie Mullins’ I’d want to be on Kopek Des Bordes. He looks like a good thing to kick the week off.

We’ve put a hood on Kopek des Bordes in the hope that will help him relax more. If he does he should have a great chance of getting the week off to a flyer for us in the Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Kopek des Bordes could easily blow this field apart, but the each-way bet has to be ROMEO COOLIO for Gordon Elliott.

Majborough should win and I won’t be opposing him. Touch Me Not could be one for the forecast or the ‘betting without’ market.

I just believe that the favourite Majborough will win. It’s as simple as that.

I can’t see Majborough getting beaten. There’s only five declared but I was in Nicky Henderson’s on Monday morning and I did see Jango Baie run. He was in very good form.

We think Majborough is a monster and would expect him to follow in the hoof steps of Un De Sceaux and Douvan by winning the Arkle Chase.

Majborough’s jumping of fences has not been flawless and the Triumph Hurdle form is hardly incredible. I’ve had a decent each-way bet on Jango Baie for Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville when I was assured three places.

I liked Broadway Boy but his last run disappointed me. Whistle Stop Tour will be better suited by the step up in trip to 3m 1f so I’ll side with him.

A reproduction of his Newbury run when chasing home Kandoo Kid in the Coral Gold Cup should see Broadway Boy go close in this 3m 1f handicap chase.

I ride Stay Away Fay who’s obviously on a bit of a recovery mission and he’s been disappointing of late. I really like Crebilly as a potential winner. He could be one that just has a little bit up his sleeve.

Sequestered could run into the places at a nice price for trainer Paul Gilligan, whose had Cheltenham success before. He’s been running consistently and has a nice weight.

I’m hoping for a good each-way run here from Henry’s Friend for Ben Pauling. A strongly run race should suit him and his stable has been in rattling form.

I also have to have a few quid each-way on HappyGoLucky for Mel Rowley. The old boy is chucked in on previous form off a mark of 140.

The hope was that Lossiemouth would turn into a Champion Hurdle horse but she hasn’t really proven it so this looked the obvious option. Kala Conti shouldn’t be discounted.

Lossiemouth will be all the rage but 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. She can do so again.

Lossiemouth is absolutely the one to beat. She looks like a penalty kick.

Lossiemouth had two goes against the big boys and came up short both times so she reverts to her own sex in the mares’ hurdle. She should be very hard to beat and should follow up last year’s success.

Very boring I’m afraid and it’s not ideal she’s coming in off a bad fall, but it’s hard to get away from Lossiemouth. She’s just the best horse in the field if anywhere near her best.

State Man worked really well in cheekpieces this week so they stay on him for this race. I’ve been with Brighterdaysahead for a while and won’t be abandoning her now even with Constitution Hill in the race.

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 they faster they go, the better it will make him.

Constitution Hill looked phenomenal on Monday at Nicky’s. No other horse was allowed to school or be anywhere near him. Touch wood he jumps great and he’s got Nico de Boinville on board which is another positive. I can’t see past him.

Until I see that the real Constitution Hill isn’t back in the room, I find it hard to see him beaten. However, the reigning champ State Man is a silly price.

Constitution Hill is in a different league to any rivals that might turn up, including Brighterdaysahead. He’s a brilliant horse and I’d have him much shorter in the betting.

I fancy Beyond Your Dreams who has the cheekpieces on and that will sharpen up her jumping. That has been her Achilles heel so far. She has a great chance.

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.

I’m on Quantock Hills as James Bowen got a riding ban. I schooled him on Thursday morning for Warren Greatrex and he jumped great. The team are very confident. But Mark Walsh is on Puturhandstogether. That’s a big sign so he’s worth considering.

Murcia has plenty of weight in the Fred Winter but has run a couple of eye-catching races. With the queen of Cheltenham, Rachael Blackmore, on board, we think she should go very close.

A nightmare! Stencil will be popular but I’ll chance Hot Fuss (each-way). One of the best of these on the Flat and has taken well to jumping when scoring at Sandown and a fair fourth in a Grade 2 at Chepstow.

Resplendent Grey for Sean Bowen and trainer Olly Murphy appears to be dropping in grade, will stay the 3m 5f trip well and looks a player.

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 win so those race tactics will suit the latter.

Herakles Westwood is not badly handicapped, he’s a class horse and he felt and schooled great on Thursday morning. One I do fancy a bit is David Pipe’s Gericault Roque. He’s got a big chance.

I won on Transmission in November, he handles the track well and I ride at my lightest weight. The trip should suit him well and I’d expect him to go close.

Transmission will be out the back for most of the race but he might just finish off better than most for Neil Mulholland. An each-way chance.