Opening Day of the Cheltenham Festival

The opening day of the Cheltenham Festival is one of the most keenly anticipated race days of the National Hunt calendar and gets cheltenham betting underway for punters champing at the bit to get going. The opening day has some superb races to start off the festival including the Supreme Novice's Hurdle, the Arkle and the Champion Hurdle.

Our Top Recommended Bookmakers for Cheltenham Betting on Day One

Day One Cheltenham Betting

Day one Cheltenham betting sees a large amount of cash exchange hands as the crowds pack in for the first races of the festival. There are more ways for punters to bet than ever before with the bookmaking stalls lining the racecourse adding to the excitement of the festival.

Supreme Novice's Hurdle Betting

The Supreme Novices Hurdle is the opening race of the Cheltenham Festival. This is a two mile race for four-year-olds and up that engages a total of eight fences. The Supreme Novice's Hurdle has a prize purse of around £100,000.  

Supreme Novice's Hurdle betting is usually intense as punters at the Cheltenham Festival look to get their gambling for the four days off to a good start. As with the majority of National Hunt races, there is space for an upset.

Arkle Challenge Trophy betting

The Arkle Challenge Trophy is a two mile race around the old racecourse at Cheltenham that involves 12 fences. The race is for five-year-old horses and up.

Arkle Challenge Trophy betting is interesting because there are frequently underrated horses entered in this race. The likes of Martin Pipe and Alan King have had long priced winners in recent years providing great value.

William Hill Trophy

The William Hill Trophy is the third race on the opening day and a good compliment before the Champion Hurdle. The William Hill Trophy is just over three miles, has 19 fences and is open to five-year-olds and up. The William Hill Trophy is viewed as a card filler in among higher quality races.

Cheltenham Festival Champion Hurdle

The Cheltenham Festival Champion Hurdle is the biggest race on the opening day of the festival and the race which takes the most cash in bets through day one Cheltenham Betting.

The Cheltenham Festival Champion Hurdle is not an especially difficult race and is virtually the same as the Supreme Novices' Hurdle; two miles in length with eight jumps.

Cross Country Handicap Chase

The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase is effectively the calm after the storm. The Cross Country Handicap Chase is long at around three and a half miles in length and has a staggering 32 obstacles to be tackled. The race is open to five-year-olds and above and employs a handicap system.

Cross Country Handicap Chase betting often provides a great deal more value in terms of day one Cheltenham betting. The distance and number of obstacles means the favourite could make a mistake at any point.

David Nicholson Mares Hurdle Race

The David Nicholson Mares Hurdle race is another card filler for the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival. The race is just over two miles long, has nine fences and is open to mares and fillies of four-years-old and up.

Centenary Novices' Handicap Chase betting

Centenary Novices Handicap Chase betting is popular because the two mile and five furlong race closes the opening day of the Cheltenham. The race is a handicap with 17 fences which means good value day one Cheltenham betting and a chance to make back losses.