By Callum Close
It is now less than three weeks until the national-hunt season reaches its climax, when the 2025 Cheltenham Festival begins.
The first race of 28 (and 14 Grade Ones) to come under starters’ orders is the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – running at 1:20pm on Tuesday, March 14.
It precedes four days of prestigious racing in the West of England, that will see Britain and Ireland resume their yearly battle for glory.
Aside from the four feature races that headline each day, the Festival hosts 10 other Grade One races – two of which are the Ryanair Chase and Arkle Challenge Trophy.
Whilst both are steeplechases open to horses aged five years or older, the former runs over four furlongs further, with a further four scheduled jumps, on Cheltenham’s new course.
Seen as an easier alternative to the Gold Cup, the Ryanair also awards prize money worth nearly double that of the Arkle – £365,888 and £196,740 respectively.
This year sees both ante-post markets headed by Willie Mullins-trained horses owned by renowned owner JP McManus.
Last year’s Brown Advisory winner Fact To File (7/4) leads the Ryanair ante-post betting whilst Majborough – winner of last year’s Triumph – is the 8/13 favourite for the Arkle after previous favourite Sir Gino was withdrawn.
READ MORE: Cheltenham Festival 2025 – Gold Cup analysis and preview
Majborough
On Majborough, Mullins sounded very assured in his chances when he said: “He goes for the Arkle. He’s only five and looks a magnificent horse in the making – he does things so naturally.
“He is a Triumph Hurdle winner and they tend to improve and get further with age”.
According to the ante-post market Majborough’s main rivals will hail from Britain, with the Dan Skelton-trained L’eau Du Sud (5/1) and Nicky Henderson-trained Jango Baie (9/1) next in the betting.
The former is having his second run at the Festival after finishing second in last year’s County Hurdle, whilst Henderson’s horse is set to make his Festival debut as a stable “super sub” for the withdrawn Sir Gino.
“We’re very lucky to have super subs,” said Henderson at a media morning organised by the Jockey Club. “That (running Jango Baie in the Arkle) would be our line of thinking at the moment.”
Both British-trained horses will look to wrestle back the Arkle from Mullins – who has won the last two runnings of the race with El Fabiolo and Gaelic Warrior.
The latter is Fact to File’s main market rival in the ante-post betting for the Ryanair at 4/1.
Ryanair contenders
The Ryanair ante-post market features seven horses trading under 10/1 including the last two winners of the King George VI at Kempton – Banbridge and Il Est Francais.
Trained in France, the latter is due to run his third race in Britain and first at the Cheltenham Festival. The two also completed the top two in the latest King George.
Last year’s winner Protektorat ended a run of Irish dominance after he won it for Skelton.
The gelding is an 8/1 shot to make it back-to-back wins in the race, after he became the first British-trained winner since fan-favourite Frodon won it in 2019 for trainer Paul Nicholls.
“We’ll go to Cheltenham with him and then Aintree, although it’s a short turnaround this season,” said Skelton. “He’s 10 years old and in another few years we won’t be able to do it. He got over Cheltenham and Aintree last year and he can take it.
“I wish you could bottle Protektorat’s enthusiasm because it would be worth a zillion.”
Skelton’s horse will look to retain his title when the race comes under starters’ orders on Thursday, March 13 at 3:20pm.
READ MORE: Cheltenham Festival 2025 – Stayers’ Hurdle analysis and preview
