Cheltenham Festival 2027 Tips: RoadCheltenham’s Best Antepost Bets One Year Out

Are you over the 2026 Cheltenham Festival yet? Me neither. It was a fantastic week of racing at Prestbury Park and the tickets are already booked to return this time next year. Here, I cast my eye over the 2027 Cheltenham Festival markets – assessing the current state of play in the main divisions. There is plenty of value to be had!

BEST BET – KOPEK DES BORDES to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase (4/1)

Firstly, Kargese deserves plenty of credit for her gutsy success in the Arkle. To produce a performance like that just five weeks after a hard race in gruelling conditions at the Dublin Racing Festival shows just how tough she is and I have no doubt she’ll be able to hold her own in open company next season.

However, I think KOPEK DES BORDES is a generational talent and I’d be flabbergasted if he didn’t reverse that form in time. Making his first start since November, he took a little while to settle but when he did, my God. He was pinging fences and I’d say he was giving Paul Townend a hell of a feel coming down the hill.

My reaction immediately after the race was that he’d have won without making that mistake and I’m yet to see anything to change my mind. In fact, different replay angles have only confirmed my view that Kopek Des Bordes would’ve won cosily enough and I cannot wait to see what he can do with an uninterrupted preparation.

Bookmakers are taking no chances at 4/1 but the Champion Chase will be his target and he clearly acts round Cheltenham. If he gets to Prestbury Park in one piece, and with a slight bit more juice in the ground, I’d say he will be the one to beat. He’s the young buck coming through the ranks and he’s my strongest fancy for next year’s meeting.

LONGSHOT – IL ETAIT TEMPS to win the Ryanair Chase (50/1)

Some of you will read the above section and think – what about 2026 Champion Chase winner IL ETAIT TEMPS? And you’d be right to ask that question. I’m taking a punt on him lining up in the Ryanair next year, and the 50/1 available with several bookmakers looks far too big for this seven-time Grade 1 winner.

He won the Manifesto Novices Chase at Aintree over 2m4f in April 2024 while he put in a 173-RPR performance to win the Clonmel Oil Chase over 2m5f back in November. He is clearly able to perform at two miles but his second-best performance on figures is that run at Clonmel. He’s been savage on both outings over the intermediate trip.

I just wonder if Willie Mullins will pitch Kopek Des Bordes and Il Etait Temps up against each other at some stage next season. If he does, and Kopek Des Bordes is as good as I think he is, then Il Etait Temps could be the one to go out in trip. After all, he is the one with the form in the book over those sort of distances.

A shrewd friend of mine recently mentioned to me about Il Etait Temps’ chase form on nice ground. He is unbeaten in six starts when the going description is yielding to soft, soft in places or better, including five Grade 1 victories. There are a few moving parts but if the ground came up quick and he lines up here, he’d be a single figure price – let alone 50/1!

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY - Stayers' Hurdle (25/1)

I was quite surprised to see HONESTY POLICY available at 25/1 for the 2027 Stayers Hurdle and that could end up looking like a huge price come next March. Four of the first seven home in this year’s race are aged nine or older, with the likes of Home By The Lee, Bob Olinger and Hewick candidates for retirement at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Dan Skelton seemed adamant that Kabral Du Mathan didn’t stay the three-mile trip and that leaves Ballyburn and Honesty Policy as the remaining runners from the first seven home. While the former has obvious claims, he’s short enough at 9/1 and you could argue there is more improvement to come from Gordon Elliott’s runner.

He looked to be a horse that thrived with racing last season, with five races in the space of 115 days. This season, he’s been given a quieter campaign – running at Ascot in December before going straight to the Stayers off a 82-day break. Given he was rather keen on both occasions, I wonder if connections will try and keep him busier next year. 

Given that he won over 2m4f at Aintree on good ground last season, we may see him at least once more before heading off to grass for the summer. He seems to prefer better ground so it’ll be interesting to see where he starts off in the autumn/winter but I won’t be giving up on him, especially as the division looks weak enough at the minute.

THE RICCI DOUBLE… AGAIN? - Champion Hurdle + Gold Cup

Joe Chambers’ social media post highlighting the LOSSIEMOUTH (Champion Hurdle) and GAELIC WARRIOR (Gold Cup) will go down in the racing annals and I’m well and truly on board for the repeat in 2027. The 19/1 available at the time of writing is hanging by a thread and I’d recommend getting involved now before it goes.

Let’s start with the mare. One of the highlights of the week, Lossiemouth was imperious when winning the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday and she recorded her best figure whilst doing so. She’s a 10-time Grade 1 winner, with four of those coming at Cheltenham and she is undefeated in five appearances at Prestbury Park.

It’s hard to see much coming through – with Old Park Star and Sober Glory rumoured to be going over fences next season. Stablemate King Rasko Grey could go down this route but he has plenty to find on figures and the grey would receive that all-important 7lbs mares allowance. Rejuvenated by those cheekpieces, she looks bombproof to me.

Meanwhile, Gaelic Warrior sets the standard in the staying chase division and you’d imagine that his entire campaign will revolve around peaking for the Gold Cup. He is the ante-post favourite for the King George VI Chase but I’d expect Mullins to keep him on home turf and hopefully he can emulate Galopin Des Champs and record a second Gold Cup success.