Cheltenham Wednesday Tips: RoadCheltenham’s Day 2 Picks For The 2026 Festival

With Tuesday now underway, the Cheltenham Festival of 2026 has officially begun! Our star columnist @RoadCheltenham is wasting little time diving into Day Two's action, see his best bets for all seven races here:

One day down, three to go – declarations are in for Ladies Day at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival and punters will be flocking to Prestbury Park for what should be an enthralling day of racing. Here, I go through my Cheltenham Tips in each race on Wednesday…

13:20 - Turners Novices' Hurdle

No Drama This End could turn out to be a monster in time but he looks a real chasing type and I’m happy to take him on with SKYLIGHT HUSTLE. The Gordon Elliott runner has been kept fresh since winning a Grade 1 at Christmas and he’s reportedly going well at home.

Jack Kennedy has chosen to ride Ballyfad but I prefer the Robcour runner and I’d say he had a tricky enough time choosing between the pair. Danny Gilligan has three Festival wins on his CV and I’m hoping he can add a fourth on Wednesday afternoon.

14:00 - Brown Advisory Novices' Chase

I was sweet on the chances of KOKTAIL DIVIN in the Jack Richards but connections are opting to go for the Brown Advisory and that is a huge vote of confidence. The quicker ground conditions will suit and should give him a real chance of getting the trip.

The form of his success at Leopardstown has worked out well and the better conditions at Cheltenham could see him reverse form with Oscars Brother. It’s a competitive race but I’d like to think he can go well at an each way price.

14:40 - BetMGM Cup

A wise guy’s horse ahead of last season’s Festival, KOPECK DE MEE returns 12 months later in a bid to prove his talent. He fell on chase debut in December and has been off the track since, and he heads here off a hurdles mark of 143 – and he could certainly be better than that.

He was due to ride in the ‘At The Yard Challenge’ race before it was rescheduled and he didn’t appear in the second set of entries. I’d imagine that was by design rather than a setback, he remains unexposed and he is the choice of Mark Walsh.

15:20 - Cross Country Chase

My selection for this race since he bolted up on Trials Day, I can’t see past FAVORI DE CHAMPDOU and I’m expecting him to give Gordon Elliott a sixth Festival winner over the famous Cheltenham banks – I don’t think the 8lbs rise will stop him.

Stumptown is a worthy opponent but Gavin Cromwell’s runner has to concede 5lbs to my fancy and I just think this discipline really suits Favori De Champdou. He’s one of my strongest selections of the week and is my best bet on Wednesday.

16:00 - Champion Chase

This will be a watching brief for me as I believe MAJBOROUGH will probably win if he jumps round but I’d be a tad concerned about the ground. His best performances have come on a soft surface and he is very unlikely to get that at Prestbury Park.

He’s short enough in the betting for me to keep my powder dry at this stage but it would be great to see JP McManus finally get his hands on the Champion Chase trophy. I’ll be happy enough to watch how the race pans out but Majborough is undoubtedly the one to beat.

SELECTION: NO BET

16:40 - Grand Annual

The Henry de Bromhead-trained INTHEPOCKET has shown very little this season but he showed signs of his old self when finishing less than 10 lengths adrift of Jacob’s Ladder at the Dublin Racing Festival and I wonder if this has been his target all year.

Running off the same mark in Britain as his HRI figure of 146, it’ll be interesting to see if he is well supported in the betting. One would imagine he’ll be ridden prominently and that is often key to success in this particular race – he ticks a few boxes that’s for sure.

17:20 Champion Bumper

The vibes out of Closutton are that QUIRYN is a quality animal and I’m sure Patrick Mullins would’ve been strongly considering riding him if he could do the weight. His loss is very much Paul Townend’s gain and he could go very close in the Wednesday finale.

He looks a speedy type and I’d imagine he will have little trouble with the quicker ground at Cheltenham. Getting 10lbs from his market rivals, including Love Sign d’Aunou and Keep Me Company, I’d be surprised if he wasn’t fighting it out at the finish.