By foreign employees of HRI – Earlier this year, Constitution Hill suffered what can only be called a catastrophic fall in the Champion Hurdle as he looked to regain his crown after being dropped from the 2024 showdown, surrendering the title he won in 2023. Ballyburn and Majborough also failed to fire when the moment called for brilliance. In the Champion Chase, Jonbon spent much of the introduction as favorite to finally step out of the shadows, only for Marine Nationale to make a clinical, unanswerable foot movement up the hill. The cumulative effect was a relentless trembling tension, with each new result adding a new layer, with the market desperate for stability but not finding it.
In March, only two of the six odds-on favorites got the job done at the Cheltenham Festival in a meeting that featured so many upsets it became a seismic event. Now the 2026 episode is just three months away and all eyes are on Gloucestershire as the world’s best hurdlers return to action.
Cheltenham’s 2025 stunner
However, nothing compared to the stormy shock that ripped through the stands on Gold Cup day. Galopin Des Champs, already crowned twice, seemed ready to storm into the history books. At least that was the sentiment among online gambling sites. Bovada allows you to bet on horses, and the US betting giant listed the three-peat seeker as an odds-on 8/13 favorite ahead of the showdown in March. However, he was reeled in by an inspired 15/2 shot, Inothewayurthinkin, and the ice-cold hands of Gavin Cromwell.
Nine months on from that shock, attention has turned to 2026 and the biggest festival in British and Irish racing returns to the fore. But what are the key stories heading into next year’s showdown, and what should those looking to bet on the horses keep in mind? Let’s see.
Galopin Des Champs: redemption, legacy or goodbye? — This isn’t just a comeback story. Galopin Des Champs, the richest show jumping horse ever, is on the threshold of immortality; a third Gold Cup would intertwine his name with legends like Best Mate and Kauto Star. But the numbers are brutal: ten years old, a year off his best, trading at 6/1, while defending champion Inothewayurthinkin is the favourite.
Willie Mullins and his camp remain reassuringly optimistic, but early-season outings lacked the signature punctuation of dominance: workmanlike, not miraculous. Yet faith is not blind; it is based on the nerves of steel and insatiable drive that defined this gelding’s best days. If the Gold Cup comes down to will versus time, legacy versus the yearning hunger of newcomers, we could be in for a finish that tests the limits of racing excitement.
Will this be a crowning return, the ultimate flex of a champion for the ages, or the final round to cheers with a touch of nostalgia and respect? One thing is clear: no runner in March will rack up more column inches or generate more emotional investment.
The Maelstrom of the Champion Hurdle: Lossiemouth, The New Lion and the Shadow of Chaos — Last year’s Champion Hurdle was, quite frankly, a madhouse. Constitution Hill and State Man – the two pillars of the division – both came crashing down in scenes worthy of slow-motion replay and stunned silence. Golden Ace’s 25/1 win left punters questioning everything, while bookmakers recorded one of the great results of the past half-decade.
As the clocks enter a new cycle, the spotlight falls on Lossiemouth. Three-time festival winner Willie Mullins’ mare is not so much talented as ruthless. Every run has the polish of a future Hall of Famer, but this will be her toughest test. If she transfers her superior skills to open a business, she can throw a festival in need of a superstar into turmoil. She sits at the top of the betting with The New Lion, Dan Skelton’s charge, who has built a fan base since the spring and a reputation for his late-race devastation.
Constitution Hill – will he bounce back? – is rolled up in the market, with Brighterdaysahead and Anzadam ensuring that this extension will not be a duel, but a dangerous, many-headed battle. Strip away the superficial hope and here’s the fact: Lossiemouth offer a settled point in the division, but punters only have to look back 12 months to realize how quickly chaos can reign.
Arkle: Kopek Des Bordes vs Lulamba – Undefeated, unbowed, unmissable — The Arkle is often the race that sets the opening day on fire – and rarely has the drama been so tightly coiled. Kopek Des Bordes, who stormed into the chase scene with a 150p rating and a performance at Navan that the veteran judges called ‘special’, looks every bit the future emperor of the two-mile division. Across the Irish Sea, Lulamba has quietly built a record of perfect jumping and power in lesser light, but with an air of inevitable brilliance.
Neither has tasted defeat. Both have captured the attention and imagination of tipsters and professionals. This is a duel that forces you to choose: raw flash and attacking zeal or ice-cold technical mastery? This isn’t just the next crop on display. This may be the first installment in a saga that will continue for years to come.
The Irish Empire vs. British Ambition: Another Defeat… or Something More? — Let’s get forensic. The numbers are impressive: 20-8 in the Prestbury Cup, Mullins once again recording a double-digit winning tally and the overall Irish tally now bordering on defeat status. In terms of raw performance, the British stables have been lagging behind for years. Yet something is moving: more prize money, smart recruitment and a trio of rising stars in The New Lion, Sir Gino and Lulamba are inspiring rumors of a possible fightback.
The November meeting provided a rare touch of parity. Household trainers – Henderson, Skelton, Nicholls – have spoken with something approaching real belief about 2026. Yet it will be up to them to prove it in the maelstrom of March, against the ruthless machine of Mullins and the Irish infrastructure now at the center of the show jumping world.
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