Tom Segal Cheltenham Festival Tips 2026: Cost-conscious festival fantasies

Tom Segal Cheltenham Festival Tips 2026 Revealed: Gold Cup, Champion Chase and Grand Prize Each-Way Picks

Tom Segal – better known to racing fans as Pricewise – is the closest thing British racing has to a tipster legend. He has worked at the Racing Post since 1996 and took on the famous Pricewise column in 2001, spending the better part of 25 years finding horses the bookmakers have underestimated.

His reputation for instilling fear in big business is well deserved; the CEO of William Hill once told shareholders that profits “could have been a lot better if it hadn’t been for Pricewise.” That’s quite an endorsement.

What sets Segal apart from most analysts is his refreshing honesty about how he works. He is a self-proclaimed ‘visual man’; he trusts his eye for athletic, forward-thinking horses over data models and spreadsheets, and he’s never been shy about saying so.

He also famously never speaks to trainers, whom he considers “invariably bad tipsters” given their obvious bias. It’s an independent, contrarian approach that has served him – and his followers – very well.

Last night, Racing Post+ Ultimate subscribers got a rare treat: a live Q&A with Segal himself, where he answered more than 30 questions about his Cheltenham Festival fantasies, his betting philosophy and the horses he most enjoys working with. Here’s what he said – and what current markets look like.

Tom Segal Cheltenham Festival Tips 2026 His golden rule: skill and preparation

When subscriber Jonty Lawford asked Segal about the single most important rule he follows when choosing a bet, the answer was simple: skill and preparation.

He looks for visually impressive horses – athletic movers who do the right things – and backs them if he is confident they are well prepared for the race ahead. Simple in theory, harder in practice, and clearly very effective over time.

Haiti Couleurs — Gold Cup (Friday, March 13) — 1/7–1/8

Haiti Colors Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

This is the one Segal is “most into right now” and it’s not hard to see why through his lens. The nine-year-old, trained by Rebecca Curtis, has won seven of his last nine starts, including victory at the Cheltenham Festival in last year’s National Hunt Challenge Cup and the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse.

He then scored a convincing seven-length win in the Grade 2 Denman Chase at Newbury on February 7, beating L’Homme Presse with plenty in hand.

He’s not the flashiest horse in the race – he doesn’t attack the bridle or impress with his jumps – but when the pace picks up he just keeps galloping.

He is lightly raced, progressive, has taken two wins from two at Cheltenham and is being trained specifically for this moment. He’s exactly the kind of horse Segal has always been attracted to.

The Gold Cup market is unusually open this year. Defending champions Inothewayurthinkin are out at 16/1, Galopin Des Champs at 10/1, and neither has shown anything close to his best this season.

Jango Baie and Fact To File share the favoritism, while Spillane’s Tower (14/1) and Gray Dawning (16/1) are others in the mix. Haiti colors at 7/1–8/1 seems a fair price for a horse with proven running form and serious momentum behind him.

L’Eau Du Sud – Champion Chase (Wednesday March 11) – 8/1

Segal’s other major fantasy is the course winner of Dan Skelton in the Champion Chase. Southern Water won the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham in November, beating Jonbon, before making a disappointing run in the Tingle Creek at Sandown in December. Crucially, Skelton has since freshened him up and he is fully focused on the festival, which fits perfectly with Segal’s preparation criteria.

The market is dominated by Majorborough (13/8) after his stunning 19-length win in the Dublin Chase, with Marine Nationale next on 5/2. But that victory in Dublin came on virtually bottomless ground at Leopardstown, and Cheltenham is unlikely to look anything like a test on day two of the festival – which should bring the field much closer together.

At 8/1 L’Eau Du Sud is solid any direction value of a trainer in red-hot form.

Shuttle Diplomacy — Turners Novices’ Chase (Wednesday, March 11) — 25/1

When asked high price per one-way trip opportunities, Segal was clear: Shuttle diplomacy is “underrated” among the Turners. At 25/1, he’s very much on the edge of the market, and Segal’s confidence in specifically marking him – rather than hedging against several rookies – suggests he’s done his homework here. One to hold in each direction.

Sandor Clegane – Kim Muir (Thursday, March 12) – 40/1

The speculative of the four. Segal added the caveat “if he runs” when he said it Sandor Clegane for the Kim Muir – so explanations will be crucial.

When he takes his place in the handicap pursuit for amateur riders over 3m2f, it’s worth 40/1 and a small interest either way. The Kim Muir is exactly the kind of race where a well-handled improver can cause chaos at a high price.

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Conclusion

Whether you’re a seasoned festival punter or just looking for advice from someone who really knows what they’re doing, Tom Segal Cheltenham Festival Tips 2026 is a good starting point.

Haiti colors in the Gold Cup is the standout selection – a progressive, proven course winner trained to peak for the biggest race of the week – but Southern Water on 8/1 and Shuttle diplomacy at 25/1 they also offer real appeal in both directions.

With the market unusually open this year and Segal’s eye for an underrated horse sharper than ever, these are tips worth keeping an eye on as the festival approaches.

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