The Champion Hurdle is the feature race on Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival and will take place at 16:00 on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. Two runners worth considering in this year’s race are The New Lion at around 5/2 and Poniros at around 12/1.

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• Race: Champion Hurdle
• Event: Cheltenham Festival 2026
• Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2026
• Time: 16:00
• Venue: Cheltenham Racecourse

Tuesday marks one of the biggest days in the racing calendar as the Cheltenham Festival kicks off, with the Champion Hurdle at 4pm as the standout race.

The New Lion – 5/2 (Champion Hurdle, 4pm)

The Champion Hurdle has been the target for The New Lion ever since he cruised home in the Challow Hurdle at Newbury back in December 2024, and now the moment has finally come.

The seven year old, trained by Dan Skelton, won the Turners Novices’ Hurdle over 2m5f at this meeting last year with an explosive turn of foot, sweeping past The Yellow Clay in the straight and pulling clear. That performance screamed pace.

He’s been carefully managed since, running just twice, both over two miles, which looks the ideal trip to get the best out of him. His comeback run in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle didn’t go to plan, as he fell at the second last and was beaten by Golden Ace, the reigning Champion Hurdle winner.

It was back to the drawing board for the Skelton team, but they got him right. On Trials Day at Cheltenham he looked every bit himself again, producing that familiar late burst of speed to win the International Hurdle from last to first in a slowly run race.

He beat Nemean Lion by only a length and a half, but the sectionals tell a different story. His second from last flight was clocked at 12.91 seconds, extremely quick for a hurdler, and the tight winning margin was largely due to the slow pace of the race.

A stronger gallop in the Champion Hurdle should suit him perfectly and could unlock another level of performance. This could be his moment, and potentially the Skelton yard’s first Champion Hurdle success.

Poniros – 12/1 (Champion Hurdle, 4pm)

For those looking for a bigger priced alternative, Poniros is one of the most interesting runners in the field. Last year’s Triumph Hurdle winner has run just twice since and is arguably the horse with the most untapped potential in the race.

He is also the youngest in the field and this will be only his fourth start over hurdles.

Winning the Triumph Hurdle on your hurdling debut is no small achievement, and it was not a weak race either. Runner up Lulamba has since gone on to win multiple times over fences this season.

Lulamba did gain revenge at Punchestown, but Poniros still ran a solid race to finish second. He returned after almost a year off the track to finish third behind Brighterdaysahead at Leopardstown last month, having been given a quiet ride throughout the race.

He will face a tougher test here, but he has already shown he handles a strongly run race around Cheltenham. With improvement expected from his Irish Champion Hurdle run, each way support at around 12/1 could be worthwhile.