Champion Hurdle 2026 Tips - Pre-season guide and selections

Jon Vine

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Last updated: Tue 25 Nov 2025 13:50

Jon Vine 25 Nov 2025

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Pre-season guide and tips for the 2026 Champion Hurdle
The New Lion is the ante-post favourite
For the third year in a row, State Man is our top ante-post selection at 7/1

State Man and Paul Townend fall at the final hurdle and Golden Ace goes on to win the Champion Hurdle. (Getty)

Day one of the Cheltenham Festival is headlined by the showpiece event of the two-mile division, the Champion Hurdle.

Here's our ante-post guide to the 2026 Champion Hurdle. In this guide, we’ll help you get to grips with the early shape of the Champion Hurdle - breaking down the latest odds, analysing the key contenders, and picking out an early Cheltenham Festival tip based on the analysis.

2026 Champion Hurdle Odds

Name	Odds
The New Lion	4/1
Lossiemouth	6/1
State Man	7/1
Constitution Hill	8/1
Anzadam	12/1
William Munny	14/1
Bar	20/1

👑 The Defending Champion 👑

Having been built up as a clash between three superstars, the 2025 Champion Hurdle produced a shock result. Constitution Hill fell with four hurdles to jump, and Brighterdaysahead failed to fire. State Man then came a cropper at the last with the race at his mercy, leaving Golden Ace to pick up the pieces and her hand trainer, Jeremy Scott his finest hour as a trainer.

Golden Ace rounded off her campaign with a second-place finish to State Man at Punchestown - a result that proved Scott's filly was a little short of top-quality as a two-mile hurdler. If the more talented horses ahead of her in the ante-post market manage to complete the course in March this time, it's hard to see how Golden Ace retains her Champion Hurdle crown.

⭐ New Kid On The Block ⭐

The New Lion currently heads the ante-post betting for the 2026 Champion Hurdle. Dan Skelton's youngster was snapped up by JP McManus following his excellent victory in the Challow Hurdle, and went on to defeat The Yellow Clay and Final Demand to win the Turners' Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Skelton immediately earmarked this Championship race as The New Lion's goal for the upcoming season. Yet, his performance in the Turners didn't scream "Champion Hurdle winner". Harry Skelton's mount got up late on to beat two horses who, although talented, will be running over three miles this season. The Fighting Fifth Hurdle and Christmas Hurdle will provide The New Lion with the chance to prove he has the gears to be a top two-mile hurdler, but at this moment, the jury is out for me.

the new lion cheltenham — Harry Skelton celebrates after riding The New Lion to win The Turners Novices' Hurdle during Day Two of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival. (Getty)

🏆 Top Challengers 🏆

Lossiemouth sits prominently in the betting, despite skipping the Champion Hurdle to win a second Mares' Hurdle last season. Willie Mullins' top gun will again be State Man, who struggled during the first half of the season, but would have won the Champion Hurdle but for that final flight fall, and ended his campaign with an impressive triumph at Punchestown.

Then there's Constitution Hill, who saw his reputation crumble at his feet during a dismal spring campaign. Nicky Henderson's star went into the Champion Hurdle looking to make it 11 wins in a row, but proceeded to fall at both Cheltenham and Aintree, before a humbling 27-length defeat on his Punchestown debut.

Willie Mullins has announced that the lightly-raced and dangerous Anzadam will head to the Fighting Fifth Hurdle on his way to a maiden Champion Hurdle. Barry Connell seems confident that Supreme Novices' Hurdle runner-up, William Munny will rank amongst the top two-mile hurdlers during the upcoming campaign.

Mullins seems less sure that Irancy was of Champion Hurdle quality during his pre-season stable tour. Gordon Elliott will surely be training Martin Pipe heroine, Wodhooh for the Mares' Hurdle. Salvator Mundi, Kargese and Lulamba could all jump fences this season, and none of the less-fancied names in the betting seem likely to get involved.

💵 Verdict 💵

At this stage of the season, the only Champion Hurdle bet that makes sense to me is STATE MAN.

I had written Willie Mullins' star off going into last year's Festival, following his performances on home soil. Yet, Paul Townend's mount had all-but sealed his second Champion Hurdle victory with a sensational performance - that was until Mullins' star stepped at the final flight and came crashing to the canvas.

Townend righted that wrong with an effortless victory at Punchestown, proving again that this champion could bounce back from disappointments. State Man's entire season will be built around Champion Hurdle redemption, and 7/1 is a price worth taking.

Verdict

State Man is our ante-post tip for the 2026 Champion Hurdle.

State Man

Champion Hurdle 2026 Early Tip

@7/1 - 5 Units

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