For those punters who tend to have just an annual interest in the Festival action, the temptation when racing at Cheltenham is to simply group a few of the odds-on fancies into a multiple bet, and hope that the favourites will oblige on the course.
However this “blind back and hope” tactic is riddled with pitfalls, as odds-on favourites get turned over at The Festival more than you think. The Champion Chase, in particular, has been described as a punting "graveyard”, with only one odds-on favourite winning the race in the last decade.
In the last 20 years, just 27 of the 53 odds-on favourites at the Cheltenham Festival have prevailed, which is only just over half. Those are pretty woeful statistics to be honest.
Beaten odds-on favourites in the Cheltenham horse racing betting 2025 were: Majborough 1/2 (Arkle Chase), Constitution Hill 1/2 (Champion Hurdle), Ballyburn 4/7 (Brown Advisory Novices' Chase), Jonbon 5/6 (Champion Chase) and Galopin Des Champs 8/13 (Gold Cup).
Notable losing odds-on favourites in the last five years:
- 2025 Champion Hurdle: Constitution Hill (SP 1/2) - Fell
- 2025 Brown Advisory Novices Chase: Ballyburn (SP 4/7) - 5th
- 2025 Queen Mother Champion Chase: Jonbon (SP 5/6) - 2nd
- 2025 Arkle Novices Chase: Majborough (SP 1/2) - 2nd
- 2024 Queen Mother Champion Chase: El Fabiolo (SP 1/2) - PU
- 2023 Turners Novices Chase: Mighty Potter (SP 4/6) - 3rd
- 2022 Turners Novices Chase: Galopin Des Champs (SP 5/6) - Fell
- 2022 Queen Mother Champion Chase: Shishkin (SP 5/6) - PU
- 2021 Marsh Novices Chase: Envoi Allen (SP 4/9) - Fell
- 2021 Champion Bumper: Kilcruit (SP 10/11) - 2nd
- 2021 Queen Mother Champion Chase: Chacun Pour Soi (SP 8/13) - 3rd
- 2021 Mares Hurdle: Concertista (SP 10/11) - 2nd
- 2020 Stayers Hurdle: Paisley Park (SP 4/6) - 7th
Shock Results At The 2025 Cheltenham Festival
Constitution Hill (1/2 Fav) – Champion Hurdle
Constitution Hill, trained by Nicky Henderson, had recovered from numerous health issues since his triumph two years ago to go into the race unbeaten in ten starts.
He was sent off a shade of odds-on, with his fall at the fifth hurdle estimated to have saved the bookmakers a multi-million payout.
Jonbon (5/6 Fav) – Champion Chase
The 5/6 sports betting favourite Jonbon effectively ended his chances with a bad mistake at the ninth fence, with the race developing into a duel between Marine Nationale and Quilixos.
When the latter fell at the last, Marine Nationale was left clear to romp home by 18 lengths from a staying on Jonbon.
Majborough (1/2 Fav) – Arkle Chase
Jango Baie stormed up the hill in sensational fashion to upset 1/2 favourite Majborough and land the Arkle Chase.
After a mistake at the penultimate fence, Majborough appeared to be in control of the concluding sprint, until a galvanised Jango Baie emerged from virtually nowhere and surged ahead at the last to win.
As the Cheltenham ante-post betting markets begin to take shape over the next few months, will you be a player or a layer of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival odds-on favourites?
