What Young Stars Could Steal the Show at Cheltenham?
The Cheltenham Festival is where the best of the best take each other on. However, with a number of races specifically designed for novice horses, we also get to see the big stars of the future take each other on. These are the horses who may find their way back to the festival next season and beyond and could ultimately turn out to be a contender for one of the four championship races in time.
Here we look at three horses, one flat runner, one hurdler and one chaser, who could well be stars of the future to follow, especially if they win their festival race this season.
Wednesday: Facile Vega - Champion Bumper
Willie Mullins has a solid record in the Champion Bumper, and a win for Facile Vega would mean a little more to him, given this horse is out of his former superstar mare Quevega. We have seen Facile Vega on the course twice so far, both at Leopardstown, and both races resulted in a wide margin, comfortable success.
Most recently, he won a Grade Two contest by 12 lengths and didn’t really get out of second gear that day. He is one for the future regardless of what happens at Cheltenham, but a bumper win would set him up for stardom.
Thursday: Galopin Des Champs – Turners Novices’ Chase
Every racing fan is hoping that we get the clash between Galopin Des Champs and Bob Olinger on Thursday in the Turners Novices’ Chase. That isn’t certain to happen, both have other options, especially Galopin Des Champs who could go for the Festival Novices’ Chase on Wednesday.
Regardless of where he runs, Galopin Des Champs looks to be a future Gold Cup contender, and a win here in one of the novice contests would set him up perfectly for that.
He won a handicap at the festival last season, then followed that up with a Grade 1 hurdle win. He’s been perfect in two starts over fences this season, most recently winning a Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival. A win here, regardless of which race that comes in, would likely cement his place as the best novice chaser over any distance right now.
Friday: Vauban – Triumph Hurdle
The final horse to look out for comes on the final day of the meeting, with Vauban running in the Triumph Hurdle. This French recruit was second on hurdling debut, but didn’t jump very well, and was hampered on the run in, going down by only half a length.
On his second start, we saw much better, he won a Grade 1 hurdle by three lengths, to throw his hat firmly into the ring for the Triumph Hurdle. Main danger appears to be Pied Piper, who beat Vauban in that first run, but there is no doubt this horse has improved dramatically since that race, and is fancied to come out on top of the rematch they are going to have.
You might also be interested in:
Statistics in Horse Racing Betting & How to Use Them
Advice on Picking Your Selections-How to pick winners in horse racing
Best 10 New Bookmakers
 |
£40 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
New customers online only, UK & ROI, 18+. Place £10+ qualifying bet at 1/1 (2.0) odds+ (EW: £10 Win + £10 Place). Get £20 Tote Credit, £10 Free Bet + 50 Free Spins (selected game) within 48h. Free bets/Tote Credit expire in 7 days. One per customer. Full T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org |
||
 |
£30 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
18+ New customers only. Place a £10+ bet at min odds 1/1 (2.0) within 14 days of sign-up. Get £30 in Free Bets, valid for 7 days on selected bets only. Free stake not returned with winnings. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org |
||
 |
£10 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
New Customers use code EPL10. Deposit £10 and place a bet of £10 on any Premier League Outrights 2025/26 market at minimum odds of 2.0. Free Bet credited within 24 hours and must be wagered on English Premier League markets only. Full Terms apply. Bangers N'Cash rewards are a separate promotional scheme and must be opted into during the weekly promotional period via the BetWright Rewards Section. 18+ begambleaware. |
||
 |
10 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
100% Casino Bonus up to £100 (new players only), £10 min deposit, no max cash out, 40x wagering, £5 max bet with active bonus, eligibility restricted for suspected abuse, cashback unrestricted, Skrill & Neteller excluded, T&Cs apply. Free bet min odds 2.0; free bet value deducted from winnings. |
||
 |
£25 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
New customers only, 18+, 3 bets of £10+ at odds of evens or greater. Max Free Bet: £25, credited within 24 hours. Free Bet valid for 7 days. T&Cs Apply. BeGambleAware.org. |
||
 |
£40 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
New cust. Deposit £10+ in 7 days & bet on sports. Min odds apply. Reward = 4 x £10 Free Bets (2 x £10 Bet Builders & 2 x £10 Sports bet). Valid 7 days. Free bets not valid on e-sports & non UK/IE horse racing. 18+. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org. |
||
 |
£20 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
New UK customers only. Min £20 Single or Acca (2+) at 1.9+ odds, settled within 7 days. Get £20 Free Bet (7-day expiry, max payout £500). Deposit via banking app (Truelayer). Profit Boost: 1/day, claim by 23:59 (UTC+3), max stake £30, 24h valid, max payout £1,000. 18+ BeGambleAware.org. |
||
 |
£25 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
New UK Customers Only. Wager £10+ at odds of 2.00+ on any sports market. Receive 50% back on first day’s losses (up to £25) as a Free Bet. Minimum of 3 bets required, with at least 2 bets being 50%+ of the highest stake placed. Even if no loss, place £10+ to get a £5 Free Bet. Free Bets expire in 7 days. Full T&Cs apply. |
||
 |
£20 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
New customers place your first bet of £10 at minimum odds of 1/1 on any sports market within 7 days of registering. Get £20 in ACCA Free Bets (2x£10 Acca Free bet (2+ selections, pre-match or in-play/live, min odds per leg 2/5 (1.4), max payout £50) . Full terms apply. 18+ begambleaware. Please gamble responsibly. |
||
 |
£10 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
*#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Gambleaware.org. New customers only. £10 in real money. Bets placed on sports at odds of 2.00 ore more to qualify. Bets must be placed 24 hours within of registration. £10 free bets must be wagered on sports. Cashback is cash without restrictions. - Full Terms Apply |
||
