Cheltenham day 1 tips, Champion Day 2023 – Odds & Race card

It’s the moment that horse racing fans have been waiting for – the Cheltenham Festival has now arrived – as have the Cheltenham betting offers! The races and subsequent participants have now been confirmed for day one. And for this reason, we’ve created our Cheltenham day 1 tips right now. Also known as ‘Cheltenham champion day’, the opening day of the festival consists of many top races. In fact, there are many grade 1 events scheduled to be held.

And in all honesty, the vast majority of punters are looking for tips on these races above others. As you’ve no doubt guessed already, we have broken down some of our main Cheltenham day 1 tips within the information below. Some of these markets you may have already thought about, and some you may not have! But without wasting any more time, let’s get into the real reason you are here – to find some awesome free tips.

Cheltenham Day 1 – 2023 Predictions

One of the biggest horse racing festivals of the year is knocking at the door once again. And for those who haven’t seen the schedule – the famous Cheltenham Festival is kicking off on Tuesday, March 14th. This means that punters haven’t got much time if they wish to place a wager or two, which brings us to the main focus here.

As the very description indicates, we shall be looking at the top races for day one here. Not only will we be running through the races, however, but we shall also back up this rundown with well-researched and valuable tips. Specifically, we’ve chosen to zone in on the biggest races that are scheduled for day one. And given that day one plays host to four G1 races, as well as two Premier Handicap events, it’s a great day to tune in for.

Anyway, now that you have an idea of what’s coming up, let’s run through the Cheltenham day 1 tips, as promised.

All Cheltenham Day 1 Tips: Latest Odds Here

If you decide to place a bet on any of the races highlighted here, you should know that the action begins at 13:30 on Tuesday, March 14th. Of course, given that there are multiple races on day one, this means that all of the action unfolds in the afternoon. So if you fancy watching the result of your wager in real-time, you might want to clear your schedule on Tuesday. As for what you should be wagering on, that’s where our Cheltenham day 1 tips enter the picture.

Supreme Novices Hurdle

This is the first of four G1 events held on day one of the Cheltenham Festival. It’s a 3.3km race that has 8 hurdles which must be cleared by all horses en route to the finish. And looking at the ante-post markets, we’ve decided to shoot for Facile Vega. This horse has a string of G1 wins under its belt, and the price has jumped to 3.25 after the horse finished 5th in its recent outing.

Our Tip: Facile Vega
Odds: 9/4

Arkle Challenge Trophy

Following the G1 event that kicks off the day at 13:30, we come to yet another G1 race. This time it’s the Arkle Challenge Trophy, which is scheduled for 14:10. And instead of hurdles, this 3.2km race consists of 13 fences – not easy for even the most experienced horses. However, looking at the preliminary line-up, we see real value in Jonbon. In fact, this horse is what we’d describe as a ‘serial winner’. Furthermore, with odds of 2.63 on the table, this is a steal.

Our Tip: Jonbon
Odds: 13/8

Festival Trophy Handicap Chase

Switching from Grade One races to the ‘Premier Handicap’ category now, at 14:50 on Tuesday, we will get to watch the Festival Trophy Handicap Chase. This race is an absolute beast in itself, requiring participants to cover 4.9km of track while clearing 20 fences in the process. Needless to say, that takes serious stamina and quality tactics from the jockey to secure the win. And based on the current entry list, the logical wager is to go for Into Overdrive to get the win at odds of 7.50.

Our Tip: Into Overdrive
Odds: 13/2

Champion Hurdle

Of all the races held on day one, the Champion Hurdle is the biggest in terms of its prestige. This race will be held at 15:30, and the field is absolutely stacked for the 2023 event. However, when it comes to Champion Hurdle tips, we think we’ve found a bit of a diamond in the rough.

Instead of backing Constitution Hill to win, which is the obvious pick, we are going for an each-way play on I Like To Move It. At pre-race odds of 29.00 for the win, we feel an each-way play is most appropriate for this horse. We say that due to the enticing odds, as well as the fact that this horse has snapped up two wins from his last three events – including a G2 win last month.

Our Tip: I Like to Move It (E/W)
Odds: 28/1

David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle

This event was a thriller in 2022, and we predict that 2023 will be no different. The Mares’ Hurdle is another G1 day one race, and it’s set to kick off at 16:10. And this year, a horse that you are probably familiar with is in the initial line-up. That horse is Honeysuckle, and as you’ve no doubt guessed, this is the horse we are picking to win the 2023 Mares’ Hurdle. At 3.25 odds, this does put Honeysuckle as the favorite, but this is still great value.

Our Tip: Honeysuckle
Odds: 9/4

Juveniles Handicap Hurdle

The final race that we wish to cover for day one is the Juveniles Handicap Hurdle. This event should begin at 16:50 if all goes smoothly on the day, and the initial entrant's list is pretty intriguing. However, as exciting as this line-up looks, we believe that one of the best plays to make from the bunch is to go for Nusret to win. This horse is priced at 8.00 right now, and Nusret recently won a G2 event in Kempton less than two weeks ago.

So clearly, the horse is racing well, and he is certainly a strong challenger to cross the line in first place.

Our Tip: Nusret
Odds: 7/1

Looking for Cheltenham Day 2 tips? We've got you covered!

Current Cheltenham Day One Betting Bonuses

Now that you’ve been given the Cheltenham day 1 tips, let’s move on to talk about one of the hottest topics of the moment – day one bonuses. As you may already know, the UK’s leading bookmakers can get a little wild around the time of the Cheltenham Festival. To be fair, that’s putting things lightly. With hundreds of pounds worth of free bets issued through sign-up offers and reloads for the festival, this is a topic that’s well worth exploring.

However, you don’t need to go off and research these offers on your own. Instead, we’ve provided a shortlist of top bookmakers to check out for great offers relating to day one. Check out these bookmakers below for some awesome promotions:

Unibet

Unibet is actually sponsoring the 2023 Champion Hurdle. So this bookmaker already has some skin in the game at the festival. Therefore, as you’d expect, Unibet also has a great sign-up bonus that can be used for day one races. Currently, you can take a punt of up to £40 on day 1 events with the promise of getting your wager back if it doesn’t win. Additionally, this offer comes with a £10 casino bonus, not that this is connected to the festival, of course.

Sky Bet

Sky Bet has also taken up a sponsorship role at the festival this year. This bookmaker is sponsoring the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on day one, which is the very first race of the entire festival, as you’ve seen above. And when it comes to great bonuses, Sky Bet really has raised the bar ahead of the 2023 festival. Right now, those who register and bet just 5p will receive £30 in free bets that can be applied to day 1 races.

Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes isn’t sponsoring any races for the 2023 Cheltenham Festival. However, with the high-quality offerings that Ladbrokes has for horse racing, the presence of a great welcome offer is not exactly shocking. As for what this offer entails, you can register and then wager £5 in exchange for £20 in free bets. This gives you 4x shots at backing one of the Cheltenham day 1 tips you’ve seen earlier.

Betfred

Betfred is a bookmaker that has yet more free bets on hand for you to snap up as a new customer. By joining the Betfred platform prior to day one of the festival and wagering just £10, you will be given £30 in free bets. Once again, you can then choose to use these tokens on our Cheltenham day 1 tips. Just make sure you select an eligible market at Betfred and you’ll be ready to rumble.

Paddy Power

The final bookmaker we wish to point out is Paddy Power. As the official sponsor of the Stayers’ Hurdle on day three, these guys mean business when it comes to the 2023 Cheltenham Festival.

FAQs – Cheltenham Day 1 Tips

Which bookmakers should I use to follow your Cheltenham day 1 tips?

We’d recommend betting with some of the bookmakers that are sponsoring the events this year such as Unibet, Paddy Power, or SkyBet.

Are the odds you’ve provided accurate and up to date?

Yes, the odds supplied here are the most recent prices, at the time of writing. However, it’s inevitable that the odds will move over the next week or so.

Will the list of participants for these races change between now and day one?

Most likely, yes. But this is to be expected with major events such as the Cheltenham Festival. And you can always back these Cheltenham day 1 tips through the NRNB markets, meaning you’ll get your stake back if they don’t run. The same goes for Cheltenham Day 3 tips of course.

Can I snag some bonuses to wager on these races?

Absolutely. If you join the mentioned bookmakers as a new customer, you can grab free bets and other exciting bonuses.

When is the Cheltenham Gold Cup?

It takes place on the final day of the festival. You can read all about our Cheltenham day 4 tips for more information!