The famous four-day Cheltenham festival for hurdlers and steeplechasers begins in western England on Tuesday with familiar names prominent in the day’s leading race, the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle. The 7-year-old mare Lossiemouth, a winner at the festival the last three years, will be favored to win the $621,400 Champion Hurdle over about 2 1/16 miles. Her annual victories at Cheltenham since 2023 have contributed to the dominance of Ireland’s Willie Mullins, the leading trainer at 12 of the last 15 festivals. Mullins won a record 10 of the 28 races in 2022 and repeated that mark last year. He is the all-time leader at the meeting with 113 wins. Nicky Henderson, who has one of England’s leading stables, is second with 85 wins. Mullins made a memorable debut on the Breeders’ Cup scene in the United States last November when Ethical Diamond won the BC Turf at Del Mar at 27-1. Many races at Cheltenham from Tuesday through Friday will be Mullins vs. Henderson matchups, including Friday’s Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup at about 3 5/16 miles, a race that compares to the Breeders’ Cup Classic as a weight-for-age championship event. With a purse of $834,000, the Gold Cup is the richest race of the week. Mullins will start Gaelic Warrior, while Henderson’s leading chance is Jango Baie. They are among the leading contenders along with The Jukebox Man, who is trained by Ben Pauling. Inotheweayurthinkin, the 2025 winner for Irish trainer Gavin Cromwell, is a 7-1 outsider. Lossiemouth is one of three mares in a field of nine in the Champion Hurdle, along with the well-regarded Brighterdaysahead, who was fourth in the 2025 Champion Hurdle for trainer Gordon Elliott. Lossiemouth won the Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2024 and 2025. The New Lion, a 7-year-old gelding trained by Dan Skelton, is the leading hope for the home team. The New Lion won a novices’ hurdle at 2 5/8 miles at Cheltenham last March. Tuesday’s seven-race program begins at 9:20 a.m. Eastern or 6:20 a.m. Pacific, and includes two other Grade 1 races – the $200,100 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at 2 1/16 miles, and the $266,900 Arkle Trophy for novice chasers at two miles. The Henderson-trained Old Park Star, winner of his last three starts, will be favored in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the first race of the week and one of the most highly anticipated jump races of the year. Mullins starts Mighty Park, who is expected to be the second choice, in a field of 12. In 2025, the French-bred gelding Kopek Des Borders won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle for Mullins. For the current jump racing season, Kopek Des Borders has been sent over the tougher steeplechase obstacles, winning his lone start by 13 lengths in a beginners chase at Navan Racecourse in Ireland in November. Despite the lack of a recent race, Kopek Des Borders was 3-2 in early betting for the Arkle Chase, a slight choice over 15-8 Lulamba, who has won his last four starts for Henderson. The other four races on Tuesday are handicaps with fields ranging from 17 to 22 entrants. Those races can produce winners at decent prices. In the 17-runner National Hunt Challenge Cup for novice chasers at about 3 5/8 miles, Kurasso Blue, trained in Ireland by Elliott, is an intriguing longshot. Kurasso Blue, 22-1 with bookmakers on Sunday, won a beginners chase at 2 7/8 miles at Punchestown in December, and was second in a novice chase at 3 1/16 miles at Naas in his last start on January 9. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.