Champion Day is the start of the Cheltenham Festival and is on Tuesday March 10th 2020. Famed for the “Cheltenham Roar”, as the excitement that has bottled up amongst the 65,000+ in attendance is released with the start of the

The big race of the day is the Champion Hurdle, which is usually a happy hunting ground for value-seekers, with only five of the last twelve winners starting as favourites, and half of the last dozen winners having an SP of 9/1 or greater, including last year’s winner ESPOIR D’ALLEN at 16/1.

Our Day 1 tips…

You’ll find in-depth analysis, antepost bets, and statistics for the last 12 years for every single race here:

• Cheltenham Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Tips and Statistics
• Cheltenham Arkle Chase
• Cheltenham Festival Trophy Handicap Chase
• Cheltenham Champion Hurdle
• Cheltenham OLBG Mares Hurdle
• Cheltenham Close Brothers Handicap Chase
• Cheltenham National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup

As these articles are written in advance of the 2020 Festival, the likely contenders are expected to change as we get closer to Champion Day. The picture also starts to get much clearer as we approach the festival, with trainers starting to show their cards in the weeks leading up to Day 1. 

To get Keith’s very latest, up-to-date thoughts on the Day 1 card, and his final Day 1 tips, simply register as a FREE FRT member here, and Keith will email you the full Day 1 tips on the morning of Champion Day.

Keith Bond is our resident pro tipster here at FRT Towers. Keith lives and breathes horse racing, having begun his love of horse racing over 40 years ago with a part time job at Catterick Racecourse, as one of three fourteen year-olds looking after two jumps and a hurdle.

Over the years, Keith has been a regular at the northern tracks attending countless race meetings and building up a network of contacts, and a portfolio of systems and strategies. 

He was one of the co-founders of Free Racing Tips all the way back in 2008, and his free tips are now backed by more than seventy thousand FRT members every single day.

“Thanks Keith – It’s great to be part of an amazing group of people all after the same thing, passing on tips to beat the bookies”

Colin Parkinson, Harrow.

The FRT community love Keith’s attention to detail, knowledge of past races, and ability to pick horses…

“You offer some great tips, some fantastic outsiders tipped up as well. Most tipsters just put up favourites. Well done and keep up the good work”

John Woolley, Stockport

Keith’s Cheltenham Day 1 tips got off to a dream start last year, with KLASSICAL DREAM winning the

Sadly, that was as good as it got for our Day 1 tips, with the remaining horses failing to finish. Thankfully, we’d banked those winning betslips though, and ended the day in profit.

Here’s what Keith said last year about those two winners…

1.30 KLASSICAL DREAM – Out battled stablemate ARAMON to take a Grade one at Leopardstown last time, won't be stopping as they come up the Cheltenham hill.

2.50 VINTAGE CLOUDS – Comes here after a wind operation. Has run well twice in this race, fell when in touch in 2017 and 3rd last year behind COO STAR SIVOLA, another big run expected.

Keith’s full Cheltenham Day 1 tips from last year:

• KLASSICAL DREAM won at 6/1
• GLEN FORSA unseated rider.
• VINTAGE CLOUDS placed at 25/1
• BUVEUR D’AIR fell.
• BENIE DES DIEUX fell.
• LOUGH DERG SPIRIT pulled up.
• BALLYWARD fell.