Gavin Lynch's Cheltenham tips: Go West for the best bet
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Wed 11 Mar 2026
Top pundit Gavin Lynch shares his three best bets for the first day of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival! Gavin's tips are first emailed to subscribers at 5pm the day before. Watch every race live, exclusively on Racing TV.
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2.00 - Jack Richards Novices' Limited Handicap Chase
Click here for runners, riders and live oddsJordans Cross won the Timefrom Novices' Handicap Chase in late January and that race has a brilliant record of producing winners and placed horses at the Festival in March. The last five runnings of that contest were won by Jagwar, Ginny's Destiny, Stage Star, Imperial Alcazar, Simply The Betts (second that year was Imperial Aura). Those six horses mentioned give us four Festival winners and two runners-up!
This year Jordans Cross did not travel particularly well but showed a super attitude to win in a photo from Quebecois off 134. He runs here off 140. He looks like a horse that will stay further in time but with the likely prospect of decent ground, they are likely to go a searching gallop and being a strong stayer at the trip will certainly be no harm. He is still quite unexposed having only had seven lifetime racecourse appearances. He holds decent each-way claims at a reasonable price.
3.20 - Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle
When it comes to this year's Stayers' Hurdle punters have a choice - do you stay with the two older horses from last year namely Teahupoo (now nine) and Bob Olinger (11), or do you go with the young guns in Ma Shantou, Honesty Policy and Kabral Du Mathan?
As a rule I generally try to side with the younger brigade and am doing the same here. I'm not convinced that last year's Stayers' was a strong renewal.
Kabral Du Mathan looks a huge danger but the question is whether he will stay the trip? Honesty Policy was an eyecatcher at Ascot and I like him. I backed him for this after that race but I have been impressed with Ma Shantou more recently.
This season, Ma Shantou has been a real revelation. He won two handicaps at Cheltenham in good fashion but bolted up in the end last time in the Cleeve Hurdle. He loves this track and it was quite impressive how strongly he saw out the trip after the last against Impose Toi, who was giving the winner 6lb. Even had those two been at level weights, I believe he would have won.
You must stay strongly to win a Stayers' and I think this race should set up perfectly for him. His trainer, Emma Lavelle, knows a thing or two about training a good stayer and I think she may have another good one on her hands here. He has solid each-way claims and hopefully he powers up the hill once more at his favourite track.
4.40 Cheltenham - Supremely West
This eight-year-old is having his first season with Dan Skelton, whose stable has a great record at improving horses from other yards and I think he will do the same with this son of Westerner.
He finished third in a qualifier back at the end of October off 137 and it is a race that has worked out very well. Winner Ma Shantou is now 25lb higher and a player in the Stayers' Hurdle. The second, Electric Mason, won a competitive race since and is now 11lb higher.
The next time Supremely West ran was also at Cheltenham and he finished fifth having ran on the worst of the ground down the inside all the way round, prompting the stewards to have a chat with the rider afterwards (explanation noted).
He had two runs subsequently dropped back to two and a half miles and going back up in trip will really suit. I imagine this race has been his target for a while and I've been backing him over the last couple of weeks. In fairness, I don't think this is the strongest renewal of this race staged and I hope he will take a lot of beating.
THURSDAY MARCH 12
1.20 Ryanair Mares Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2)
2.40 Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
3.20 Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
4.00 Ryanair Chase (Grade 1)
4.40 Pertemps Network Final (Premier Handicap)
5.20 The Rosconn Group Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup (Sponsored by The JRL Group) (Handicap Chase - 0-145)
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