With 40 winners to his name, Gordon Elliott is no stranger to Cheltenham Festival success and his powerful stable will once again be a major force at this year’s meeting.
With a talent squad set to take on the best from Britain and Ireland, punters will be keeping a close eye on his leading contenders in the latest horse racing odds from sites like LiveScoreBet.
Without further ado, here’s a closer look at some of Elliott’s top prospects heading to Prestbury Park in a couple of weeks.
Brighterdaysahead – Champion Hurdle/Mares’ Hurdle
One of the most talked about horses in the build-up to the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, racing pundits and punters alike have been trying to solve the puzzle surrounding Brighterdaysahead since the end of last year.
The classy mare is unbeaten in her three starts over in Ireland this season, notably beating defending Champion Hurdler State Man on her last two outings—including by over 30 lengths in the Neville Hotels Hurdle at Leopardstown in December.
However, Elliott and the horse’s connections (Gigginstown House Stud) are torn between taking Constitution Hill on in the Champion Hurdle or holding out for the Mares’ Hurdle later on the opening day.
Based on her form, Brighterdaysahead could certainly bring a good fight to Nicky Henderson’s star in the day one feature.
However, the Mares’ Hurdle would be almost a guaranteed win for the exciting six-year-old.
Teahupoo – Stayers’ Hurdle
Elliott has won the last two renewals of the Stayers’ Hurdle, and the hat-trick appears to be on the cards, with defending champion Teahupoo as short as 11/10 to claim the day three feature for the second year in a row.
The eight-year-old, who was a close third behind Sire Du Berlais in the 2023 renewal, won last year’s Stayers’ Hurdle by almost four lengths from dual champion Flooring Porter last year and has undergone the same prep for the upcoming edition.
Teahupoo kicked off his season in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Leopardstown, which he won last year, but finished over three lengths behind Lossiemouth. That’s not too much of a corner for Elliott, and the horse has been put away since with all roads leading back to Prestbury Park.
Joseph O’Brien’s Home By The Lee and Henderson’s Lucky Place are the main rivals, but Teahupoo remains the one to beat.
Kalypso’chance – Champion Bumper
The last eight editions of the Champion Bumper have gone to Irish runners —twice for Elliott with Fayonagh and Envoi Allen in 2017 and 2019, respectively, and he has a big chance with Kalypso’chance this year.
A young horse with a huge reputation, the five-year-old won a point-to-point (amateur races at grassroots level of jumps racing) by 13 lengths at Corbridge before being bought by Elliott on behalf of Gigginstown House Stud for £85,000.
He’s justified his price tag since, winning a bumper at Punchestown by 15 lengths on his debut under rules before following up at Listed level at Navan in December, and he should have a very good chance in the Champion Bumper from 6/1.
