Challenge Cup Open Hunters Chase Betting Odds

The penultimate race of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival is over a monster distance, with the runners and riders competing over three miles, two and a half furlongs. There are twenty-two fences to be negotiated, with Premier Magic, Sine Nomine and Wonderwall having been among the recent winners.

It's On The Line

5/1

SP

5/1

SP

Wonderwall

8/1

5/1

5/1

8/1

Con's Roc

7/1

7/1

6/1

7/1

Its On The Line

8/1

6/1

SP

8/1

The Goffer

14/1

8/1

14/1

7/1

The Great Unknown

10/1

SP

10/1

SP

Lifetime Ambition

10/1

SP

10/1

SP

Wrappedupinmay

12/1

12/1

12/1

SP

Music Drive

14/1

12/1

14/1

14/1

Chemical Energy

16/1

16/1

14/1

12/1

I Walked The Line

14/1

SP

14/1

SP

Conflated

20/1

10/1

20/1

14/1

Hunters Yarn

16/1

16/1

16/1

12/1

My Drogo

16/1

14/1

16/1

SP

Panda Boy

16/1

14/1

16/1

SP

Willitgoahead

16/1

16/1

14/1

SP

Barton Snow

16/1

16/1

16/1

SP

Snipe

16/1

16/1

16/1

SP

Unexpected Party

20/1

14/1

20/1

SP

Shearer

20/1

SP

20/1

SP

Viroflay

20/1

SP

20/1

SP

Latitude

20/1

SP

20/1

SP

Jet Plane

20/1

20/1

20/1

SP

Gracchus De Balme

25/1

25/1

20/1

SP

Stattler

25/1

25/1

25/1

SP

Golden Son

25/1

SP

25/1

SP

In Excelsis Deo

25/1

SP

25/1

SP

Pyleigh Court

25/1

SP

25/1

SP

St Cuthbert's Cave

25/1

SP

25/1

SP

Shanagh Bob

33/1

SP

33/1

SP

Ryehill

33/1

33/1

33/1

SP

Fairly Famous

33/1

33/1

33/1

SP

Latenightfumble

33/1

SP

33/1

SP

Take All

33/1

SP

33/1

SP

Good Boy Bobby

33/1

33/1

33/1

SP

Java Point

33/1

33/1

33/1

SP

Thunder Rock

33/1

SP

33/1

SP

Rocky's Howya

33/1

33/1

33/1

SP

My Life Be Like

33/1

SP

33/1

SP

Carnfunnock

50/1

50/1

25/1

SP

Jeffery's Cross

50/1

50/1

25/1

SP

Autonomous Cloud

50/1

50/1

50/1

SP

Bartlemy Boy

66/1

SP

66/1

SP

Big Interest

100/1

100/1

100/1

SP

2026 St James's Place Festival Hunters' Chase Betting Tips

The latter obliged in 2025 as a nine-year-old and may well return in March to defend his title. The horse was sent off as a 28/1 shot in the race twelve months ago, although it was a game effort on good to soft ground. In a close finish, the charge was able to fend off Its On The Line by a small margin, with plenty to recommend the horse here.

In November, there was a success at Dromahane on the point-to-point course, with the bookies also thinking that Con's Roc has a strong chance. On Boxing Day, the nine-year-old produced a strong effort at Down Royal to finish third out of sixteen runners. Its On The Line was actually the winner on that occasion, with the runner having previously obliged at Fairyhouse.

It’s On The Line has to be considered and Emmet Mullins trains a runner who is owned by JP McManus and the horse has collected lots of prize money during his career. We were taken by his outing at Punchestown in May where the 10/11 favourite won the Hunters' Chase on yielding ground and there could be more to come from the horse.

The Goffer was a point-to-point winner in October when obliging at odds of 6/4 over three miles, with Gordon Elliott saddling a nine-year-old who could be coming to the boil quite nicely. The runner was a close second at Punchestown a month later when finishing behind Desertmore House, with the horse actually lining up at Down Royal on 26 December.

2025 Festival Hunter Chase Tips

Its On The Line is the current favourite to win the St. James's Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase, with Emmet Mullins training an eight-year-old who has produced some strong performances this term. The latest effort saw the horse finish third out of nine runners at Naas when flopping as the 4/7 favourite in the QuinnBet Hunters Chase.

Angels Dawn is a ten-year-old with bags of ability, with the horse bagging a victory in Dromahane at the end of December, with the runner falling in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys' Handicap Chase at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival although he was travelling well when tumbling down in the end.

Willitgoahead is a largely untested seven-year-old that could perform well based on his latest effort at Thurles. The horse was sent off as the 11/10 favourite when winning by three and a half lengths, with this coming after finishing second out of sixteen horses at Limerick at the end of December.

Sine Nomine is a nine-year-old who fell last time out although we shouldn’t overlook the fact that the horse was successful in this race twelve months ago. On that occasion, the charge was narrowly victorious when touching off Its On The Line, although the horse hasn’t been showing any kind of form this season which explains his bigger price.