Cheltenham 2025 Eyecatchers: DRF winner Kopek Des Bordes impresses

Where better to start when looking at the Cheltenham 2025 eyecatchers than Leopardstown, which hosted the Dublin Festival over the weekend and saw seven winners for Willie Mullins. Remember, we’re non-runner no bet on all four championship races at the Cheltenham Festival, which is now just five weeks away.

Owen's enjoying a little break, so it's my privilege to bring you some thoughts about what we're seeing just now, with prices, as the Cheltenham prep dial cranks up to eleven.

Horse Racing Odds

We got a taste of what was to come in the first race on Saturday, with the Mullins’ trained Final Demand obliging in the Grade 1 Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle; trips off the tongue!

Sent off the 11/8 favourite, the unbeaten six-year-old was impressive running away to a 12-length victory, which saw him shortened to 5/2 from 6/1 by Betfred for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in just over five weeks.

There were also Grade 1 wins on Saturday for Willie Mullins in the shape of Majborough (8/11f) in the Irish Arkle and Galopin Des Champs (1/2f) in the Irish Gold Cup.

The novice two-miler Majborough was very impressive, eased down to win by nine lengths and nipped into 9/4 from 3/1 for the Arkle in March by Betfred’s traders.

Galopin Des Champs was made to work harder, landing the Irish Gold Cup, but it was all the more impressive, powering away under pressure with stamina in abundance on-show in Leopardstown.

Still only nine, he’s now 4/9 (shortening as I write!) from 8/11 in his bid for a three-peat in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

It wasn’t just the ‘Mullins Show’ on Saturday at the track, with the Gavin Cromwell-trained Hello Neighbour earning quotes of 5/1 from 8/1 for the Triumph Hurdle next month, following his Grade 1 Juvenile Hurdle win.

Sunday, however, saw Mullins scoop three out of the four Grade 1 prizes on offer, the most eye-catching, arguably Kopek Des Bordes in the two-mile novice hurdle.

Winning like the ‘good thing’ he was by 13 lengths, he had ante-post Cheltenham backers salivating, now the 5/4 favourite (from 12/1 last week) to kick the Cheltenham Festival off to a winning start in the Supreme.

To quote a colleague, they’d better start now if he’s to get beat; what a weapon!

Elsewhere at Leopardstown on Sunday, State Man benefited from stablemate Lossiemouth’s fall in the Irish Champion Hurdle. Still an 11/2 chance for the English version on day one of the Festival, Constitution Hill dominates that market at Betfred at odds of 4/7.

Continuing the theme of Willie Mullins-trained favourites doing the job at the Dublin Racing Festival, 8/13 shot Ballyburn obliged in the Grade 1 two miles and five furlongs novice chase, winning by five lengths from the Gordon Elliott-trained Croke Park.

He’s a 7/4 chance for the Brown Advisory on day two of the Cheltenham Festival, with Croke Park 10/1.

This weekend we’re at Newbury, and we might see Sir Gino run in the Game Spirit and cement himself at the head of the Arkle market.

Cheltenham Tips; brought to you by our racing columnists at Betfred Insights.