After dominating the last two renewals, Teahupoo and Bob Olinger will again feature in many 2026 Stayers' Hurdle tips, but there are some exciting younger pretenders to the throne.
We're taking a look at three new kids on the block in this division who have all shown enough evidence to suggest they can make their presence felt in Thursday's Cheltenham Festival showpiece.
Betting Odds
Stayers' Hurdle Odds – Cheltenham Festival 2026
Horse | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
Teahupoo | 10/3 | 23.08% |
Kabral Du Mathan | 4/1 | 20.00% |
Ballyburn | 11/2 | 15.38% |
Ma Shantou | 11/2 | 15.38% |
Bob Olinger | 7/1 | 12.50% |
Honesty Policy | 8/1 | 11.11% |
Impose Toi | 9/1 | 10.00% |
Doddiethegreat | 28/1 | 3.45% |
Hewick | 33/1 | 2.94% |
Home By The Lee | 33/1 | 2.94% |
Gwennie May Boy | 100/1 | 0.99% |
*Odds are correct at the time of writing, but subject to change.
Tips
Stayers' Hurdle Tips
Kabral Du Mathan
Kabral Du Mathan – 9/2
The six-year-old is two from two since joining Dan Skelton, with a wide-margin handicap success at Haydock on his stable debut followed by an impressive victory in the Grade Two Relkeel Hurdle at this venue on New Year's Day.
Kabral Du Mathan will have his stamina tested now stepping up in trip but Skelton declared: "I don't want to over-excite or over-egg the pudding here, but if we stay three miles – and I think we will – we've got a serious player on our hands.
"Put it this way, the Relkeel was two-mile-five and if you moved that winning post three furlongs further towards Cheltenham town centre, would he have won? I have no doubt (he would). He has phenomenal class and I hope it's enough – if he stays, look out."
Honesty Policy
Honesty Policy – 9/2
Gordon Elliott insists he wouldn't swap Teahupoo for any other among the 2026 Stayers' Hurdle runners but the Cullentra House handler has a strong second string to his bow.
Honesty Policy was a high-class novice last season, scoring in Grade One company at Aintree and then finding only Jasmin De Vaux too good over three miles at Punchestown, and the six-year-old was rallying late on when third in the Long Walk at Ascot on his sole start this term.
Elliott said: "Teahupoo probably sets the standard and, for me, Honesty Policy is the young gun coming behind them. I was impressed with Honesty Policy at Ascot – he was the horse to take out of it, he hit the line strong."
Ma Shantou
Ma Shantou – 6/1
Emma Lavelle famously landed this prize with Paisley Park as a seven-year-old in 2019 and will try to repeat the trick with this progressive type at the same age.
Ma Shantou collected a couple of nice handicap pots here before making it three Cheltenham triumphs already this term when taking a step up to Grade Two company for the Cleeve Hurdle in his stride, slamming Long Walk winner Impose Toi by seven lengths.
Lavelle beamed: "He ran an absolute stormer of a race and just looks to be progressing, which is great. He's a bundle of energy. They are different types, Paisley was a big horse and Shantou is a little one, but he's all heart and he just wants to do it."
Stayers' Hurdle Best Bets
Stayers' Hurdle Best Bets
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