Race 7 · Champion Day · Tuesday, 10 March 2026 · ~5:30pm
National Hunt Challenge Cup
Live betting odds for the longest race of Cheltenham Festival 2026 — Amateur Riders' Novices' Chase — 3m 5f · Grade 2 · Old Course
Live betting odds for the longest race of Cheltenham Festival 2026 — Amateur Riders' Novices' Chase — 3m 5f · Grade 2 · Old Course
Compare the latest odds for the National Hunt Challenge Cup. The longest race of the Festival provides outstanding each-way opportunities — check prices regularly as Champion Day approaches.
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The National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Riders' Novices' Chase is the final race of Champion Day and the longest single race of the entire Cheltenham Festival — a breathtaking three miles and five furlong test of stamina, jumping and courage.
The race is restricted to amateur riders competing on novice chasers, and combines the demands of a very long distance race with the technical requirements of Cheltenham's famous Old Course. The horses must be genuine staying novice chasers who can maintain their jumping accuracy deep into the race when fatigue begins to take its toll — a serious test of any young chaser's constitution.
Champion Day closes with this extraordinary contest, and its proximity in time to the Champion Hurdle and Arkle Trophy ensures that spectators have already had their emotions tested before the NH Challenge Cup sends them home with one final, epic race. The atmosphere in the closing stages — as horses battle up the famous hill after more than three and a half miles of racing — is uniquely intense.
The race has been dominated by the Irish racing establishment in recent years. Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott regularly produce staying novice chasers of exceptional quality who can win this race convincingly, and British trainers have found it difficult to produce horses with the right combination of stamina and quality to compete effectively.
No factor is more important in the NH Challenge Cup than confirmed stamina. Horses who have won convincingly over three miles plus in novice chases are the primary focus. Horses who have only raced over shorter distances — however impressive — face a significant stamina question.
The quality of the amateur rider is a genuine factor. Festival-winning amateur jockeys who know the Cheltenham track intimately are significantly more likely to produce a well-timed finish up the long run-in than a less experienced rider making their first Festival appearance.
The Grade 1 novice chases over long distances in Ireland — particularly the Flogas Novice Chase at Leopardstown — are the key preparatory races. Horses who have run well in these Grade 1 contests and who fit the staying profile have the strongest credentials for the NH Challenge Cup.
The NH Challenge Cup regularly provides outstanding each-way opportunities. The extreme trip, amateur riders and large field combine to make the race genuinely unpredictable, and horses at 10/1 or bigger who have the right stamina profile represent excellent each-way candidates with most bookmakers paying four or five places.