Willie Mullins has long been the dominant force at the Cheltenham Festival, and 2025 looks no different, with a host of short-priced favourites primed for glory. But with the unpredictability of top-class racing, how many of his big names will deliver? As the excitement builds for one of the biggest race meetings of the year and the horse racing betting heats up, we assess the leading Mullins favourites and their chances of justifying the hype.
Kopek Des Bordes – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (10/11)
Mullins holds the record for the most wins in the Supreme with seven victories, but he hasn’t won the opening race of the Cheltenham Festival since Appreciate It’s success in 2021.
That could change this year, as the Closutton handler holds a very strong hand in the Grade 1 contest—with Kopek Des Bordes leading the charge.
A winner in his only bumper start last season, the five-year-old won a competitive maiden hurdle on reappearance and followed up in the Grade 1 Ireland Novice Hurdle last time out.
The supreme can often throw up surprises, but Kopek Des Bordes should be the one to beat based on form.
Majborough – Arkle Novices’ Chase (8/13)
Another race in which Mullins boasts a fine record, a seventh win in the Arkle would see him draw level with veteran Nicky Henderson as the leading trainer in the race’s rich history.
And, with Henderson’s big gun, Sir Gino, ruled out after sustaining a leg injury, Majborough has been slashed into odds-on favouritism for Mullins.
A classy hurdler, winning the Triumph Hurdle at the Festival last year, Majborough has made a seamless switch to fences—winning both of his outings, including the Irish Arkle.
Course and distance winner L’Eau Du Sud could be a big danger for Dan Skelton, but Majborough’s 8/13 is a fair reflection of his chances.
Galopin Des Champs – Gold Cup (8/15)
It’s hard to believe that before 2019, Mullins had never won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, yet here we are, appearing to be on the cusp of his fifth victory in seven years and hunting down a historic hat-trick.
Galopin Des Champs has won the last two renewals of the iconic contest with conviction, and he’s going into this year’s edition in red-hot form after two stunning performances.
Bouncing back from defeat on reappearance, the nine-year-old won the Savills Chase for the second time in a row before completing the Irish Gold Cup three-peat at the start of February.
That has confidently poured cold water over Fact To File’s attempt to dethrone his stablemate, and it would take something very special to stop Galopin Des Champs from winning a third Gold Cup.
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Ballyburn, 2/1 for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, Final Demand, who is the 7/4 favourite for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle, Champion Bumper contender Bambino Fever (7/1), and Maughreen (10/3) in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle are some of Mullins’ other big chances over the week.
All things considered, you’d expect Mullins to end the Festival with another five or six winners—which should be enough to see him crowned the Leading Trainer once again.
