Cheltenham Festival 2026 day two: Tips for televised races on ITV
After an action-packed opening day, Prestbury Park opens its doors once more as the second day of the Cheltenham Festival gets underway. Sports News Blitz’s Jeff Mexico and Kieran McHugh survived the first day of the ‘Fez’ and return for round two at HQ on Wednesday, March 11.
The first race is underway at 1:20pm and proceedings conclude at 4:40pm, leaving 20 minutes for tea, tears, and tribulations before you can rage all over again because someone took the minus offer on The Chase.
Lossiemouth records career-high rating of 161 in Champion Hurdle win
Lossiemouth earned a career-high Timeform rating of 161 when winning the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
Willie Mullins’ star was winning at her fourth successive Cheltenham Festival following victories in the 2023 JCB Triumph Hurdle and the last two renewals of the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle.
Lossiemouth had been rated 158 prior to the Champion Hurdle.
Cheltenham Festival 2026 day one: Tips for televised races on ITV
The 2026 Cheltenham Festival is finally here - and we will be watching every minute of it on ITV (until The Chase comes on).
In young racing writer Kieran McHugh, we have not only found someone who understands the incoherent ramblings of our veteran racing tipster Jeff Mexico - but actually has a passing interest too.
Sports News Blitz have asked Messrs McHugh and Mexico to select an ‘on the nose’ tip and an each-way contender for every race that will be televised on Tuesday, March 10.
Cheltenham Festival 2026: ‘Willie’s in the Bumper’ – but which one?
Willie Mullins will saddle five runners in search of a remarkable 15th Champion Bumper win on Wednesday.
It’s 30 years since the master trainer’s first win in the race with Wither or Which, whom he rode himself, and it’s taken a total of 108 bullets to hit the target 14 times.
Ammunition aside, last year’s winning rider, Jody Townend, believes Mullins’ ability to “get them sharp” is key.
Horse racing news: Cheltenham Fever has bookmaker feeling queasy with £450m at stake
Bookmakers up and down the UK are braced for horse racing’s biggest betting week of the year, the Cheltenham Festival, with 28 races over four days, all of which made it into the 31 most bet-on races in 2025.
This year, William Hill, who sponsor the William Hill County Hurdle on Gold Cup Day (Friday 13th March), are forecasting an industry total of £450million to be wagered in the United Kingdom across the four days.
Cheltenham Gold Cup news: Gavin Cromwell says Inothewayurthinkin “will take plenty of beating” if he turns up
Gavin Cromwell has fired an early warning to the rest of the staying chase division: if Inothewayurthinkin brings his A-game to the Cheltenham Gold Cup, they might all be running for second.
Speaking on William Hill’s Inside Track: Ireland podcast, the trainer admitted this season hasn’t exactly gone to script - for the yard or for his stable star - but insists the reigning Gold Cup hero is coming to the boil at the right time.
Cheltenham Festival 2026: The challenge, UK vs Ireland
Cheltenham Festival is upon us. Between March 10 and March 13 in Gloucestershire, one of the most historical horse racing meetings in the whole world will take place for its latest edition.
The event attracts all horse racing enthusiasts, who will already be busy searching for the favorites to win the individual races.
If you're one of them, you can take advantage of the Cheltenham Festival free bets to reduce your losses and bet on your favourite horse, or your favourite jockey.
Andrea Atzeni stars at Sha Tin to land first four-timer in Hong Kong
Andrea Atzeni’s surge up the Hong Kong jockeys’ championship gained further impetus at Sha Tin on Sunday (8 March) when the Italian produced a career-best quartet in Hong Kong, taking his tally of wins to 35 for the season.
Breakout Jockeys and Horses to Follow in the Upcoming Calendar
Horse racing is a sport that is constantly evolving, with new names joining the sport every year.
Every star coming into the sport will aim to make their impression, whether that is by winning a notable Grade One or scoring victory in one of the Classics.
Breakout jockeys will be looking to upset the status quo, and their mounts will likely be overlooked due to the inexperience of the rider when making online horse racing betting selections.
But, who are potentially some of the breakout jockeys and horses worth following in 2026?
Horse racing news: Harry Bentley lands £1.2 million Hong Kong Classic Cup aboard Stormy Grove
Harry Bentley secured his biggest success yet in Hong Kong when delivering Stormy Grove with a sensational late run to score an upset and claim the second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic series, the HK$13 million (approx. £1.2m) Hong Kong Classic Cup (1m1f/1800m), at Sha Tin on Sunday 1 March.
The son of Toronado made it two wins in a row and landed the Hong Kong Classic Cup with a performance reminiscent of his explosive 1600m showing at Sha Tin two weeks ago, when, after being drawn 14, he surged from last to first to claim his first Hong Kong win.
ITV horse racing tips and best bets for Kelso, Newbury and Doncaster on Saturday, February 28
After a week off recovering from trapping one of his testicles in the hatchway of a canal boat, Sports News Blitz’s racing tipster Jeff Mexico is back for Saturday’s ITV racing action.
We’ve decided that it’s sometimes best not to ask why Jeff was dangling his meat ‘n’ two veg into a narrowboat on the Leeds and Liverpool waterway – we just know he has been up to no good again, so let’s stick to the horses.
ITV have served up 10 races for Saturday afternoon: five from Kelso, two from Newbury, and three from Doncaster. Let’s get cracking.
Horse racing news: Zac Purton confident Voyage Bubble can rebound in G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup
Champion jockey Zac Purton says Voyage Bubble’s disappointing performance last start should be excused as he prepares to take on Romantic Warrior in the HK$13 million (approx. £1.2m) G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (1m2f/2000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday 1 March.
Ricky Yiu’s seven-year-old finished a distant third to Romantic Warrior in the HK$13m (approx. £1.2m) G1 Stewards’ Cup (1 mile/1600m) last month, relinquishing the Triple Crown he claimed so spectacularly last season.
Barry Geraghty: A case of what might’ve been for Constitution Hill
William Hill ambassador Barry Geraghty reflects on Connections’ decision not to go to Cheltenham with Constitution Hill and to stick to the Flat from now on.
ITV horse racing tips and best bets for Southwell on Friday, February 20
After taking a profit in five races last week, Sports News Blitz’s horse racing pundit Kieran McHugh is hoping to continue his good run of form.
Friday Night Live returns at Southwell on ITV, and amidst the excitement of Constitution Hill’s flat debut, our pundit is hoping to provide some guidance through the card.
Horse racing news: Five horses of interest at huge odds for the 2026 Grand National
The Grand National picture has become much clearer following the reveal of the weights for the 2026 edition.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s horse racing expert Kieran McHugh picks out five horses to keep an eye on.
Over 92,000 at Sha Tin to witness former Joseph O’Brien-trained Stunning Peach land Year of the Horse Cup
A Chinese New Year Raceday crowd of 92,612 were in attendance at Sha Tin to welcome in the New Year and see Stunning Peach, formerly trained by Joseph O’Brien, win the feature HK$3.12 million (approx. £300,000) Class 2 Year of the Horse Cup.
In total nearly 100,000 fans were watching in Hong Kong, with another 5,000 people watching the action on screens at Happy Valley Racecourse, and turnover on the day hit HK$1840 million (approx. £175m).
Ante-post market leaders with Cheltenham Festival just around the corner
Sports News Blitz’s Charlie Fawcett takes an admittedly premature look at some of the form fancies and runners of interest at the upcoming 2026 Cheltenham Festival as the countdown to the huge week continues.
With “The Greatest Show on Turf” now just T-minus 20 days away, all eyes are on which runners will be confirmed to feature at this year’s festival, and crucially, who will pick up the spoils in some of the most prestigious contests in all of racing.
With 28 races being crammed into one of the most iconic and highly anticipated events in the British sporting calendar, we focus on those with the most eyes upon them.
Horse racing news: Forever Young eyes immortality in Dubai World Cup as ‘dirt Triple Crown’ awaits
Forever Young is the world’s best dirt horse and Sports News Blitz’s horse racing expert Kieran McHugh believes that he can climb into the pantheon of greats by winning the Dubai World Cup.
He is a six-time Grade One winner and the first back-to-back winner of the Saudi Cup. He is also the reigning Breeders’ Cup Classic champion, the first Japanese horse to achieve such a feat.
So, what stands between him and racing immortality? The one race that has evaded him thus far: the Dubai World Cup.
Horse racing news: Iroko has bookies sweating as Grand National weights announced by William Hill
The official betting partner of the Randox Grand National Festival, William Hill, have revealed that Iroko is still their biggest loser in their Grand National ante-post book.
With the weights for the world’s greatest race announced today in Liverpool’s St George’s Hall, the leading bookmakers have their biggest liability riding on the Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero–trained runner.
ITV horse racing tips and best bets for Ascot, Haydock and Wincanton on Saturday, February 14
Sport News Blitz’s horse racing tipster Jeff Mexico is an old romantic at heart, having been married eight times, with his last to a young lady he met in a Philippine bar just after the Covid pandemic.
Talking of romance, ITV has nine races on offer this Valentine’s Day afternoon, so you can boost your coffers before blowing it on a below-par meal at a shonky high-street Italian restaurant in the evening.