Lossiemouth Moves To Top Of Champion Hurdle 2026 Betting With Sir Gino Ruled Out
The Champion Hurdle 2026 picture has shifted again, and this time it’s Lossiemouth who finds herself sitting at the top of the market while everyone else shuffles around behind her.
With Sir Gino ruled out for the season, antepost punters have had to reach for the metaphorical Tipp‑Ex, and the mare who already owns Cheltenham like it’s her local track is now around 2/1 to land the big one in March.
The Champion Hurdle: The Festival’s Speed Test
The Unibet Champion Hurdle is the Tuesday showpiece of the Cheltenham Festival, run over 2m½f on the Old Course, and it tends to be over almost as quickly as you can say “why didn’t I back that one instead.”
On 10 March 2026, the 4.00pm race will again bring together the best two‑mile hurdlers around, a mix of established stars, rising types, and one or two whose owners are probably just delighted to see their colours on ITV.
It’s a Grade 1, so there’s no hiding place: you need speed, slick jumping, and a willingness to keep going up that famous hill when your jockey is asking serious questions.
This year’s entries originally listed 16 possible runners, from classy seasoned performers like Constitution Hill and El Fabiolo to improving sorts such as The New Lion, Brighterdaysahead, and Golden Ace.
As always, not all of them will make the final declaration stage, but the mix of Mullins power, home‑team hopes, and Irish raiders gives the race its usual “pick a side and hope” feel.
Sir Gino’s Injury – A Star Sidetracked
Sir Gino was meant to be one of the headline acts in this Champion Hurdle, a Nicky Henderson-trained star who had already shown a serious engine and a touch of class.
Those hopes were dashed on Trials Day at Cheltenham when he suffered a fractured pelvis during the Grade 2 Unibet Hurdle, pulling up abruptly after the third-last and giving everyone on course a horrible few minutes.
He was swiftly taken to Three Counties Equine Hospital in Tewkesbury for scans and treatment, where it was confirmed that he had two fracture lines but was at least reported to be comfortable and in good hands.
Henderson has been clear that Sir Gino will not run again this season, and it will take many months before anyone knows exactly what the future holds for him.
The six‑year‑old has had more hospital time than any top‑class hurdler would care for, having also missed last year’s Festival due to an infection in the ligaments of his hind leg, before returning to win the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Connections are understandably shaken, but the trainer has stressed there is every chance the horse can make a good recovery, even if patience will be required and the Champion Hurdle dream is on indefinite pause.
For punters, it removes the horse who had been trading at the head of the market and forces a rethink; for the yard, it’s more about hoping a popular stable star can get back to enjoying life, whether or not that ever means racing again.
Lossiemouth Takes Centre Stage
With Sir Gino sidelined, the betting boards have reshuffled, and Lossiemouth now finds herself installed as favourite at around 2/1 with leading firms, which is about as short as bookies like to go in February unless a horse has wings.
Trained by Willie Mullins for Mrs Ricci, the seven‑year‑old mare already has Cheltenham form that most owners would frame on the wall, and she comes into this campaign on great form, underlining how rarely she has put a foot wrong when things go her way.
Lossiemouth has built her reputation on strong travelling, sharp hurdling, and the ability to quicken when it matters, which is exactly what you want for this race.
Stepping into the Champion Hurdle rather than sticking religiously to mares’ races feels like a natural progression for a mare who has swept aside her own sex and now gets the chance to take on the very best two‑mile hurdlers around.
The main question is whether she can bring that same dominance when faced with hardened Champion Hurdle types and up‑and‑coming stars at level weights, but given her existing ratings and the way she has been campaigned, it’s hard to begrudge her place at the top of the market.
Betting On The 2026 Champion Hurdle
With Lossiemouth now heading the betting, the Champion Hurdle market has a clear focal point again, but it is far from a one‑horse race on paper.
The New Lion, for example, has been busy building his own fan club with a progressive profile that includes a Trials Day win in the Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham – the very race where Sir Gino came to grief – and he sits towards the front of the market at single‑figure odds.
Trained by Dan Skelton, he brings a mix of speed and toughness that suggests the hill will not bother him and he looks exactly the sort to keep finding when others are running on empty.
Then there is Brighterdaysahead, who has already hinted her name is not just optimistic branding from Gigginstown.
Trained by Gordon Elliott, she has shown a high level of form over hurdles and has the kind of cruising speed and attitude that could see her play a major role if connections choose this route.
At current prices around the low double‑figures, she looks the type that each‑way backers will start circling with interest, particularly if the race cuts up to a smaller field closer to the day.
Constitution Hill and El Fabiolo lurk in the entries too, both carrying huge reputations and question marks of their own after interrupted campaigns and falls, respectively.
If either were to turn up in peak form, the market would have another shake‑up, and Lossiemouth might suddenly have more company towards the front of the book.
As always, it pays to keep an eye on trial races, trainer comments, and any whispers about alternative Festival targets – and, if recent seasons have taught us anything, to accept that injuries and setbacks can rearrange the script at short notice.
A New Shape To An Old Race
Sir Gino’s absence is a real shame, both for the horse and for a Champion Hurdle that would have been richer for his presence, but the race has simply reshaped itself rather than lost all intrigue.
Lossiemouth stepping up as favourite feels like a natural development given her Cheltenham record and current form, and the idea of her trying to add a Champion Hurdle to an already glittering Festival CV gives the race a strong central storyline.
Around her, there is enough depth – from The New Lion’s upward curve to Brighterdaysahead’s promise and Golden Ace’s likeable profile – to ensure this does not become a one‑horse conversation between now and March.
For now, antepost players have a clear marker in the mare at the top of the betting and a cluster of lively alternatives if they prefer a slightly bigger price and a little more drama.
One thing feels certain: by the time they are lining up on 10 March, a lot of carefully‑constructed betting plans will be resting on whether a grey mare can once again make Cheltenham feel like her own back garden.
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