Thursday’s 2026 Stayers Hurdle at 3:20pm brings the stayers back to the heart of the Cheltenham Festival, with 10 runners lining up for three miles and a bit of hard truth up the hill.
Teahupoo returns as the established benchmark in the division, but the presence of rising star Kabral Du Mathan and a clutch of upwardly mobile types means this year’s renewal has a fresher feel than some recent editions.
Run over 3m on the New Course, the Stayers Hurdle remains the championship test for horses whose fuel tank matters more than their turn of foot.
The 2026 field mixes battle‑hardened campaigners like Bob Olinger and Home By The Lee with newer names such as Honesty Policy, Ma Shantou, and Kabral Du Mathan, plus a couple of classy wildcards in Ballyburn and Impose Toi stepping into the deep end of the staying pool.
Runners & Odds
*Odds from Betfred correct at time of publishing
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teahupoo | Jack Kennedy | G Elliott | 7/2 |
| Kabral Du Mathan | Harry Skelton | D Skelton | 9/2 |
| Ballyburn | Paul Townend | W P Mullins | 5/1 |
| Ma Shantou | H Cobden | Miss E C Lavelle | 5/1 |
| Bob Olinger | Darragh O’Keeffe | H De Bromhead | 15/2 |
| Honesty Policy | Mark Walsh | G Elliott | 6/1 |
| Impose Toi | N de Boinville | N J Henderson | 8/1 |
| Doddiethegreat | James Bowen | N J Henderson | 33/1 |
| Home By The Lee | J J Slevin | J P O’Brien | 40/1 |
| Hewick | Paddy Hanlon | J J Hanlon | 50/1 |
Teahupoo: The Champion With Unfinished Business
Teahupoo, from Gordon Elliott, arrives at Cheltenham as the proven class act, having already captured this race in 2024 and confirmed his status with a Punchestown Champion Stayers’ Hurdle win a few weeks later.
His path from Champion Hurdle also‑ran in 2022 to the dominant stayer we see today has been steady rather than dramatic, but seven Grade 1 wins tell you everything about how carefully he’s been managed.
He has already produced a performance this season that, on ratings, would have won every Stayers’ Hurdle in the last decade, underlining why he sits at the head of the market again.
He lost out in this race last year to Bob Olinger, so there is a sense of unfinished business as he bids to regain that crown.
The one nagging question is mileage: at nine, he gives away a couple of years to the younger legs snapping at his heels, but his style, and current form, still looks tailor‑made for another big run.
Kabral Du Mathan: Can Speed Stretch To Three Miles?
In the opposite corner stands Kabral Du Mathan, from Dan Skelton, the horse who has injected a bit of zip and intrigue into the staying division.
Since joining Dan Skelton in November, he’s two from two, bolting up in a Haydock handicap before stamping his authority on the Relkeel Hurdle over an extended two and a half miles at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.
That Relkeel win has had connections toying with shorter targets before deciding to roll the dice over three miles – a distance he has never run before.
So, the obvious question is stamina. This will be his first try at the full Stayers’ Hurdle trip, and Skelton has made no secret of the fact that he doesn’t want “brutal” ground for the experiment.
If conditions stay reasonable and the race sets up more as a steadily‑run contest turning into a sprint, Kabral Du Mathan’s tactical speed could be a serious asset.
If they go a proper, searching gallop from a long way out, we’ll finally find out how deep that stamina well really is.
Depth And New Blood
Behind the top two in the betting, this renewal has a more layered feel than some recent years, with several horses who look capable of getting seriously involved without needing everything to fall perfectly.
Honesty Policy has quickly developed into a leading young stayer, having landed Grade 1 novice honours at Aintree over 2m4f before running a solid race in the Long Walk on his return this season.
Ma Shantou, last season’s Albert Bartlett seventh, has blossomed into the top‑rated British‑trained stayer, stepping forward again when outstaying Impose Toi in the Cleeve Hurdle on Trials Day.
Bob Olinger brings a very different profile, having done most of his best work at intermediate trips, but his sheer ability means you would not completely rule out a late‑career second wind over this distance. After all, he did win this race last year!
Ballyburn, from Willie Mullins, and Impose Toi, from Nicky Henderson, both add a bit of class and intrigue, and if either settles and travels within themselves, they could be dangerous late in the piece.
Even the bigger‑priced runners have some storyline appeal. Home By The Lee has mixed form but is a seasoned campaigner who knows what this grade requires, while Hewick turns up with his usual no‑nonsense attitude and a proven engine, even if this isn’t his most obvious target.
Doddiethegreat needs a big step forward on the figures, but the Stayers’ has thrown up placed shocks before from horses who simply kept going when others didn’t.
Verdict for the 2026 Stayers Hurdle: A Fascinating Clash Of Generations
On paper, this Stayers’ Hurdle feels like a genuine clash of generations rather than a procession for a single dominant name.
Teahupoo brings the championship credentials, a rating that would have won plenty of recent renewals, and a tried‑and‑tested method of getting the job done on this stage.
Kabral Du Mathan arrives with a lighter résumé, but all the momentum, and if he relaxes, settles and stays, his turn of foot could turn the last furlong into an awkward few seconds for Teahupoo backers.
Add in Honesty Policy’s unexposed profile, Ma Shantou’s relentless finishing effort, and the lurking quality of Ballyburn, Bob Olinger, and Impose Toi, and you have a race that promises a proper, layered contest rather than a one‑horse coronation.
From a working‑day punting perspective, Teahupoo remains the one they all have to beat, Kabral Du Mathan is the obvious second choice if you’re prepared to trust his stamina, and Ma Shantou looks a fair each‑way play for those happy to cheer on the horse who just keeps going when the others would really rather be back in the stable yard.
BETFRED
