Horse Racing Betting

Online bookmaker SportingBet are treating their customers to some great 2012 Cheltenham Festival offers in their horse racing betting sports book First of all, the popular bookie in offering the all important No Runner No Bet coverage on all races from the 2012 Cheltenham Festival this year, which means that you can head to the ante post betting markets with some peace of mind that if your selection doesn’t make the starting tape, then you will get a refund.

You head to SportingBet’s great Cheltenham Festival betting section, and see the industry best value on Special Multiple Prices. These are well worth looking at, where you can build on option such as the Champions Multiple where Hurricane Fly, Sizing Europe, Big Buck’s and Long Run are the protagonists and you can get the best fixed odds of 14/1 at SportingBet for that multiple you can take the Big 2! Multiple at a price of 15/8 which covers Hurricane Fly and Big Buck’s winning the Champion Hurdle and the World Hurdle respectively.

If you are looking at mobile betting for Cheltenham Festival horse racing wagers, then SportingBet have a treat lined up for you. For bets placed on the day of the race in question, SportingBet are offering extra places on the following races through the festival. This applies to mobile bets only, and those bets must be placed on the same day as the race.

SportingBet Mobile Betting Extra Place Offer…

Tuesday 13th – Supreme Novices – 4 Places

Wednesday 14th – Diamond Jubilee National Hunt Chase (4 Places), Coral Cup (6 Places), Champion Bumper (04 Places)

Thursday 15th – Pertemps (6 Places), Byrne Group Plate (5 Places), Fulke Walwyn (5 Places)

Friday 16th – Triumph Hurdle (4 Places), County Handicap Hurdle (6 Places), Foxhunters (4 Places)

To top it all off, if you feel that you are missing out on some good value at the 2012 Cheltenham Festival betting at SportingBet, then there is some extra good news. SportingBet offer a £50 risk free first bet on new accounts. So when you register for your new SportingBet account, place some funds and have your first wager with the bookie, if that bet loses, then SportingBet will cover your lost stake up to the maximum value of £50. So you have nothing to lose on that first bet on a SportingBet account, thanks to the great welcome bonus offer of a £50 risk free bet. This all adds up to a great package from the highly rated online bookmaker SportingBet.

There is a great treat in store for your horse racing betting with the top action coming from Prestbury Park on Tuesday, March 13 through Friday, March 16th. Will Kauto Star make the Gold Cup after his injury? Or is Long Run holding all the aces still? Big Zeb and Sizing Europe square off once again in the Champions Chase. Will Big Buck’s get things all his own way in the World Hurdle? Will Hurricane Fly, one of the Festival bankers get the job done? Thrilling cards are lined up for 2012 Cheltenham Festival Betting, so take advantage of SportingBet’s No Runner No Bet offer and reap the rewards of your antepost betting.

Tune in to SportingBet to watch Mick Fitzgerald give video previews for the Festival, as well as offering tips to SportingBet customers.

Online bookmaker Paddy Power have a great horse racing betting promotion running for the 2012 Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival. This year’s Arkle, which is ran on Tuesday, march 13^th at 2.05 pm GMT, and features the impressive Sprinter Sacre. If Sprinter Sacre wins the Arkle, then popular online bookmaker will refund all losing singles on the race, up to £100. So this provides some wonderful horse racing betting coverage for the 2012 Arkle from Paddy Power, who are confident of Sprinter Sacre coming up trumps. But is there a serious challenger afoot in the field? The coverage from the Arkle Money Back Special makes the rest of the chaser great value as there will be nothing lost if the favourite comes home first. Online bookmaker Paddy Power offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account with them. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, up to the maximum value of £50, giving you some great free betting cash to enjoy.

Sprinter Sacre odds at the Arkle in 2012 Cheltenham Festival betting has been much the headline in the ante post betting market. The favourite to take the race is among ten left for the Arkle and since a truly wonderful run from Sprinter Sacre at Newbury when he triumphed over French Opera and I’m So Lucky by a good six lengths has helped keep him at odds on favourite. Much has been made of Sprinter Sacre, who has notched up three wins this season, but there could be more to read into the chances of the Nicky Henderson trained horse than meets the eye, because he will likely be challenged hard. Sprinter Sacre odds at the Arkle in 2012 Cheltenham Festival betting have been strong for a long time now, and he is worth jumping on at the moment if you want to back him, because he and his main challenger Al Ferof are likely to be trimmed further as we get closer to the opening day of the Festival. There has been some impressive jumping form from Sprinter Sacre this season, there really has, and this is his second trip to Cheltenham after finishing third in the Supreme Novices last March.

The winner of last season’s Supreme Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham was Al Ferof, who goes up against Sprinter Sacre again this year. Ruby Walsh has been talking up the chances a lot of Al Ferof, who is strong second favourite for the Arkle. He points out the fact that Sprinter Sacre’s wonderfully exiting run at Newbury recently was only in a Grade II race against handicappers, and Sprinter Sacre was not held back. This was after Al Ferof was chasing home third in a Grade I race behind Somersby. Which was the stiffer test? The latter, naturally, so that could put Al Ferof in with a very good chance if the two get close in a head to head race for Arkle glory, which is expected. There was also a Grade I win for Al Ferof back at Sandown at the start of December, so with Ruby Walsh in the saddle, Al Ferof could well be a closer shot than his 11/4 back of Sprinter Sacre Arkle odds at the 2012 Cheltenham betting suggests.

It is hard to see anything else really in the field challenging those two in the Arkle betting odds this season at Cheltenham, but Sprinter Sacre Arkle odds could be under a stern test from Al Ferof on the day.

Paddy Power 2012 Arkle Odds
Sprinter Sacre 10/11, Al Ferof 9/4, Cue Card 6/1, Menorah 9/1, Blackstairmountain 16/1

We should have a thrilling race on our hands looking at 2012 Cheltenham Supreme Novices Hurdle Best Odds and Favourites. After scanning the card for this year’s race, which is always popular because it really is the curtain raiser for the festival, running on Tuesday, March 13 at 1.30pm, it should be a tightly contested affair. The race, which is the same format in length and course as the Champion Hurdle itself, is reserved for horses who had not won before the start of the new season. We really have a closely matched field lining up to be the first to taste Cheltenham Festival 2012 glory, and it is five year old Darlan who has been heading the ante post betting market for some time now, but has seen the competition close in around him. Darlan, trained by Nicky Henderson was a faller two hurdles out at Newbury on February 17th. That was a big set back in his challenge for a taste of Cheltenham glory this year, but other than that his season has been pretty much flawless, picking up three straight wins, including one at Cheltenham from three outings. It remains to be seen just what effect that will have on Darlan’s chances at Cheltenham now, but it has certainly made the field for the 2012 Supreme Novices Hurdle very interesting.

Nicky Henderson’s Simonsig has been switched from the Supreme Novices to the Neptune, where there will be more distance to suit the charge. Prior to the withdraw, Simonsig had been as short as 5/1 in general for the Supreme. Steps to Freedom has been shaping up pretty well for the challenge and is trading at 7/1 with SkyBet for the Supreme, running off three wins since September after a slow start to the season. There has been a slight hesitation over pulling his price in a little more, because he missed out on a main prep race for Cheltenham. Still, that remains the only hesitation for a horse with a decent amount of potential, and trainer Jessica Harrington didn’t seem to fazed by it all by taking him out of Dundalk. The horse is fine, just a tactical decision. Galileo’s Choice is also trading at 7/1 with Bet365 for the Supreme Novices and he should be in with a good chance after a good showing at Fairyhouse back in the middle of February. There was just one small error in the race, but other than that, he looked in very good shape and the bookies were quick to react to his outing by cutting his odds for the Cheoltenham Festival opener. More importantly, it saw him comfortably beat Terminal which was a good test for him in his standing for Cheltenham. Galileo’s Choice makes a pretty decent option and is attracting a lot of attention.

There are further very handy option back from that as well, with Cinders And Ashes at 8/1 with Boylesports, Montbazon and Midnight Game both trading as 10/1 shots for the opener. So good options in your 2012 Cheltenham Supreme Novices Hurdle Best Odds and Favourites preview. But time for some pointers to help your horse racing betting selections. Form of course plays a big factor with thirteen of the last fifteen Supreme Novices Hurdle renewals and eleven of the last twelve winners ran within 45 days of the Cheltenham opener. Favourites have not fared well at all in this race, they really haven’t, with only three out of the last twenty living up to their starting favouritism. So the build up to 2012 Cheltenham Supreme Novices Hurdle Best Odds and Favourites has been a little stunted with Darlan’s fall, Simonsig’s withdrawal and Steps to Freedom in hiding. Galileo’s Choice seems to be the one making the move forward in the ante post options.

Online bookmaker Boylesports have a great promotion running for your Supreme Novices betting at the 2012 Cheltenham Festival. Make your selection and if it finishes second in the race, then Boylesports will refund your lost stake as a free bet. This is tremendous coverage for the Festival opener, and better still, the promotion extends to the Arkle, the Festival Handicap and the Champion Hurdle this year. So head to Boylesports for this superb coverage on your Cheltenham 2012 horse racing betting. Highly popular bookie Boylesports offer a free £20 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, up to the maximum value of £20.

Long Run Odds at the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012 have been effected by the news that his main challenger, Kauto Star has  picked up an injury and is 50/50 to make the Festival showcase race at Prestbury Park on Friday, March 16th. The battle of Long Run and Kauto Star was set up for the big race, it was the big story and now we wait with bated breath to see whether or not Kauto Star trainer Paul Nicholls thinks the two times Gold Cup winner will be fit to go in the Festival’s feature race. So with the uncertainty floating around about Kauto Star, it has left Long Run the outright clear favourite in ante post Cheltenham Gold Cup betting and that means his price has been reeled in shorter at the head of the field. Kauto Star was the only horse to beat Long Run last year and with the breath of new life that Kauto Star seemed to be enjoying, it will be a cruel blow for racing fans, for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and punters if he fails to turn up to have a shot at his third  Gold Cup title. So anyway, it all leaves Long Run in the huge ascendancy now in your horse racing betting for this year’s renewal of the prestigious race.

In last year’s field, Long Run was the young pretender, the maverick in the field against the massive combined experience of Imperial Commander, Denman and Kauto Star. Long Run lived up to his huge potential and stormed Prestbury Park, grabbing the headlines by a massive seven lengths over Denman. With Kauto Star looking as if he may have come to the end of his illustrious career, towards the end of last year, Long Run found a renewed challenge from the legend. Kauto Star turned up and beat Long Run in the BetFair Chase and then again in the King George VI Chase at the back end of last year. That left a dip in Long Run’s form and suddenly Kauto Star looked a strong shot to have a genuine chance at yet another Gold Cup. But Long Run’s Trainer Nicky Henderson has insisted that Long Run, the seven year old for this year’s race, is in good enough form, and he made his first outing of 2012 with a win over Gold Cup challenger Burton Port at Newbury. The win  for Long Run there was only by half a length, but there was a sense that Long Run, usually feisty and edgy, was holding something back. Long Run has improved his stamina, but has it come at a cost of a top gear? Even in victory over Burton Port, the bookies immediately lengthened Long Run Odds at the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012, because it wasn’t an explosive result, and Long Run and Kauto Star were trading equally as 5/2 favourites for this year’s Gold Cup afterwards. That was until the Kauto Star schooling injury news.

If Long Run had been holding out, that would be understandable with the Gold Cup right around the corner, but more importantly, he had enough in the tank, with enough to spare, to still beat one of his other main contenders at Cheltenham this year. If Kauto Star doesn’t make it, then as it stands, third favourite Burton Port, also trained by Nicky Henderson will get his chance to express his potential as the main threat to Long Run. But at the end of the day, Long Run Odds at the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012 is indicative of his chances. He is firm favourite for a reason, because he can be destructive to any field on his day. There should be a better run than what he produced at Newbury and there probably will be. Therefore with the Ante Post Long Run Odds at the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012, trainer Nicky Henderson could well be eyeing up another major triumph, one way or the other.

Best Long Run Odds at the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012
6/4 at  Paddy Power

Online bookmaker Bet365 offer superb horse racing betting coverage with their 4/1 Winner Special. Back a winner in any live BBC or Channel 4 race at Bet365 at odds of 4/1 or greater, then the bookie will give you a free bet for the very next race! The free bet will be to the value of your original winning stake, and the great thing here, is that if you pick another 4/1 with your free bet, then you will get another free bet, and so on. Terrific value and it applies to all live BBC or Channel 4 races. The bookie also offers Best Odds Guaranteed and a 50p bet on UK races will get you access to a live stream of the race as well to watch on your computer. Online bookmaker Bet365 offer a free £200 bet as a welcome bonus for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first deposit with a 100% bonus, giving you a tremendous amount of free betting cash to enjoy with your new account!

Kauto Star Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012 odds have already gone through some ups and downs ahead of the Festival showpiece on Friday, March 16th. The duel of Kauto Star and Long Run was lining up to be another thriller this season, as Kauto Star has been enjoying something of a renaissance after failing to capture his third Gold Cup last season. The pretender Long Run popped up and beat a class-filled field in the 2011 Cheltenham Gold Cup, but Kauto Star was far from done, as he enjoyed back to back victories over the fantastic youngster Long Run, beating the Gold Cup winner at the BetFair Chase and the King George IV Chase. So everything was gearing up for Kauto Star to target a hat trick of wins over Long Run when they come together again this year at the Cheltenham Gold Cup. However, there was some disappointing news after a injury during schooling of the 12 year old, which left trainer Paul Nicholls saying that Kauto Star was only a 50/50 shot to make it to the Gold Cup. That naturally saw Kauto Star’s odds drift out a little, after he had been trading as joint 5/2 favourite with Long Run across the board.

Kauto Star Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012 odds had actually been cut to be trading at an even price with Long Run, after the latter had put in an unimpressive run at Kempton in mid February, which saw him just beat Burton Port by half a length. That got all the doubters about Long Run’s Gold Defence in a fluster and Long Run’s odds for the 2012 Gold Cup drifted, while Kauto Star’s was cut down to meet his. That was before Kauto Star Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012 odds were affected by the news of his injury. But on a more positive note, Paul Nicholls has said that Kauto Star has now made a huge leap forward in getting ready for the big race at Prestbury Park. So much so that Nicholls has been massively relieved about the rapid progress that Kauto Star is making. After physio and strong canter there could be a happy ending to all of this. However, Nicholls himself has warned not to get carried away yet, because Kauto Star is not back at the level of fitness where he needs to be in order to land his third Cheltenham Gold Cup title. If he is even ready enough to make the start, it will be a big something for this year’s race, which does lack a bit of last year’s appeal.

After landing the Gold Cup in 2007 and 2009, fans were wondering if Kauto Star would be able to land that elusive third title. The anticipation about the 2012 Gold Cup was all about the ensuing battle between the legend and the young champion Long Run. That looks to be a little bit at risk at the moment, and Nicholls has been quite honest in his assessment of Kauto Star’s chances. Even if he makes the start, getting into prime shape to challenge is a different matter. But still Kauto Star Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012 odds are holding at around 4/1 with most bookies across the board including Totesport. So there is some so home for Kauto Star, still some romantic anticipation about him appearing in this year’s race, and what a story it would be, one that you just couldn’t write if he could come back from injury and cross the line first.

The nature and class of the horse is all written in his current odds, as he is still shorter than other contenders, like Burton Port, Synchronised and the good outside shot Grands Crus. Will this be Kauto Star’s last shot at the Gold Cup hattrick? Will he even make the start? After having drifted out from 5/2 joint favourite to 4/1 at the moment, now would be the time to jump on his back if you are fancying an optimistic punt on him.

Online bookmaker Bet365 offer superb horse racing betting coverage with their 4/1 Winner Special. Back a winner in any live BBC or Channel 4 race at Bet365 at odds of 4/1 or greater, then the bookie will give you a free bet for the very next race! The free bet will be to the value of your original winning stake, and the great thing here, is that if you pick another 4/1 with your free bet, then you will get another free bet, and so on. Terrific value and it applies to all live BBC or Channel 4 races. The bookie also offers Best Odds Guaranteed and a 50p bet on this race will get you access to a live stream of the race as well to watch on your computer. Online bookmaker Bet365 offer a free £200 bet as a welcome bonus for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first deposit with a 100% bonus, giving you a tremendous amount of free betting cash to enjoy with your new account!

Well, regular punters may be looking down the card for the 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup and wonder where the real challenge is going to come from outside of Long Run. The defending champion may have been handed a huge boost, with  news that two times Champion Kauto Star is only 50/50 to make the race after picking up an injury. That is some disappointing news for Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012 Ante Post betting, but trainer Paul Nicholls has said that there is still a good chance for Kauto Star to make the line up. This raises the question over whether or not it is going to be a good time to get a wager down on the legend, before the receipt of any positive news that he is fit and raring to go? Kauto Star is out as second favourite in 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup and you can get best odds on Kauto Star pulling off now what would be a surprise win at a price of 9/2 with SportingBet at the moment. That is in stark contrast to favourite Long Run, who demolished the strong field last season including Denman and Kauto Star by seven lengths is fetching a best Ante Post price of 6/4 with SkyBet at the moment, and really could have the 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup already within his grasp.

Take Kauto Star and Long Run out of the equation and then there is closely matched chasing pack behind them, being led by Burton Port. Burton Port hasn’t picked up a win this season, but he has been trading pretty well and is floating around the 7/1 mark at Boylesports with over a week to go before the big race. So there is interest in him, but whether or not he can fulfill his huge potential on the day and land the Gold Cup is another matter entirely. Grands Crus, who put in a good showing last season at Cheltenham, finishing second to Big Buck’s in the World Hurdle, is an interesting contender. If he had perhaps gotten another chase or two under his belt since the turn of the year he would have been at shorter odds, but he has been out of action since Kempton at the end of December. However, he is still such a fantastic youngster, and could well be a future Gold Cup champion. A decent outside shot nonetheless in Cheltenham Gold Cup Best Odds, Runners and Favourites 2012. Grands Crus is a best market price of 7/1 with William Hill at the moment, and then there is a gap back to the likes of Synchronised and Weird Al, who are starting to stretch the odds out in the 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup betting.

When looking for Cheltenham Gold Cup Best Odds, Runners and Favourites 2012, because of the uncertainty surrounding Kauto Star, and the undoubted ferocious talent that Long Run is, it may be worth looking at alternative markets when it comes to your Gold Cup horse racing betting this year. There should be decent value in the Without Kauto Star and Long Run Market for definite, as odds of 3/1 at Paddy Power being on offered on both Burton Port and Grands Crus. Winning distance markets are also viable options as well, because if you go over/under on distances (and SkyBet are good for this) on Long Run there are very good prices to be had. It will all come down to how well you weigh up the field for your Cheltenham 2012 Gold Cup betting.

Is Long Run simply going to dominate now that one of his main contenders, the only horse to beat him last year is only a 50/50 chance? Long Run beat Burton Port at Newbury mid February with still an extra gear in his pocket? That is why Long Run is heading the field in Cheltenham Gold Cup Best Odds, Runners and Favourites 2012.

Online bookmaker Boylesports already have a superb Cheltenham Gold Cup betting promotion running for this year’s renewal. Back a horse in the Supreme Novices, Arkle, Festival Handicap Chase or Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham this year, and if your horse finishes second, then the bookie will refund your losing stake as a free bet. So this provides some superb coverage for your Cheltenham 2012 Horse racing betting. Boylesports offer a free £20 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, up to the maximum value of £20, giving you some great free betting cash  to enjoy.

Online bookmaker Boylesports have a great online betting promotion running for the 2012 Cheltenham Festival already. There is still some hesitation over whether or not the much anticipated duel between Long Run and Kauto Star will go ahead, because of Kauto Star’s injury which he picked up in schooling. However, Kauto Star’s trainer Paul Nicholls has been pleased with the progress that two times Gold Cup Champion is making. While the Gold Cup is the big showcase for the Cheltenham Festival, and which is being run on March 16th this year, there are other quality feature races which we can look forward too as well.

Online bookmaker Boylesports has great coverage on some of the feature races from the 2012 Cheltenham Festival, with their Racing Special. Back a horse in the Supreme Novices, the Arkle, the Festival Handicap Chase or the Champion Hurdle, and if your selection comes home second in any of those races, then Boylesports will refund your lost stake as a free bet. So the promotion offers supreme coverage on your horse racing betting at the 2012 Cheltenham Festival.

We have Darlan as outright favourite in the Supreme Novices Hurdle, Sprinter Sacre going as favourite in the Arkle, Hold on Julio favourite in the Festival Handicap and then Hurricane Fly heading the field over Binocular in the Champions Hurdle. So there are great options in all the featured races covered by the Boylesports Cheltenham Festival promotion, and it is always worthwhile getting some ante post betting done on your horse racing.

There is going to be an action packed Festival again, all culminating in the showcase that is the 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup, where Long Run is the favourite at 6/4 with Boylesports at the moment. The Money Back Special at Boylesports should serve your ante post betting odds very well as the countdown to the 2012 Cheltenham Festival is seriously on now.

Popular online bookmaker Boylesports offer a free £20 bet for new customers registering an account with them. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, up to the maximum value of a free £20 bet! So that gives you some great free betting cash to work with on your new Boylesports account. Boylesports also offer best guaranteed odds on your horse racing betting as well, from the UK and Ireland.

The 2012 Cheltenham World Hurdle Best Odds and Favourites preview will largely focus on the presence of Big Buck’s in the race, and it is pretty hard to look anywhere else than him. Big Buck’s is the three time Champion in the World Hurdle and his back for his fourth crack of the whip here. The presence of Big Buck’s is surely going to be very intimidating for the rest of the field, as he is unbeaten since his return to hurdles, way back in 2008. This is the measure of the horse and scanning down the 2012 World Hurdle card for 2012 Cheltenham World Hurdle Best Odds and Favourites, it is hard to get past Big Buck’s. Big Buck’s is currently in a 4/7 with Paddy Power in the ante post betting for the 2012 Cheltenham World Hurdle. It is hard to knock a horse, or not back a three time champion of a race, but is there any other contender in the field which is likely to pop up and raise a serious challenge to the dominance which Big Buck’s has shown at Cheltenham? He is one of the star attractions of the week and is already pulling in a lot of interest for another win, and he has done for some time now. He is the one to stop and pretty much makes for one of the 2012 Cheltenham Festival bankers really.

Well, the main challenge is likely to come from Oscar Whisky, who is second favourite in the 2012 World Hurdle betting at 4/1 with William Hill. This is quite important, because none of the last eleven winners of this race have been longer than 8/1 and Oscar Whisky is the only other horse in this year’s field aside from Big Buck’s who is coming in under that threshold. It is still ante post prices we are looking at, but Oscar Whisky does appear to be the main threat to Big Buck’s. Oscar Whisky did get his Cheltenham preparations just right at Kempton, running out a three length winner, and jockey Barry Geraghty happy with his ride. That was his second run and second triumph of the year, after winning at Cheltenham back in January, and make no mistake, the seven year old is a very promising horse. He went in the Champions Hurdle last year at the Cheltenham Festival, finishing third behind Hurricane Fly. he does look a good fit for the rest and could very well be pushing Big Buck’s hard for first place.

The rest of the offerings in our 2012 Cheltenham World Hurdle Best Odds and Favourites look, are trading back behind the two front runners quite substantially, making Big Buck’s and Oscar whisky the favourite options. beyond those two you have to drop out to 12/1 and beyond to find the likes of Thousand Stars, Dynaste, So Young, Mourad and others. However, such is the dominance of Big Buck’s and the current good form of Oscar Whisky, that the ante post prices on the rest of the field are quite extended. Take a look at the Without Big Buck’s Market then you will see Oscar Whisky is the 7/4 favourite with Paddy Power to win, and that measures up the competition in the race perfectly.

Online bookmaker Bet365 offer superb horse racing betting coverage with their 4/1 Winner Special. Back a winner in any live BBC or Channel 4 race at Bet365 at odds of 4/1 or greater, then the bookie will give you a free bet for the very next race! The free bet will be to the value of your original winning stake, and the great thing here, is that if you pick another 4/1 with your free bet, then you will get another free bet, and so on. Terrific value and it applies to all live BBC or Channel 4 races. The bookie also offers Best Odds Guaranteed and a 50p bet on this race will get you access to a live stream of the race as well to watch on your computer. Online bookmaker Bet365 offer a free £200 bet as a welcome bonus for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first deposit with a 100% bonus, giving you a tremendous amount of free betting cash to enjoy with your new account!

Just who will win the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012? That is the question on the lips of horse racing fans as this year’s renewal of the famous race heads our way. The 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup will be ran on Friday, March 16th and there are doubts over whether or not, two times champion Kauto Star will be fit enough to take part after picking up an injury while schooling. That has left the defending Champion and incredible talent of Long Run as clear and outright favourite in 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup betting this year. The famous run, which goes over 3 miles and two and a half furlongs, presents 22 jumps to the runners and rider and while the field this season perhaps does not look quite as strong as last year’s there are some good trends worth looking at for Cheltenham Gold Cup Ante Post betting prices. The injury to Kauto Star will continue to be the biggest story until a decision is made either way on his participation. But it seems as if Long Run is holding all the aces at the moment, but will the challengers such as Burton Port, Grands Crus and Synchronised be able to challenge for the front in the Cheltenham showpiece? Or will Long Run, who demolished the illustrious field last season at Prestbury  Park by seven lengths hit back from his slight dip in form after suffering back to back defeats against a resurgent Kauto Star?

As with horse racing betting,  it is always worth dipping into some trends to try and help figure out who will win the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012? One of the most prominent trends which has caught our eye, is the fact that the last eleven winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup all came from the front three in the betting. So that as it stands, means that a winner will come from the trio of Long Run, Kauto Star or Burton Port (if Kauto Star doesn’t make it, then you can throw Grands Crus in there). Experience at Cheltenham also counts for a long when trying to decide who will win the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012, because out of the last fourteen winners of the Gold Cup, twelve of them had secured a place finish at the Cheltenham Festival before. Seasonal form is also worth looking at, because the Gold Cup champion in eleven of the last twelve years had all won a race during the season in the build up to the race. Long Run? Check. Kauto Star? Check. Synchronised? Check. Grands Crus? Check. Burton Port? Negative. So there are some strong pointers there as well to sum up the fact that you really should be looking at the head of the ante post Cheltenham Gold Cup betting to pick out your winner. If you want to tip your hand in favour of favourite Long Run, then six of the last nine Cheltenham Gold Cup winners have started as favourites. Another factor we could be looking at is age, as horses between seven and nine have tasted victory in sixteen of the last eighteen Gold Cups. That puts Grands Crus, Burton Port and in particular Long Run in the frame. Twelve year old Kauto Star is naturally beyond the range, while Synchronised is at the top end, aged nine.

Who will win the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012? Well, if we are taking any ante post pointers from the bookies, then no-one is really going to come close to Long Run here. He is so far out in front at the moment, that it could be a foregone conclusion. There is not the talent at the front of the pack like there was last year, but if Long Run turns up and has a bad day, then there is superb prices to be taken in the chasing pack behind him. Alternatively a good look at the Without Kauto Star/Long Run Market, where the field is evenly priced at great value with Grands Crus and Burton Port the stand out candidates there.

Online bookmaker Bet365 offer superb horse racing betting coverage with their 4/1 Winner Special. Back a winner in any live BBC or Channel 4 race at Bet365 at odds of 4/1 or greater, then the bookie will give you a free bet for the very next race! The free bet will be to the value of your original winning stake, and the great thing here, is that if you pick another 4/1 with your free bet, then you will get another free bet, and so on. Terrific value and it applies to all live BBC or Channel 4 races. The bookie also offers Best Odds Guaranteed and a 50p bet on this race will get you access to a live stream of the race as well to watch on your computer. Online bookmaker Bet365 offer a free £200 bet as a welcome bonus for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first deposit with a 100% bonus, giving you a tremendous amount of free betting cash to enjoy with your new account!

The build up to the 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup is all about whether or not the great Kauto Star will actually turn up or not. This is because the two times Gold Cup winner picked up a training injury when schooling ahead of the big race, leading trainer Paul Nicholls to state that Kauto Star’s chances of making it to the Cheltenham Festival showpiece is only 50-50. But the following day, Nicholls said that the legendary chaser still has a very good chance of making the race and should not be counted out of the running just yet. It will be such a sad sight if Kauto Star doesn’t make it to the start, even sadder if he turns up and is not 100%. While a fully fit Kauto Star was trading on level pegging with defending Champion Long Run as favourite for the race, this latest news has naturally had an effect with the bookies, with Kauto Star drifting out to as much as 9/2 with some bookmakers. Truthfully, looking down the line up in our Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012  Preview, it doesn’t look like one of the strongest fields, and losing such a star as Kauto Star will only take a little gloss of the feature race on Friday, March 16.

Heading the field with the bookies in our 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup Preview is Long Run, the young pretender to Kauto Star, and the defending Gold Cup champion. It looked as if the youngster was maturing so rapidly and looked pretty unbeatable when landing the massive victory at Cheltenham last year, just as much as it looked as if Kauto Star was finished. However, Kauto Star was far from finished as he fought back to out gun Long Run twice this season. But it is Long Run who goes as favourite, especially with the news of Kauto Star’s 50-50 chance of making the start. Those two defeats for Long Run put a bit of a dent in the form of the seven year old, be he responded with a narrow, and in a lot of people’s eyes, unimpressive win at Newbury in mid February. That win for Long Run came at the expense of Burton Port, who is trading third favourite in our 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup Preview. Burton Port, trained by Nicky Henderson is a horse full of potential, but whether he is up to Gold Cup winning standards remains to be seen. He finished  half a length back from Long Run at Newbury, but the truth is that Long Run still looked to have an extra gear in him.

Grands Crus, trained by David Pipe is likely to have a big say in the contest. He hasn’t been out this year, but is such a steady performer that he can’t be overlooked. Should a surprise outside of Long Run happen, then there is a general feeling that Grands Crus could be the one to spring it. However, he has had only three chases this season and hasn’t been out since December. He was pulled out of the Argento, and while he will make a Gold Cup appearance, the camp are talking up his chances in being readier for the RSA as opposed to the Cheltenham showcase. The stunning white horse was due for a run at Newbury in Cheltenham, but the race was abandoned and rescheduled, which could hurt his chances. That leaves us with a look at Synchronised in our 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup Preview. The Lexus Chase winner has been off the tracks since late December, when the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown. Does have the ability to be in the hunt for a solid place finish, but again the top class in the 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup is not immediately as attractive as last year, when you had Long Run taking on Kauto Star, Denman and Imperial Commander.

But the race is closing in and those appear to be the strongest contenders in the Ante Post Cheltenham 2012 Gold Cup betting. The wait will continue to see whether or not, Kauto Star will be out to attempt his third Cheltenham Gold Cup title, or whether all the advantage has been handed back to Long Run.

2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup Betting Odds
Long Run: 6/4 at SkyBet
Kauto Star: 9/2 at Bet Victor
Grands Crus: 7/1 at William Hill
Burton Port: 7/1 at Boylesports
Synchronised: 12/1 at Paddy Power
Weird Al: 14/1 at Totesport
midnight Chase: 16/1 at William Hill

Online bookmaker Boylesports already have a superb Cheltenham Gold Cup betting promotion running for this year’s renewal. Back a horse in the Supreme Novices, Arkle, Festival Handicap Chase or Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham this year, and if your horse finishes second, then the bookie will refund your losing stake as a free bet. So this provides some superb coverage for your Cheltenham 2012 Horse racing betting. Boylesports offer a free £20 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, up to the maximum value of £20, giving you some great free betting cash  to enjoy.