Betfair Hurdle 2017 Odds and Preview – Horse Racing Betting February 11

Ballyandy can finally break his duck in the Betfair Hurdle

Horse Racing Betting

The Betfair Hurdle is a Grade 3 Handicap run over a shade further than 2m at Newbury every February. There are eight hurdles to be jumped and the race is considered to be the most prestigious 2m handicap hurdle in the UK racing calendar and always attracts a big field – the average number of runners taking part since the turn of the century is around 20, though only 16 have stood their ground this year and the weights have risen with the withdrawal of Renneti.

Betfair Hurdle History and Trends

The Betfair Hurdle was first run in 1963, originally at Aintree. The race was first sponsored by drinks maker Schweppes and was known as the Schweppes Gold Trophy. Ryan Price won the first two runnings with Rosyth and trained four of the first five winners of the race.

Schweppes’ sponsorship continued until 1986 when it was taken over by Tote Bookmakers (later known as totesport). The race was renamed the Tote Gold Trophy from 1987 to 2004, and the totesport Trophy from 2005 to 2011. Since 2012 the race has been sponsored by Betfair and has assumed its current title. Two winners of the race — Persian War and Make a Stand — subsequently achieved victory in the following month’s Champion Hurdle.

Lightly-raced five and six year-olds, in their first or second season jumping, have dominated this prize with that age group responsible for the last nine winners. All had had no more than 10 career starts over hurdles with five having had no more than four, but three outing over timber is the minimum requirement.
None of the last nine winners have carried more than 11st 2lb and only one finished outside the first three in its previous start. Gary Moore has trained three of the last nine winners but doesn’t have a runner this year.

I’m not a fan of backing maiden in handicaps, especially one as tough as the Betfair Hurdle, but BALLYANDY looks to have outstanding credentials.

Nigel Twiston-Davies’ gelding won the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham last year and that form rarely disappoints. He was unlucky to come up against another former Champion Bumper winner, Moon Racer, in his first two runs over hurdles and then ran subsequent Grade 1 winner Messire Des Obeaux to half-a-length over 2m4f in the Winter Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown.

The bookmakers, of course, are no mugs and have the same information as everyone else but Skybet are still offering 5/1 about the six-year-old and, with a quarter the odds for a place, that looks a bet to nothing.

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Song Light and Irish raider De Name Escapes Me have both been well backed this week and are now a general 10/1 and 16/1 respectively while it would be no surprise to see Zubayr (12/1 with Betway) make the frame as he has a touch of class, though the weight rise hasn’t done him any favours. But the same firm have put up BELTOR at 18/1 and that’s a better each-way bet as Robert Stephens’ strong-traveller was among the favourites for the Triumph Hurdle at this time two years ago and would probably have won at Kempton in December had he not blundered at the last.

Betfair Hurdle Current Best Odds

Ballyandy and Clyne (5/1), Movewiththetimes (11/2), William H Bonney (8/1), Song Light (10/1), Zubayr (12/1), Veinard, De Name Escapes Me and Wait For Me (16/1), Beltor (18/1), Gassin Golf and Kayf Blanco (25/1), Ballyhill (33/1), Eddiemaurice, Hargam and Boite (40/1)