15:05 Cheltenham Champion Hurdle Betting Odds & Tips: Cheltenham 2021 – 16th March 2021

The big feature of the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival is the Champion Hurdle betting odds.

This is the biggest of the day’s Grade 1 action at the famous course.
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This tough 2m trip features a classy line up including Honeysuckle and last year’s winner Epatante.

They are among the 10 declared runners for his challenge which feature 8 hurdles around the old course.

Epatante got the score last year in the Champion Hurdle from a 2/1 SP (B J Geraghty / N J Henderson).

Champion Hurdle Betting Odds

Honeysuckle 13/8
Epatante 7/2
Goshen 9/2
Sharjah 11/1
Abacadabras 18/1
Silver Streak 18/1
Aspire Tower 25/1
James Du berlais 25/1
Saldier 66/1
Not So Sleepy 80/1
* (betting odds recorded at 18:19 GMT on March 15th, 2021 at Unibet)

Horse Racing Betting at Unibet

Honeysuckle the 13/8 FAV in Champion Hurdle betting

HONEYSUCKLE is the 13/8 favourite for Champion Hurdle betting at Cheltenham 2021 on Tuesday* (betting odds recorded at 18:19 GMT on March 15th, 2021 at Unibet).

Henry de Bromhead’s brilliant mare sets the standard in this on.

Potentially by a fair distance as well. She is the one to beat in the big Championship race.

In last season’s Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, Honeysuckle sprang a surprise on the much-fancied Benie Des Dieux to collect the win.

So she is a proven performer here at Cheltenham. She will be defending her unbeaten record under rules, aiming to make it 11 from 11.

Honeysuckle put in an eye-catching performance on her latest run.

She bolted up and looked better than ever to win the Irish Champion in February.

That success at Leopardstown was enough to get Honeysuckle the shot at this Championship race.

The way that she is going, not even last year’s winner Epatante may be able to stop her.

Can Epatante make it back to back Champion Hurdle wins?

Last year, when EPATANTE crossed the line first in the Champion, that was trainer Nicky Henderson’s third win in the last four editions of this race.

So even though Eptanate is coming in as the 7/2 second favourite in Champion Hurdle betting, she is not to be written off just yet.

She won this decisively last year. Her form was immediately right on the money when she returned to action this season.

That was in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle in which Epatante collected the score.

She then followed that up with a second-place finish to Silver Streak at Kempton in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle in December at the 2m mark.

But there was perhaps excuses there for her in that one. But either way, Epatante didn’t quite have her usual extra gear in the race.

There is a big new young pretender to her Champion Hurdle crown.

Can Epatante defend that crown? We don’t expect Epatante to go down without a fight.

Can Goshen upset the odds?

Glory was within sight for GOSHEN at last year’s Cheltenham Festival in the Triumph Hurdle.

He was heading towards a win before losing his jockey at the last.

He is very interesting now as a 9/2 contender in this field* (betting odds recorded at 18:19 GMT on March 15th, 2021 at Unibet).

His reappearance run was all sorts of wrong in the International Hurdle here at Cheltenham just before Christmas last year.

He just wasn’t right. It was discovered that he had had a fibrillating heart.

But trainer Gary Moore seems to have gotten him right back on track.

On his follow up race this season, Goshen was in the Grade 2 Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on a slightly shorter trip than this and demolished the field.

It was a victory by 22l that Goshen took in that one.

This is such a strong field and with a couple of extremely talented mares ahead of him, he may not get that win.

But place claims are certainly there for Goshen. He looks potential the best of the rest.

 

 

What can Silver Streak bring to the table?

SILVER STREAK is no stranger to a Champion Hurdle run. He claimed runner up in the 2019 edition.

He was back for another crack last year but was well down the field behind winner Epantate.

So what has his form been like this season for Evan Williams? Silver Streak did open with a score at victory in a Kempton Listed event

A Fighting Fifth challenge fell apart following that, a race won by Epatante.

Then Silver Streak stepped back up to find only Song For Someone too good by just a nose in the International Hurdle in mid-December (Grade 2).

Silver Streak then did get the better of Epatante in December at the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle.

So he is capable and Silver Streak has had three runs at Cheltenham before and has finished in the top four in each.

It looks a big stretch to see him take the win in this one.

But 18/1 e/w odds puts him in the places competition* (betting odds recorded at 18:19 GMT on March 15th, 2021 at Unibet).

Sharjah with some place claims?

There was a second-place finish for SHARJAH behind only EPATANTE in last year’s Champion Hurdle.

It had been a nice return to form for him in that one as well after what had been a poor effort in the Irish Champion prior.

Sharjah kicked off the season with a win in the Matheson at Leopardstown, a race that he has now owned for three straight years.

But then he went back to the Irish Champion and was well held behind Honeysuckle in that one.

But again, he was poor in the 2019 Irish Champion before putting it together at Cheltenham.

So who knows with Sharjah who is an 11/1 contender with place claims more realistic than a win perhaps* (betting odds recorded at 18:19 GMT on March 15th, 2021 at Unibet)?

Rest Of The Runners

ABACADABRAS was really poor in the Matheson at Leopardstown in December, a race won by Sharjah.

He did bounce back to get a distant second place to Honeysuckle in the Irish Champion. He will be making a debut for a new yard.

ASPIRE TOWER was second behind Sharjah in the Matheson, a fine effort from the five year old actually.

He also had the beating of Abacadabras in a Grade 2 Down Royal run on his reappearance.

JAMES DU BERLAIS won three times in Listed/Graded company in France over the first half of the season.

He was second in an Auteil Grade 1 on his latest run in November. He will have his first run for Willie Mullins today.

NOT SO SLEEPING certainly knows his way around Ascot winning back to back Betfair Exchange Trophy affairs there.

But this is probably far too steep of a challenge for him at this point. Not So Sleepy didn’t compete in last year’s Champion Hurdle.

SALDIER wears the cheek pieces for the first time and has been well beaten on his two runs this season after a year out of action. There’s little that we can see that he can bring to the table.

Predictions & Tips for Champion Hurdle Betting Odds

What a race. Will it all boil down to the battle of the classy mares HONEYSUCKLE and EPATANTE?

It very well may.

are leaning slightly towards the reigning champion EPATANTE actually at a quote of 7/2* (betting odds recorded at 18:19 GMT on March 15th, 2021 at Unibet).

There were potentially excuses for her on a below par run at Kempton on Boxing Day.

She wasn’t settled in the preliminaries and never calmed enough to put a solid race together. Just an off day perhaps?

But you imagine with the experience that Nicky Henderson has, he will have her primed for this one and we like the experience that she brings.

Of course, Honeysuckle should be there or thereabouts as well in the contest.

So we are looking for slightly longer odds for an each way offer and that will be SILVER STREAK at 18/1 e/w* (betting odds recorded at 18:19 GMT on March 15th, 2021 at Unibet).

He is such a solid performer at Cheltenham and if he arrives in good heart then a top-three finish isn’t out of the question.

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