The Cleeve Hurdle is a big trail for the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. It can prove to be a wonderful spectacle. There have been some famous winners in recent times at the Cleeve Hurdle including Big Buck’s, Reve De Sivola, Thistlecrack and last year’s winner Paisley Park.
The Emma Lavelle-trained Paisley Park is back for another crack at the race. He is impressively lining up as the 4/6 odds-on favourite* (betting odds taken from Bet365 on January 24th, 2020 at 3:49 pm)
Cleeve Hurdle 2020 Odds*
Paisley park 4/6
If The Cap Fits 3/1
Summerville Boy 8/1
L’Ami Serge 12/1
William Henry 20/1
Tobefair 25/1
Kilbricken Storm 100/1
Lisnagar Oscar 100/1
* (betting odds taken from Bet365 on January 24th, 2020 at 3:49 pm)
Horse Racing Betting at Bet365
Table of Contents
Can Paisley Park defend at Cheltenham?
Whoever comes out in this race is likely to go to the Cheltenham Festival as the favourite to land the Stayers’ Hurdle there. Paisley Park is already one of the key front-runners in the market. Trainer Emma Lavelle seems happy with him, saying that he is in good shape.
He was last out at Newbury at the 3m distance. There he claimed a 1 length victory there over Thistlecrack. He is such a consistently good horse and he has won his last seven races. It’s been three wins at the 3m distance that Paisley Park has taken in his career. He just looks unflustered and is hard to oppose at 4/6 favouritism* (betting odds taken from Bet365 on January 24th, 2020 at 3:49 pm)
If The Cap Fits
The main contender to challenge Paisley Park in this renewal of the Cleeve Hurdle is expected to be Harry Fry’s If The Cap Fits. This will notably, be his first trip at Cheltenham. That’s a tricky thing in going up against the favourite who has C&D behind him.
This will only be the second run for If The Cap Fits this season. It comes after successfully landing a second Coral Hurdle victory at Ascot. The thing that has punters excited to see him take on Paisley Park is his 3m win at the Liverpool Hurdle in April last year. He is the 3/1 second-favourite* (betting odds taken from Bet365 on January 24th, 2020 at 3:49 pm)
Summerville Boy
On Friday, the only other name in the mix trading at single fixtures was Summerville Boy. The eight-year-old does go to Cheltenham on the back of a win. He claimed a 10/1 victory at Cheltenham over 2m 4f earlier in January.
That was a second win for him this season having delivered at Uttoxeter in early November too. He is a two-time winner at Cheltenham but has yet to win anywhere at above two and a half miles.
L’Ami Serge and Kilbricken Storm
L’Ami Serge comes into Cheltenham after a second-place finish at Ascot at the 3m trip in December. He was beaten out by The World’s End there, by almost three lengths. He looked certain for a win at one point, but couldn’t pull it out.
It will be interesting to see the staying quality between him and Summerville Boy. Kilbricken Storm is a former C&D winner. He was the 2018 Albert Bartlett Cheltenham Festival winner. This is simply a move by trainer Colin Tizzard to see what to do with him next in terms of this year’s Festival.
Predictions & Tips
The proven standard that Paisley Park has put down in having won at the distance, has to leave him as the pick for a successful title defence on Saturday in the Cleeve Hurdle.
He is such a class runner and he will likely be well dialled in given that there is the exciting challenge coming from If The Cap Fits. The latter has shown that he can hang at the distance, but may not have enough to take down a high-quality favourite.
Bet365 ITV Racing 4/1 Offer
Some of Saturday’s action from Cheltenham is being broadcast live on ITV Racing so will fall into the Bet365 4/1 Winner Offer. Back a winner of at least 4/1 odds in a live ITV race, then you will be able to play a wager to the same stake (up to £50) on the next race broadcast live.
If that following selection loses, you will get a stake refund. The Bet365 offer applies to the FIRST single bet placed by a customer on each race shown live on ITV Racing.
If the following bet were to also win at odds of 4/1 then the offer would roll on to the next qualifying race until the winning sequence at those minimum odds is broken. At that point, you would still end up with the receipt of a refund.
18+ Please Gamble Responsibly. See bookmaker for full T&Cs
Live ITV Qualifying Races for Cheltenham on Saturday
13:50 The Festival Trials Day Trophy Handicap Steeple Chase (Grade 3)
14:25 The Cotswold Steeplechase (Grade 2)
15:00 The Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle Race (Registered As The Classic Novices” Hurdle Race) (Grade 2)
15:35 The Galliardhomes.Com Cleeve Hurdle Race (Grade 2)
18+ Please Gamble Responsibly. See bookmaker for full T&Cs
Key Terms & Conditions
This offer is only available to new and eligible customers and applies to the FIRST single bet placed by a customer on each race shown live on ITV Racing. This offer will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, any refund amount or subsequent risk-free bet amount will be equal to the remaining active stake.
Where more than one selection in the same race is placed on the same bet slip, the first selection is deemed to be the one which is highest on the bet slip. Offer applies to bets placed on Win and Each Way Fixed Odds markets and Enhanced Place Terms markets only.
Risk-free bets must be placed on the next eligible race using your own funds – if your bet loses then the stake will be refunded to your account shortly after the race. Refund up-to £50 per race. The first bet on a race will be deemed as your qualifying bet. If you back the winner of the last race on any day, your risk-free bet will be the first bet you place on the next qualifying race.
