For true horse racing fans, Cheltenham week is the highlight of the year.
Millions will be wagered on course, in betting shops and on online betting sites and we’ll try to point the way to a bit of value over the four days.
Due to the larger amounts staked, the betting market at Cheltenham is normally quite stable as it takes a vast amount of money to shorten a horse’s odds. That said, some of the biggest gamblers around target The Festival and every whisper will attract money from somewhere.
Day one has the Stan James Champion Hurdle as its centrepiece. Unfortunately, injury has robbed us of several leading contenders and, while the 11 runners are hardly a rag-tag bunch, real quality looks thin on the ground.
Yanworth looks favourite almost by default. He has won the Christmas Hurdle and the Elite Hurdle this season, both recognised trials, but has hardly been impressive. His jumping has been sloppy and there are concerns that he’ll struggle to lie up with the pace if the ground dries out any further so the general 3/1 makes little appeal. BUVEUR D’AIR was earmarked for a campaign over fences this term but trainer Nicky Henderson has spotted an opportunity with star names missing in the Champion Hurdle and his six-year-old, third in last year’s Supreme Novices’ at The Festival, is the choice at a general 9/2 (also see 888sport‘s special offer for new customers).
The action gets under way with the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in which all eyes with be on ‘talking horse’ Melon. A wide-margin winner on his only run over hurdles, the Willie Mullins has been made favourite on the strength of that run. However, stablemate BUNK OFF EARLY has the better form and looks an outstanding bet at 13/2 on Betfair.
Use our link for an exclusive free £30 bet. This is different to most other websites whereby your free bet is a matched bet.
All you need to do is sign up here, using the code ZSK200 and place your first bet (min. £10) at odds of at least 1.2 (1/5) within 30 days of opening your account. Within 24 hours of your qualifying bet being accepted, you will be offered 3 x £/€10 free bets. Exchange bets don’t apply as qualifying bets!
You can go on the website and sign up straight from there. To get going, open an account, deposit money and then bet and play on the website. Customers must be over 18 in order to fill in the registration form, the use of Neteller, Skrill & Moneybookers eWallets are not eligible for this offer. Terms and conditions apply, please see full detail directly at Betfair.
Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Current Best Odds
Melon (3/1), Ballyandy (7/2), Bunk Off Early (13/2), River Wylde (8/1), Crack Mome (10/1), High Bridge (16/1), Beyond Conceit and Cilaos Emery (20/1), Elgin (28/1), Labaik and Pingshou (50/1), Capital Force and Glaring (66/1), Magna Cartor (100/1)
A big field contests the Ultima Handicap Chase so I’ll be dividing my stakes in this one. Both THE DRUID’S NEPHEW (a general 10/1) and HOLYWELL (12/1 in several places) are very well treated and look to have been laid out for the race. The former won the contest in 2015 off the same mark and the latter has dropped 5lb since finishing second last year and I can’t split the pair.
