Coral Cup 2019 Winner Odds & Predictions

Can Brio Conti take on Irish raiders?

Cheltenham Festival

Cheltenham Festival 2019 – Wednesday, March 13th

This handicap hurdle is a good feature for day two of the Cheltenham Festival 2019. With some great returns having been made from Irish runners in the last few years, it will be interesting to see if those raiders from across the water running this year can deliver again for Ireland. It is Willie Mullins who has the favourite Uradel at 5/1 for the feature* (Betting Odds were taken from bet365 on March 12th, 2019 at 6:35 p.m.).

Coral Cup 2019 Winner Odds*

Uradel 5/1
Brio Conti 11/1
Cracking Smart 12/1
Farclas 12/1
Killultagh Vic 14/1
Canardier 14/1
Erick Le Rouge 14/1
Diamond Cauchois 16/1
Vision Des Flos 16/1
Dancing On My Own 16/1
Apples Shakira 16/1
Wicklow Brave 20/1
Highest Sun 20/1
Tully East 20/1
Scarpeta 20/1
Ballyandy 20/1
Calie Du Mesnil 20/1
Bleu Berry 25/1
33/1 bar
* (Betting Odds were taken from bet365 on March 12th, 2019 at 6:35 p.m.)

Uradel goes at low mark

So Mullins goes off at the head of the field with 8-year-old Uradel. He has had a decent career on the flat and his one go at the hurdles this year was a 5th place at the Ladbrokes Hurdle with Ruby Walsh in the saddle. That was a strong showing from him though and has a mark of 137 to help him out here, giving him a low weight.

Gordon Elliott in contention again

Trainer Gordon Elliott has two winners of the Coral Cup since 2011 and two places as well. So he should be one to watch. Cracking Smart is up there for him at 12/1 odds* (Betting Odds were taken from bet365 on March 12th, 2019 at 6:35 p.m.). The horse has won two of eight goes at the hurdles, both of those success novices hurdles.

He carries a higher rating of 150 here which is going to heap some extra weight pressure on him. He has looked perhaps just a bit short of top form this season. But he did put in a decent showing in a Grade 2 effort to warm up for this, his handicapping debut. He will at least look to get the better over his stablemate Farclas.

Farclas was a star at the Cheltenham Festival last year in taking the Triumph Hurdle. What happened to him? That’s a mystery because the 5-year-old has been well out of sorts since then. He looks edgy and not sure that he wants to go. He hasn’t looked sharp but maybe the fit of being back at the Cheltenham track will revive his efforts. The longer run may be what he needs too.

Key English challenger

Trainer Paul Nicholls will have big hopes on Brio Conti who took a win at Ascot last month. That was by a head over Honest Vic with Bryony Frost in the saddle for the handicap hurdle. That was at a similar distance to this as well so without a doubt, looks to be the biggest threat from the English side of things to the Irish raiders coming in.

Coral Cup 2019 Predictions

This is a very interesting handicap. The rating on Cracking Smart really levels the playing field against Uradel. At the end of the day though it could well come down to one of those two, with Cracking Smart more of each way appeal really at 12/1 odds* (Betting Odds were taken from bet365 on March 12th, 2019 at 6:35 p.m.).

It is Uradel which just gets the nod for us as the outright winner. It has been an Irish winner in each of the last three editions of the Coral Cup. Can Brio Conti snap it? Trainer Paul Nicholls was second in last year’s race and this looks like a really good, gusty challenger who isn’t going be bothered by the distance.