The Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle is a big fixture from Kempton on Boxing Day. It’s a Grade 1 race over a 2m trip and it is open to 4-year-olds and above.
There is only a small field of five declared runners for this year’s renewal and heading up the market as the clear favourite is EPATANTE.
She won last year’s edition from a bigger field of 10 and is back for more but it is Aiden Coleman that takes over in the saddle from Barry Geraghty.
Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle Odds
Epatante 4/11
Silver Streak 9/2
Ballyandy 11/1
Floressa 12/1
Diego Du Charmil 50/1
* (betting odds recorded at 06:20 GMT at Ladbrokes on 24th December 2020)
Horse Racing Betting at Ladbrokes
Table of Contents
- 1 Epatante looks for a defence Christmas Hurdle
- 2 Silver Streak the best option behind the favourite?
- 3 Ballyandy showing steady form
- 4 Diego Du Charmil tried with the cheekpieces
- 5 Floressa to be the surprise package?
- 6 Predictions & Tips for Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle Odds
- 7 Ladbrokes Daily Boost
- 8 Key Terms & Conditions
Epatante looks for a defence Christmas Hurdle
EPATANTE is the one to beat in this year’s Christmas Hurdle field. The five-year-old, who lines up for Nicky Henderson brilliantly won this twelve months ago.
She then took that form further by scoring the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Henderson has won 7 of the last 10 renewals of this race, so of course and will be expected to take another success with this brilliant mare.
It was three wins from three from her last season and Epatante has picked it up for this season as well.
The six-year-old had her reappearance in the Group 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle last month. She made all in claiming the win there by four and a half lengths over the in-form Sceau Royal.
We just don’t see anyone else in this field stopping her at all.
Epatante is justifiably the 4/11 favourite in Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle odds* (betting odds recorded at 06:20 GMT at Ladbrokes on 24th December 2020).
Silver Streak the best option behind the favourite?
SILVER STREAK may be the leading pick in the w/o Epatante market for Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle betting.
He was last seen in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham earlier this month and claimed second place there.
He had Ballyandy a place behind him in that fixture. That was over a 2m 1f trip at Grade 2 and he was just edged out by a nose. So he is bringing some form to the table for trainer Evan Williams.
Silver Streak has seven hurdles victories at the 2m mark and the conditions are right in his wheelhouse. With him having opened the season with a win at Kempton in October he should feature strongly out for the rest of the pack.
Silver Streak had lined up in the Fighting Fifth against Epatante in late November but he was carried out by a loose horse on just the second jump. There is 4/6 quote on him in the w/o Epatante market* (betting odds recorded at 06:20 GMT at Ladbrokes on 24th December 2020).
He was a long way back of Epatante in this year’s Champion Hurdle at the Festival and we don’t see the gap closing that much.
Ballyandy showing steady form
In his last outing, BALLYANDY collected a third-place finish at the International Hurdle at Cheltenham. He had Silver Streak just ahead of him in second place in that one. Ballyandy had been a long 14/1 shot for that one, but he showed well.
He has done all season actually having landed back to back runners up finishes for the campaign, before that Cheltenham run. He knows what big challenges like this are all about, but the 9-year-old is not likely to pull a win out of the bag.
Ballyandy is a 3/1 option in the w/o Epatante market in Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle odds* (betting odds recorded at 06:20 GMT at Ladbrokes on 24th December 2020).
Diego Du Charmil tried with the cheekpieces
There have been two runs for DIEGO DU CHARMIL this season and he has taken third place in both of them. The latest of those was at the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton last month on a 1m 7f trip. He was well beaten there by Sceau Royal.
Sceau Royal was torn apart by Epatante in the Fighting Fifth. So that doesn’t really give Paul Nicholls’ Diego Du Charmil a way into this one. He has won three hurdles and three chases from 2m to 2m1 f on the varying ground.
Connections go with the cheekpieces for the first time to try and find a little bit more from him.
But he has a lot to find in this field and he is the 11/1 outsider in the w/o Epatante market* (betting odds recorded at 06:20 GMT at Ladbrokes on 24th December 2020).
Floressa to be the surprise package?
Nicky Henderson’s other entry in this race is FLORESSA who piques some interest from way out at 12/1 in the Ladbrokes Christmas hurdle odds* (betting odds recorded at 06:20 GMT at Ladbrokes on 24th December 2020).
She finely opened the season by scoring in a Newbury hurdle over this distance. That was on good ground. It was a victory by more than a length from 10/1 for her as well. So the mare took a very interesting step forward there.
That was her third win in six goes over the hurdles and the five-year-old looks a really exciting prospect.
Floressa is the lowest-rated horse in this field but that game win at Newbury makes her quite appealing from 4/1 in the w/o Epatante market* (betting odds recorded at 06:20 GMT at Ladbrokes on 24th December 2020).
Predictions & Tips for Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle Odds
That’s in then. Five runners only to scan over for the trip and there appears to be one clear winner. That is the odds-on favourite EPATANTE and we can’t see her getting beaten. Heptane is something very special and should have the comfortable beating of everyone here.
So basically for Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle betting, we are thinking about the w/o Epatante market.
The natural inclination is to roll with SILVER STREAK who should just about be the pick of the bunch in the race.
But the better value we feel is in leaning towards FLORESSA because she is a stablemate to Epatante and looks very fluent over the hurdles on her reappearance and could have plenty more to offer up at this highest grade in a small field.
She’s the selection at 4/1 in the w/o Epatante market* (betting odds recorded at 06:20 GMT at Ladbrokes on 24th December 2020).
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