Cheltenham Festival is just a week away and the biggest four-day treat in racing has a few showpieces in store!
Non Runner No Bet’s are now available across the bookies and you can utilise this to get your money back betting on horses that might steer toward other races or out of the festival entirely.
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Gloucestershire , United Kingdom – 15 March 2022; Nico de Boinville celebrates winning the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on Constitution Hill during day one of the Cheltenham Racing Festival
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With plenty of betting options open for the biggest week in horse racing there’s also big prices and value to be had.
In previous years some of these races looked set before March but now, there’s open contests throughout with only a few big favourites really inspiring hope.
Cheltenham Festival racing tips
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle preview and tip
Facile Vega 2/1
Last year, Constitution Hill was among the leading contenders for this race and went off a 9/4 joint-favourite, but not many anticipated just how easily the hurdler would win.
Now, Facile Vega is a much shorter price early on and for good reason.
But there’s also a few overpriced runners that might prove hard to beat given their exceptional winning streaks and ability.
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CHELTENHAM, ENGLAND – MARCH 16: Patrick Mullins riding Facile Vega win The Weatherbys Champion Bumper on day two of The Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse on March 16, 2022 in Cheltenham, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)
Facile Vega, trained by Willie Mullins is odds-on to win the Cheltenham Festival opener and remains unbeaten across all six races.
Winning just two hurdle contests and four flat, including three Grade 1 races, all while being the clear favourite.
The six-year-old has exceptional pedigree that plays a massive part in that winning mentality, out of Quevega and by Walk In The Park.
But Paul Nicholls’ Tahmuras looks a potential danger and is also unbeaten over hurdles including the Tolworth Novices at Sandown earlier in January.
Champion Hurdle preview and tip
Constitution Hill 4/11
There was just better than evens on Constitution Hill a couple of months ago, before he cemented his ability in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and Christmas Hurdle in November and December.
Winning both by a wide margin to the great Grade 1 winner Epatante back in second place.
He shot up from a rating of 148 to 173 in those three races and remains a horse that has tremendous stamina and coasting speed.
Robbie Power, former Cheltenham Festival and Grand National winner, told Cheltenham Betting: “He hasn’t won a Champion Hurdle yet, Istabraq was the best that I have seen so far. Constitution Hill is going in that direction but he has got to go and prove it, then we can maybe start mentioning him in the same sentence as Istabraq.”
Champion Chase preview and tip
Edwardstone tipped at 5/2
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Tom Cannon on Edwardstone (yellow cap, blue dots) clear the last fence to win the Arkle Chase race during day one of the Cheltenham Festival 2022
The Alan King-trained star is joint-favourite with Energumene despite the pair losing at Cheltenham in the trials to Editeur Du Gite last time, who is himself a 20/1 price for the Champion Chase.
And that does look overpriced at this point too, due to the manner of wins on his two latest outings.
The soft ground is certainly advantageous and Editeur won by 13 lengths in December at Kempton ahead of Nube Negra in the Desert Orchid Chase.
Backing him to win both of those singles on the SP would have paid out a total of 42/1!
And the Gary Moore-trained horse has a form at Cheltenham that reads 11431.
But there was just a head in it last time and Edwardstone is still in tremendous form after going up 9lb from his big victory over Greaneteen last time.
Turners Novices’ Chase preview and tip
Stage Star 16/1
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Harry Cobden riding Stage Star clear the last to win The Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase at Cheltenham Racecourse on January 28, 2023
The Cheltenham Trials were a big eye opener to the potential of this Paul Nicholls-trained horse.
He beat the field of 11 quite comfortably over the same distance as this race but also holds an entry to the Browns Advisory (3m).
Nicholls is keen to keep his options open but the seven-year-old hasn’t tackled that distance before and it will be a big roll of the dice to opt for the step up in trip.
But at this price, 16/1, Stage Star is more than worth an each-way backing at this early stage with the prize money of £98,473 on offer for this Grade 1 Novices’ Chase.
Gold Cup preview and tip
Galopin Des Champs 13/8
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Galopin Des Champs, with Paul Townend up, jumps in the Turners Novices’ Chase on day three of the Cheltenham Racing Festival
The other Grade 1 chase and the biggest race of all sees a decent price on another favourite, Galopin Des Champs, also trained by Mullins.
The now seven-year-old was almost guaranteed the win at last year’s festival in the Turners but fell at the last in a dramatic turn of events that gifted the win to Bob Olinger who ended up winning by 40 lengths in a four-runner contest.
Galopin was 12 lengths to the good when jumping the last and would have undeniably extended that lead had he jumped it successfully.
He showed his true potential in April winning at Fairyhouse by 18 lengths.
Before beating even tougher rivals next time out at Punchestown back in December, winning by 13 lengths to Fakir D’oudairies.
Now rated 175, there doesn’t look a better favourite at odds against throughout the entirety of the festival. So far.
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All odds correct at time of writing
HUGE PUNTS
Cheltenham Festival Friday and Gold Cup tips: Galopin Des Champs easy to back
Cheltenham Festival 2023 Wednesday tips from the Ballymore and Champion Chase
Cheltenham Festival Tuesday tips: Supreme, Mares and Champion Hurdle and Arkle
Cheltenham Festival 2023 best each-way tips for the Arkle, Gold Cup and more!
Cheltenham EPIC ODDS: Constitution Hill to win Champion Hurdle at 1/1 with William Hill
Cheltenham Festival free bets and new customer sign up offers
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