The highlight of the National Hunt season in the UK is undoubtedly the Cheltenham Festival, which is a four-day event traditionally held during the second week of March.
Situated in the heart of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham racecourse is considered the home of jumps racing and stages some of the most valuable chase and hurdle contests across the course of the winter season. Many of the horses are prepared for their race months in advance and ante-post betting markets are available all-year-round with the majority of online betting sites. Here at BettingTop10, we love the thrill of the National Hunt season and always look forward to the four-day extravaganza. We are very passionate about Horse Racing Betting & We will provide details on the various markets, best prices, a breakdown of each of the days and have information on how to get the best odds from bookmakers which will be the key to ensuring a profitable and successful Cheltenham Festival betting.
Winners: Shiskin Put The Kettle On The Conditional Epatante Honeysuckle Imperial Aura Ravenhill Ladies Day – Wednesday, 11th March
Winners: Envoi Allen Allaho Dame De Compagnie Politologue Easysland Aramax Ferny Hollow St Patrick’s Day – Thursday, 12th March
Winners: Samcro Sire Du Berlais Min Lisnagar Oscar Simply The Betts Concertista Milan Native Gold Cup Day – Friday, 13th March
Punters who attend the Festival can place their bets at the track with many bookmakers setting up stalls across the four days, but for those who will be enjoying the spectacle from their TV screens, every online bookmaker will provide odds accompanied by a range of offers throughout the event. Ante-Post Ante-Post betting is extremely popular with horse racing aficionados, with many placing bets on their chosen runners months in advance. Races such as the King George, which takes place at Kempton on Boxing Day, usually offer plenty of clues in the run-up to the Festival and many punters aim to get ahead of the pack and secure the value. Many online bookmakers as recommended by BettingTop10 including 888sport operate a ‘Non-Runner Insurance’ policy, as some horses will be entered into multiple races with trainers hedging their bets. For example, if you back a horse in the Ryanair Chase and it pulls out on the day and features in the Champion Chase instead, your stake will be returned. Accumulators Accumulator betting is extremely popular throughout the Festival, with racing enthusiasts selecting their best bets for each day of the event. Doubles and trebles are another popular way of keeping across the action. In order for these bets to pay out, all of the selections must win their respective races. Other multiple bets such as Lucky 15, Lucky 31 and Canadians are also an option – these are permutations of a number of selections and will return some profit even if you miss out on a full house by one or two selections. Each-Way Betting Cheltenham betting markets are extremely wide-open and large fields are a regular occurrence at the Festival. This makes it ideal for each-way backers. Each-way betting allows your selection to finish 2nd, 3rd, 4th and occasionally 5th in order to secure a return. The bigger the price of the horse, the greater the returns and more of an attractive each-way prospect it becomes. There are many betting offers throughout the four days although one of the most popular is bookmakers paying five or six places on a range of key races (even if there are only 14 runners) and this is ideal for each-way bets.
Cheltenham Festival betting is a great way to find big price winners. Favourites do succeed in a number of the races, although big-priced outsiders triumph as well. Some of the more competitive races will start at 7/1 the field and often allows bigger priced winners to succeed. There are very few odds-on favourites at the Festival and this enables punters to potentially land big priced multiple bets throughout the four days. All online bookmakers have their markets priced up months in advance and these odds will shift once a number of preparation races have been completed or a key participant at the top of the market is withdrawn by its trainer. Here at BettingTop10, we always advise UK bettors to shop around as, during the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival 2020, many of the top bookmakers are looking to attract new customers. As a result, some horses which may ordinarily be priced at 3/1, could be boosted to 10/1 for all new sign-ups. There are also a range of free bets available across the four days.
Day One – Champion Day Day one gets underway on the afternoon of Tuesday, 10th March, 2020, with the standout event the Champion Hurdle. BettingTop10 has a list of the top bookmakers who have already priced up this race which is a Grade 1 event and is run over two miles. It is staged on the Old Course at Cheltenham and previous winners include the imperious Hurricane Fly and Buveur d’Air. There are always plenty of betting tips available for this contest. With five of the last nine renewals having been won by the favourite, it is often a race which favours the Cheltenham Festival betting public. Other races taking place on Champion Day include the Arkle, Ultima Handicap Steeple Chase and the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle which kicks it all off. Day one odds & predictions Day Two – Ladies Day Wednesday, 11th March, sees Ladies Day of the Cheltenham Festival get underway and there are a number of key races including the Champion Chase and Coral Cup. The former is a Grade 1 National Hunt Steeplechase and is also run over two miles. Prior to his retirement Sprinter Sacre dominated this race, landing the huge prize pot on a couple of occasions. This is always one of the more popular Cheltenham betting races with selections often included in an accumulator or multiple bets. Other races on the second day include the RSA Steeplechase and Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race. The Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeplechase is the fifth race on the day and provides a real test of stamina for both horses and riders. Day two odds & predictions Day Three – St.Patrick’s Day Day three of the Festival is otherwise known as St Patrick’s Day and it takes place on Thursday, 12th March, with the Ryanair Chase attracting the most interest in the Cheltenham betting markets. This race is run on the new course over two miles and five furlongs and is one of the newest events to feature at the Festival, having only been in existence since 2005. Former top jockey, Ruby Walsh, had a huge amount of success in this contest. In 2017 he became the first rider to win the race on four different occasions. Thursday is generally considered to be one of the more competitive days with a number of open looking betting markets available. Other races include the Stayers’ Hurdle, the JLT Novices’ Chase and the Fulke Walwyn/Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeplechase. Day three odds & predictions Day Four – Gold Cup Day The final action from the Cheltenham Festival comes on day four, otherwise known as Gold Cup Day, which falls on Friday, 13th March. A superb day of racing and a huge afternoon of betting brings the curtain down on the event. The Gold Cup is, without doubt, the standout race and one of the most competitive. It’s one of the most sought-after prizes in horse racing and there are numerous top stables represented. Cheltenham Festival betting markets are available for this particular race all year round and, here at BettingTop10, we recommend looking for a horse with plenty of stamina as the event is staged over three miles and two furlongs. No horse has managed back-to-back wins in this event since 2003/2004. Other races on the day include the JCB Triumph Hurdle, Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle and the Grand Annual which is the final race of the Cheltenham Festival. Day four odds & predictions
There are plenty of UK races which will provide clues for those who are looking to place a Festival bet, but few are as significant as Cheltenham Trials Day which took place on 25th January. Not only do racegoers and viewers get to see some top-class contests, but many Festival runners will also take to the left-handed track ahead of the March extravaganza. As momentum builds ahead of March, it’s a great way of building the excitement and helping finalize the Cheltenham Festival betting markets. Very few of the key competitors were raced again between here and the Festival and many the top online bookmakers, as detailed by BettingTop10, have the most important races priced up.
The Cheltenham Festival is the highlight of the jump racing season in the United Kingdom and the 2020 edition promises to be a cracker. The meeting provides punters with a plethora of wagering opportunities over the four days in what is one of the biggest betting events of the year. The Champion Hurdle is the highlight of the opening day, with this year’s race looking one of the most open renewals of the past few seasons. The Champion Chase takes centre stage on day two, with the possible clash between Altior and Defi Du Seuil a mouth-watering prospect. All eyes will be on the Stayers’ Hurdle on the third day, with Paisley Park expected to be many people’s banker of the week as he seeks a second successive victory in the race. The Gold Cup is the outstanding race on the final day, with this year’s renewal shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent times. Al Boum Photo won the race last year and should be back to defend his crown, but the likes of Clan Des Obeaux, Delta Work and Santini could give him plenty to think about.
