On the 16 March, a quiet Cheltenham Festival is on the cards, but just because the government is still hesitant to allow mass ticket sales despite the mass roll out of COVID-19 vaccines. That said, ITV and other channels following the action live will still use the world famous ‘cheers’ as a sound over when the first race begins.
That first race will be the Supreme Novices’ hurdle 2-mile race at 1.20pm on 16 March. Currently, there are 11 confirmed horses in the race with the bookies putting Irascible at 20-1 with some odds as high as 40-1 while the clear favourite is Appreciate It at 11-9, 5-5 and 6-4. Metier is also a good bet for this race at 5-1 and 9-2. The first race is always the toughest to predict!
Then those that are looking to get their money down on the 3-mile Chase’s, if you are an expert at spotting the long-distance racers and jockeys that is, below we look at the 3-mile 6 furlong races and how the favourites are fairing up with their current odds!
Longest Race of the First Day
The National Hunt Chase is the race of day 1 with 3 miles and 6 furlongs, which cuts pretty close to the Champion Hurdle earlier in the day with the same distance and a single furlong. Royale Pagaille is favourite to win the National Hunt Chase with 11-8, 6-4, and 5-4 the current odds touted.
However, Galvin is a horse to look out for as second favourite and has some great odds that spill over into free bet zones if you are just signing up to an online bookies for a free bet. 7-2, 3-1, and 10-3 are the current odds for Ferguson’s horse!
Longest Race of Day 2
The Cross Country Chase at 3.40pm will be a matter of pace, speed, and stamina with 3 mils and 6 furlongs much like the National Hunt Chase. Easyland, owned by John McManus and trained by the much-respected Cottin is the clear favourite. Short odds of 2-1, 11-10, and as low a 1-1 are being offered by top sports books.
Bonus bet opportunities are certainly in the making for this race, and there is why. If you are looking for free bets this year on the Cross Country Chase, then Shady Operator is a good option. This horse is also owned by John McManus but trained by Bolger in the same table as Cottin. It is a great race for McManus as 2 horses from the same stable but with different trainers are competing in the same race and both are favourites. It could be worth an ‘each way’ bet!
Longest Races of Day 3
On day 3 the Pertemps Final, Stayer’s Hurdle (A tough one), and Kim Muir Challenge Cup mark the 3-mile races for the day, while Day 1 and Day 2 only have 2 races covering the same distance.
An interesting Day 3 starts with the Pertemps Final as the first 3-mile stint and once again John McManus has a horse competing—Champagne Platinum which is almost neck-a-neck with Imperial Alcazar for the favourite while The Bosses Oscar is close. All 3 horses matchup with 6-1 odds at some bookies like Paddy Power and William Hill while 7-1 and 13-2 are also possibilities. This is going to be the most exciting long-distance race of the day by far!
Longest Race Day 4
The final day of the Cheltenham Festival is marked with another 3 long distance 3 milers. The Foxhunter Steeple Chase is the one that stands out as this is surely a matchup between ‘Billaway’ and ‘Bob and Co’. It will certainly be a wild event with both horses close in the eyes of the bookies. Billaway is the slight favourite here with 5-1, 11-4, 5-2, and 3-1 across the major bookmakers, while Bob and Co is 9-2, 5-1, 4-1, and 9-2. Yet, It Came to Pass with 12-1 and 10-1 odds is certainly worth a punt!
Find out more about the races and how to bet in the 2021 Cheltenham Festival guide giving you info on the races, the racecourse, and how to bet!
The are more interesting articles in our section on Horse Racing.
