Get in early for this year’s Cheltenham Festival

From Rik Snuiverink
January 2019

One of the best things about the internet age is that physical distances become an irrelevance. In the horse racing community, this becomes particularly pertinent around this time of the year, as the UK starts to emerge from its winter hibernation and prepares for the season ahead.

The Cheltenham Festival is the first major event of the year, and is a sure sign that spring is in the air, although as last year demonstrated, mother nature can sometimes have other ideas on that topic. This year, the festival will take place from 12-15 March, and although the final entries are yet to be confirmed, there is already plenty of buzz and media speculation.

Having plenty of unknowns might not sound ideal from a betting perspective, but keep in mind that it also places the bookmakers in a tricky position. For those prepared to go out on a limb, sites like Unibet have some compelling odds on offer that are only going to shorten over the coming weeks. Here are three early tips for the big event.

Presenting Percy in the Gold Cup

Native River will be back to defend last year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup win, as will 2018’s defeated favourite, Might Bite. However, the early favourite among the bookies is the Pat Kelly-trained Presenting Percy. Last year, he was an impressive winner in the RSA Chase, obliterating the opposition by seven lengths. He has not had a run out since, and the latest rumour is that he will make his season debut at Gowran on 24 January. If he is as fast as everyone expects, the 9/2 Gold Cup odds will be hauled in significantly, so catch them while you can.

Glen Forsa in the Novice Handicap Chase

Trained by Mick Channon, Glen Forsa is a horse that impressed everyone over the festive season when he jumped like a pro at Kempton Park to leave the rest of the field in his wake. To those who saw him perform in similarly dominant style on debut at Chepstow a month earlier, that was no surprise, and his form and progression make him look like a natural for the Novice Handicap Chase. The bookmakers agree, but the 8/1 odds on offer show that this is a race that nobody is calling with any degree of confidence at this stage.

Santini in the RSA Chase

The RSA Chase is a race that the purists love to spend time over, as it often proves to be the event that catapults horses of promise into superstardom. Trainer Nicky Henderson knows that better than most, having trained 60 Cheltenham winners over the past 33 years, and Santini is likely to help push that number still higher in this year’s event. Coming in third in the Kauto Star on Boxing Day, after being sent out the runaway favourite, does not seem to have dampened the enthusiasm of bookies or punters. That is probably fair, as the Kempton track was not ideal, while Cheltenham should play far more to his strengths. He’s currently being quoted at 3/1.

Horse Racing and Gambling Related Articles Index

Note: Material in this section may contain commercial content and the views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by Pro-Punter management.

Copyright ©1998-present. OZmium Pty. Ltd. All rights reserved.