2010 CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL PREVIEW AND BETTING GUIDE

We’re almost down to the business-end of the English jumps racing season and all signs are starting to point to Cheltenham racecourse! Everyone knows how big of a betting event this is and it always pays off to be doing your homework early. In this article, we’ll be examining some of the contenders for the top races and taking a look at the prices you can expect with top UK bookmakers.
We are a mere 68 days away from Cheltenham.
The key races that most people will be paying attention to include the Supreme Novices Hurdle (which opens up the first day’s fixtures) followed by the Arkle Challenge Trophy. The Champion Hurdle will also be run on day 1. The second day of the festival sees the RSA Chase and the Queen Mother Champion Chase dominating the proceedings. The third day’s fixtures sees the Ryanair Chase and the World Hurdle both being run. The Triumph Hurdle opens up day 4 and that’s the big race before the penultimate running of the 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Ruby Walsh has been the top jockey at Cheltenham for 4 out of the last 6 years and we expect a number of top bookmakers to offer markets on how many races Ruby will win.
As it currently stands in the betting markets (and we are a few months out from the races) you’ll find Dunguib is the dominant force in the ante post market for the 2010 Supreme Novices Hurdle. He’s trading at 6/4 with most major bookmakers and already has a Grade 1 win under his belt this season. The 7 year-old bay gelding is going to be a real feather in the cap of the Irish punters at Cheltenham this season. Menorah and Rite of Passage are popular as well, but their 10/1 listings tell no lies about punters confidence.
In the 2010 Arkle, we’ve got a real fan-favourite dominating the betting in Captain Cee Bee. He’s had a solid run this year, but is having some injury issues and question marks remain over his presence in the race. Sizing Europe is proving popular and his 6/1 price is more or less the same as Captain Cee Bee’s. Mikael D’Haguenet is an interesting option and will likely drop in price from his current listing of around 14/1. He’s especially valuable as bookmakers can’t seem to agree a price. He trades at 16/1 with Sportingbet, but only 8/1 with SkyBet. The price variations could be because he may be pointed at the Champion Hurdle or the RSA Chase instead. However, this horse could be an ante-post terror in the 2010 Arkle.
In the 2010 Champion Hurdle, we have some absolutely top class horses set to run. Zaynar is deadlocked with Go Native as the current betting favourite in the 4/1 or 5/1 area for the time being. Solwhit has been popular with the punters this year, while Binocular has had an underwhelming year so far. He has crashed many totetentofollow’s thanks to several performances that just weren’t good enough. A certain section of the racing public thinks he will come good in the Champion Hurdle but he has drifted hard down to 8/1. Khyber Kim beat Binocular and trades at around 10/1. Punjabi is a classy gelding and trades at 12/1 or so.
The 2010 RSA Chase is always a punters favourite for wagering and we have a true punters favourite headlining the race as well with the highly-regarded Punchestowns. He’s had an excellent season so far and has been one of the main stories from my tentofollow. He is strongly-backed for this one and trades at around 4/1 or 5/1 with most major bookmakers. He will run in this race, barring injury, so I can only see his price shortening from here. This is a great ante-post wager. Long Run factors into the equation at 6/1 while Mikael D’Haguenet is competitive as well at 8/1. 
In the 2010 Queen Mother Champion Chase, we’ve got one of this year’s best performers facing off against a difficult line-up. The fledgling superstar Master Minded has been a bit shaky so far this season, but he proved last year he can take on virtually anybody. Paul Nicholls’ charge is dominating proceedings here at a very slim 7/4 listing. He bested his closest competitor, Big Zeb, last year and I actually expect a great performance here from the fan favourite Forpadydeplasterer, who trades at around 9/1 (the same price as Big Zeb). He’s a real blue-collar runner from Ireland and has made lots of friends at the betting windows this year. Forpady has guile and I think if Master Minded doesn’t get the right type of trip this one could be well-plastered. Kalahari King should not be ruled out of contention.
Poquelin is a well-regarded gelding out of Paul Nicholls’ yard and he is taking on some quality runners in the 2010 Ryanair Chase. He is a fairly clear favourite at around 4/1 but he faces off against some truly great competition here. Imperial Commander is reported to be pointed at this race and he can be backed at around 6/1 while Tranquil Sea scored a big one earlier this year and does himself plenty of favours with a 7/1 price. Voy Por Ustedes is due for some luck this time out and has been lightly-raced this season. He trades at a similar margin just ahead of Barbers Shop who would be a serious contender if he winds up pointed at this race. Deep Purple is also in the running here and, should he get the nod, will run at around 16/1 or so. Great value there.
Big Buck’s has really made a name for himself this season and is, currently, the biggest favourite of the festival. You’ll find him at around 4/7 with most major bookmakers to win the 2010 World Hurdle and he seems to be scaring off a lot of the tough competition. His closest challengers look to be Diamond Harry, Karabak and Sentry Duty who are all floating at a lengthy 10/1. Big Buck’s is your tournament lock, barring any injuries, and is undefeated this season. A Big Buck’s/Kauto Star double will pay off nicely for two real bankers.
The 2010 Triumph Hurdle is the most wide-open and seems to be a race in search of a favourite. As it currently stands, we have a four-way race with buckets of value as Mille Chief, Pistolet Noir, Alaivan and Carlito Brigante are all trading at around 10/1-14/1 with various bookmakers. My outside tip for this one is a little-known Paul Nicholls’ 4 year-old named Advisor, who is owned by the Ascot Racing Club. He just scored in a juvenile novices hurdle at Newbury with Ruby Walsh on top for the first time. He’s a former flat horse who has shown acumen on the jumps. This grey gelding could be poised for a real break-out in this race and he’s well-priced at 25/1. He is one of my best each-way shouts for the festival.
In the 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup, it’s all about Kauto Star! This incredible French jumper is likely to go down as the greatest since Arkle and his 36 length victory in the King George literally brought tears to my eyes. That brave performance of grit, guile and unparalleled quality was something many of us may never see again. Kauto is back to take on his old stablemate and chief rival Denman for another go around at Cheltenham. Kauto is trading at around 5/4 with most major bookmakers while Denman is just a step back at 2/1. Cooldine has entered into the equation at 16/1 while Imperial Commander may make an appearance as well at 20/1. Madison Du Berlais will likely feature and he trades at 33/1. Make no mistake about it- this is literally a two-horse race and reverse forecasts Kauto Star/Denman look licenses to print money.