Latest Cheltenham Betting Preview Pt 1

There was definitely some reshuffling of the odds on Sunday after a very pivotal weekend in National Hunt racing as several key contenders had their final tune-ups before festival time. Things are getting especially interesting in the ante post market for the Champion Chase as the highest-rated star in chasing, Sprinter Sacre, was officially withdrawn from contention after connections declared that he wasn’t showing his usual panache and opted to skip Cheltenham. 

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He was the biggest favourite of the entire festival and bookmakers will be enjoying the huge take on him as most had not gone Non Runner No Bet until just a few days ago. With a price hovering around 1.5 with most major bookmakers, that represents some of the tidiest business they will have done all year - particularly considering the amount of hype he received. 

Sire De Grugy has now been promoted to the top spot with a listing hovering around 5/4 at the moment with Arvika Ligeonniere looking an increasingly popular selection at 9/2 as many will feel she’ll opt for this one instead of tangling with Quevega in the mares hurdle. 

Benefficient comes in around 6/1 with Captain Conan and Al Ferof both trading in the region of 7/1 for this race. The latter two make things a bit more complicated as they are both entered in the Ryanair, but it looks as though Al Ferof will probably go in that direction as he’s trading at a slightly shorter price - Captain Conan is 14/1 for the Ryanair and looks far more likely to contest this race. 

Sizing Europe is now out to 25/1 at the moment with some bookmakers and he really could prove to be an each-way shout for the ages if he rolls back the years and produces another incredible Cheltenham performance. It would be a real statement for some of the old guard if we were to see the likes of Sizing Europe and Hurricane Fly both get victories at the festival.