Neptune Novices’ Hurdle Betting Preview

After Ruby Walsh’s opening day heroics at the 2011 Cheltenham Festival, it’s probably not a massive surprise that So Young is getting bet down extremely hard as punters look to exploit the Walsh/Mullins jockey-trainer combo to full effect. The pair were at 3/1 at the close of the first day and they are now trading at a 5/2 margin.

Both of his efforts this year were winning ones but you have to wonder whether punters will see another overbacked novice come up short again at this festival after a thorough gamble.

Oscars Well is just as good a horse as So Young and might even be better. He has drifted from 11/4 up to 7/2 – if he manages to get up to around 5/1 then that’s a tremendous price.

If you’re looking for a contender to beat the top two contenders, be sure to check out Rock On Ruby at 6/1 as he’s in solid form and will likely have every chance here. Nicky Henderson’s Minella Glass is at 9/1 and he leads the field from a ratings standpoint.

Tornado Bob and Megastar look interesting outside shots at 11/1 and 14/1, respectively.

There are probably a lot more variables in this race than many other punters will be willing to consider so don’t blinker yourself based on a hot performance from a jockey that continually gets choice mounts. So Young would not be a major surprise for the win, but one wonders whether a 2/1 price could be justified on the day.