Having a bet on the horses is always good fun. It’s been a great season for racing so far, with some excellent events happening close to home.
However, were looking a little further afield this week as the Cheltenham Festival is almost upon us.
Without a doubt, the star of the whole festival is the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.
With a series of stiff jumps at 3 miles and 2 furlongs, this race represents both a test of endurance and of jumping ability.
Running on the 17th of March this year, the race is the most valuable non-handicap race in the National Hunt calendar.
Each year it offers the winners a share of more than £450,000, which is lovely for them, but we’re interested in who will win so we can bet on them.
With this in mind, we’re going to unpack the horses leading the betting market and give you an overview of which ones might be thundering past the finish line first.
Galopin des Champs 5/4
First up is the already short-priced favourite Galopin des Champs.
Trained by Willie Mullins’ this seven-year-old is undoubtedly the one to beat.
He’s barely been beaten in his career, with the only major concern a heavy fall in the Turners Novices’ Chase, which did out off some punters for a while.
However, since then, he’s gone on to win the Irish Gold Cup, which can only stand him in good stead for Cheltenham.
His trainer does not doubt that he can go the distance for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, rightly commenting that he’d already won a hurdle race over three miles, which is far more of a challenge than a chase.
Indeed, this will be the biggest test yet for Galopin des Champs, but he’s risen to the challenge on every occasion so far, so we’re expecting him to be, if not first, past the line, then within the first three.
The odds for Galopin des Champs are already short, as short as 5/4 on many sites, so if you are considering a bet, it might be worth using one of the Cheltenham free bet options that are available.
Such offers can make short-priced horses seem a bit more favourable, and with a track record like this gelding, it might be wise not to oppose him too heavily.
A Plus Tard 11/2
Next in the betting is A Plus Tard, the horse that won the Gold Cup last year.
He won by an incredible 15 lengths under the horsemanship of Rachael Blackmore, which by anyone’s standards, is an incredible feat.
He’s got plenty of class and has proven himself in the exact same race already, but he isn’t the favourite; why?
On his last outing at Haydock, the horse was pulled up as the jockey commented he wasn’t travelling properly.
After this, he was pulled from the Savills Chase at Leopardstown because of a knocked joint.
It’s never encouraging to see a horse suffer multiple knockbacks, even less so when they go into a race without one under their belt for the year.
However, at nine years old, it’s unlikely he’s past his best, and if trainer Henry de Bromhead has him fit and ready, then it’s still likely that this strapping gelding could be in the running.
Bravemansgame 7/1
Our next pick is Bravemansgame, a King George winner now, and all the better for it.
His performance in the King George was undoubtedly spectacular, putting a good horse in L’Homme Presse into second place.
Now, this eight-year-old is being aimed squarely at the Gold Cup, and his trainer Paul Nicholls feels like the race will suit him.
He’s coming to the Gold Cup fresh, which is how we know he likes to run; after all, before the King George, he only had one other race that season (incidentally, he won the Charlie Hall Chase).
This horse likes to run fresh and has the class; the only question will be the ground, as his trainer is careful to race him only on ground that suits.
