Here we will place our old Cheltenham Festival news stories, on the off chance you fancy sifting through it for that useful piece of info that might help you pick you bets…
Late Arrival Zubayr to Crash Triumph Hurdle Party? – 29 February 2024
Finally something puts in a performance to mark themselves out as a serious candidate for the 2024 Triumph Hurdle. It’s certainly taken some time, with the likes of Ivanovich Gorbatov and Fixe Le Kap blotting their copybooks in recent weeks. In Saturday’s Adonis Hurdle at Kempton we finally saw a performance worthy of a horse heading into a Grade 1 contest. It didn’t come from the runner who looked the most likely on paper however. Alan King’s Gibralfaro was sent off the even money favourite for this final key trial, but disappointed in finishing only fourth, nine and a half lengths adrift of the winner. His trainer was straight to the point when offering his reason for the disappointing performance, stating that Gibralfaro was, “not good enough”. The compilers took a similar view, with Coral pushing the horse out to 20/1 from 8/1 on the back of this effort.
So, on to the horse that did propel himself to the forefront of the betting market for the opening race on Cheltenham’s final day. Paul Nicholls saddled two similar types in the form of French recruits Pilsanberg and Zubayr. With only three weeks to the Triumph Hurdle, the pair couldn’t have left it much later to make their debuts over hurdles. Of the duo, Pilansberg had shown the greater level of form on the flat, having finished second in a Grade 2 contest. This was reflected in the starting prices of the pair, with Pilsanberg being sent off at 13/2 and Zubayr at 9/1. The two runners had somewhat contrasting fortunes here. Pilsanberg blundered around, failing to beat a rival, Zubayr on the other hand put in a sparkling display on his hurdling debut. The manner in which he rapidly made up ground was particularly taking and marks him down as a horse to follow as he can surely only improve from this.
In common with Nicholl’s 2011 Triumph Hurdle winner, Zarkandar, Zubayr was purchased out of the yard of Alain de Royer-Dupre. Interestingly he hails not only from the same yard, but was actually housed in the very same box that was previously home to Zarkander. Zarkandar also won the Adonis as part of his Triumph Hurdle preparations. Nicholls looks to have made a shrewd move in shelling out €380,000 for this son of Authorised and despite his relative inexperience he must head to Cheltenham with every chance. Unexpectedly Zubayr’s Triumph Hurdle odds were cut across the board with Sky Bet going 5/1 from 16/1.
Champion Hurdle Blown Wide Open – 22nd February 2024
As you might expect following the withdrawal of an odds on favourite, the announcement that the mighty Faugheen will miss this year’s Champion Hurdle has led to a dramatic restructuring of the betting market for the race. The perils of ante-post punting bore fruit once again with the sore suspensory ligament which has earned Faugheen an extended spell on the sidelines putting paid to what for many was the banker of the festival. One man’s misfortune is another’s gain however, and those holding ante-post tickets for the likes of Arctic Fire and Nichols Canyon will be sitting rather pretty now.
Not many will be in possession of a long term wager on the new favourite for the race however. Annie Power was long thought to be headed to the Mares Hurdle (scene of last year’s famous final flight collapse), or the World Hurdle to take on Thistlecrack. Like Faugheen, Annie Power races in the famous pink and green silks of owners Mrs S Ricci, and the Riccis appear set to substitute her in for, “The Machine”, for Cheltenham’s hurdling showpiece. Annie Power is now 7/4 favourite for the race with Coral.
With the race opening up, trainer Nicky Henderson appears set to take the scattergun approach to the contest. His quintet of My Tent Or Yours, Hargam, Peace And Co, Top Notch and Sign Of A Victory are now all stated as probable rather than possible runners. Having finished first, second and third in last year’s Triumph Hurdle, Peace And Co, Hargam and Top Notch all look interesting contenders. Top Notch has shown the most so far this season, most recently when recording a 12 length victory in impressive style at Kelso on Saturday. Top Notch is available at 20/1 with Ladbrokes.
The most interesting of Henderson’s runners though is undoubtedly My Tent Or Yours. Not seen on the track for approaching two years, the nine year old was a close second to Jezki in the 2024 Champion Hurdle and would have every chance if returning in the same form. Henderson has history here as he brought See You Then back from a similar layoff to take the Champion Hurdle back in the eighties. My Tent Or Yours is due to make his comeback this coming weekend and a good performance could see his shorten from his current odds of 8/1 with Sky Bet.
Henry de Bromhead’s Identity Thief is the horse who seems to be gathering momentum leading up to the race. A good level of form, including a second to Nichols Canyon last time out, and a number of positive comments emanating from the yard, see the six-year-old now rated a 5/1 shot with Bet365.
One thing’s for sure, the race now looks a far cry from being the foregone conclusion it did at this stage last week.
Cheltenham News: Final Fence Fallers and Flopping Festival Fancies – 15th February 2024
We were greeted with something of a feeling of déjà vu when watching this weekend’s major jumps races. Cheltenham hopefuls disappointing and Ruby Walsh being unshipped at the finl flight. Surely we have seen this somewhere before.
Whist we can’t be sure Valseur Lido would have taken the Irish Gold Cup when depositing Walsh onto the Leopardstown turf last week, he certainly seemed set to go close. Fast forward to the Grade 2 Ten Up Novice Chase at Navan on Sunday, once again Ruby travelled towards the final flight travelling oh so well aboard his mount Black Hercules, only to be cruelly dumped in the mud once again. Ruby will be hoping he uses all his bad luck up before Cheltenham rolls around. Despite this final flight mishap, Black Hercules travelled and jumped so well in the main that he has actually enhanced his Cheltenham prospects in the eyes of the compilers. The Heron Island gelding maintains his place at the head of the market for the National Hunt Chase (4/1 with Bet365), whilst BetVictor have trimmed him into 14/1 from 25/1 for the RSA Chase.
The two major disappoints of the weekend came from the powerful yards of Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson. Not seen since landing last season’s Champion Chase at the festival, Dodging Bullets made his eagerly awaited reappearance in the Betfair Exchange Chase at Newbury. Despite the ground being far from ideal and his rivals having a fitness edge, a ten length trouncing was hardly ideal preparation for a horse who will next line up against the mighty Un De Sceaux and rejuvenated Sprinter Sacre. The task at hand was not lost on trainer Paul Nicholls in the aftermath of this disappointment, the champion stating, “He has to make massive improvement between here and Cheltenham”. Ladbrokes reacted by pushing Dodging Bullets out to 12/1 from 8/1 for the March showpiece. Saturday’s 10 length winner Top Gamble saw his odds or the Ryanair Chase halve from 66/1 to 33/1. A word of caution however, as Top Gamble is only likely to take up this option should he get his favoured soft ground.
If the performance of Dodging Bullets was a slight disappointment, the effort of L’ami Serge in the Kingmaker Chase at Warwick was altogether more shocking. Unbeaten in two previous starts over fences, both of which had come on heavy ground, L’ami Serge was sent off at just 1/5 for this three runner contest. He was thrashed by the winner of last year’s Betfair Hurdle, Violet Dancer. L’ami Serge’s Arkle dreams initially appeared to be up in smoke following this effort but trainer Nicky Henderson is refusing to rule out a crack at Douvan in March. Sky Bet were amongst a host of firms to react strongly to this performance however, pushing the horse out to 16/1 from 6/1 for the Arkle. The same firm still rate him a more likely winner of that race than his conqueror here though, making Violet Dancer a 25/1 shot for the opening day contest. The real winner tin all this appears to be Douvan who has hardened into 2/5 across the board.
Cheltenham Festival: Weekend Clues – 8th February 2024
With the Cheltenham festival edging ever closer, this weekend provided us with a number of illuminating races. Many fancied runners were expected to solidify their claims for their targets in March, but it didn’t quite turn out as expected.
The first March event under the spotlight was the Neptune Novices Hurdle: The unbeaten Bellshill was the long-time market leader for this event, prior to the electrifying performance of Yanworth on trials day. Sent off as the 4/6 favourite for the Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown, he could manage only a weary third, a full eighteen lengths behind stablemate Bleu Et Rouge. So disappointing was this run, it may yet come to light that something was not quite right with the Graham and Andrea Wylie owned runner.
Sky Bet were distinctly unimpressed though pushing Bellshill out to 10/1 from 7/2 for the Neptune. The main beneficiary of this flop would appear to be the aforementioned Yanworth who is now as short as 4/5 with Coral for that race, a price which makes him the shortest priced British trained runner heading into the festival. Bleu Et Rouge may be slightly underestimated, he won well here and jumped nicely, the 16/1 with Sky Bet may prove a popular each way option. Bleu Et Rouge is the same price with Coral for the Supreme Novice Hurdle should connections decide to drop back in trip.
Next under the microscope was the Triumph Hurdle. Ivanovich Gorbatov had been the talking horse for this race for some time and had proved all the rage in the betting markets. That bubble appears to have been burst somewhat following Saturdays Gain Spring Juvenile Hurdle. Going off at 8/13, the Aidan O’Brien inmate looked a far cry from a Triumph hurdle winner, managing only fourth place behind a trio of Willie Mullins runners. It is a little surprising to Ivanovich Gorbatov just about maintain his place at the head of the market at 7/1 (out from 5/2) with Betfair.
Willie Mullins said of his first three home, “I’ll be keen to go to the Triumph with all three”. As such there may well be some value in the prices of Footpad (12/1 with Ladbrokes), Allblak Des Places (25/1 with Boylesport) and Let’s Dance (16/1 with Ladbrokes). Another to thrust himself into the Triumph betting picture was Paul Nicholl’s Connetable. The Betfred Racing “Follow us on twitter” Contenders Hurdle at Sandown provided a stepping stone for Nicholls previous Triumph winner , Zarkandar, and Connetable did the job well here. He’s 12/1 with BetVictor.
There were no such disappointments in the build up to the JLT Novices Chase. Both Outlander and Bristol De Mai underlined their credentials with authoritative victories. Outlander is 8/1 from 20/1 with Coral following his win in the Flogas Novice Chase. Nigel Twiston-Davies highly touted Bristol Des Mai is 5/1 from 10/1 with Sky Bet on the back of a smooth front running display in the Betfred TV Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase.
1st February 2024 – Trials Day Points to Festival Trio
Colin Tizzard’s Thistlecrack had been one of the most impressive performers of the season heading into Saturday’s Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham. The only major question mark against his World Hurdle credentials remaining was his ability to handle the track. Having been beaten by 61 lengths on his only previous attempt at the venue he came here attempting to prove that that run was simply a one off. And prove it he did, emphatically. Travelling like the winner from a long way out, he pulverised the opposition by an effortless 12 lengths.
Jockey Tom Scudamore seemed to be of the opinion that a repeat of this performance in March may well be enough, “This is the World Hurdle qualifier and he won by 12 lengths without coming off the bridle. Does he need to run any better than that to win a World Hurdle?”. The 6/4 with Bet365 about such an eventuality is likely to prove popular in the weeks remaining until the March showpiece.
The Neptune Novices Hurdle was the race in the spotlight in the similarly titled, Neptune Investment Management Novices Hurdle. The majority of an eight runner field were held in pretty high regard heading into this, but one horse proved to be in different league to the rest. Alan King’s Yanworth could hardly have been more impressive in coasting at an ‘oh so easy’ seven length romp. Amongst all the superlatives flying in Yanworth’s direction following this scintillating display, it was the comments of his trainer that really stood out. In the aftermath of the race King stated, “I don’t think I’ve trained anything like him,”. Coming from a man who already has wins in the World Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Champion Hurdle and Ryanair Chase, these comments must surely carry a lot of weight. Owner JP McManus likes nothing more than a festival winner and he appears to have an outstanding chance of adding another here. Yanworth is a best priced 5/2 with Betfair to land this year’s Neptune Novices Hurdle.
Meanwhile in the Coolmore N.H Sires Mares Novice Hurdle over at Fairyhouse, we may have seen the latest horse to cement her status amongst the team of Mullins festival bankers. Limini had been off the track for over seven months but showed no signs of ring rust in her comeback run. A field of smart mare prospects were put to the sword as none could live with her impressive engine. The cat was out of the bag before this victory as Rich Ricci had recently nominated the five-year-old by Peintre Celebre as one of his three most likely festival winners. Given the dream team with which Ricci heads to Prestbury Park this year, a team including Douvan, Vautour, Djakadam, Faugheen, Min, Annie Power and Vroum Vroum Mag, Limini must be thought of as being something pretty special. She certainly looked it here despite occasional jumping errors. It is thought that the better ground in March will help in this regard and she has the look of a festival good thing. From a general best price of 7/4 she is now Evs with Coral.
26th Jan 2024 – Mullins Full Steam Ahead and Pendleton Still On Track
They were short going into the weekend, they are all even shorter now. Un De Sceaux, Douvan, Faugheen and Vroum Vroum Mag fired the latest warnings shots to those looking to take on the might of Mullins at the Cheltenham Festival. Mullins notched a record 8 wins at last year’s festival and is threatening to completely take over in 2024.
In a captivating performance labelled “electrifying” by his trainer, defending Champion Hurdler Faugheen, capped off a perfect weekend with a 15 length romp at Leopardstown in the Irish Champion Hurdle. That came on the back of wins at Ascot on Saturday for Vroum Vroum Mag and Un De Sceaux as they made their final preparations for the Mares Hurdle and Queen Mother Champion Chase respectfully.
Equally as impressive as the aforementioned trio was the horse Mullins labelled as “a different species”, Douvan, who turned the Irish Arkle on Sunday into a procession and now heads to Cheltenham as an overwhelming favourite for the Arkle Trophy. Those four along with Min, Annie Power, Kilultagh Vic, Vautour, Djakadam and more comprise a team that will take some stopping at Prestbury Park. Could Mullins break his own record this year? We wouldn’t bet against it.
From a man who has experienced the highs of Cheltenham on many an occasion to a lady who is striving to make her first ever appearance at the Festival. Olympian Victoria Pendleton is nearing the end of her ambitious challenge to ride in the Foxhunter Chase. Pendleton may have only finished eighth of nine and sixth of six in her two point to point outings at Higham on Sunday, but that’s still another two completions under her belt and left the cycling champion in a positive frame of mind, stating,”I feel everything is ticking away nicely and every step is a bit closer to the goal.”
The ex Paul Nicholls trained Pacha Du Polder looks set to be the mount of Pendleton in the Foxhunters if all goes to plan. Her main aim will no doubt be to complete the course in the hustle and bustle of a Foxhunter Chase. For those who believe she can complete a fairy win in the contest, the price is 25/1 with Coral.
18th January 2024
Russe Blanc came out on top at the Classic Chase at Warwick to land a second win a week for trainer Kerry Lee. The 20/1 shot triumphed in front of Midnight Prayer as Lee followed up victory at the Welsh National last week.
The nine-year-old is rarity in racing, one of the few horses’ whose colour is officially considered to be white.
Lee, who is in her first season as a trainer, had worked for Channel 4’s production team covering racing, before taking over from her father this year. After the race, she said this win felt a lot like last weekend’s victory. “His jump at the last won him the race, similar to Mountainous last week. He thoroughly enjoyed himself.”
Empire of Dirt took the Coral.ie Handicap Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday, and his trainer quickly began talking up his future. The 8/1 shot was partnered by Jonathan Moore, and he landed the win after a late challenge by Killer Crow.
Trainer Colm Murphy said that they could change their approach for him, possibly putting him in to some big meetings. He said, “We had big plans for him last year but he fell at the first in the Irish National. I’m not sure if he’ll go that route again and we might look at Cheltenham and Aintree.”
Willie Mullins’ Myska is set for one more warm up race ahead of the Trull House Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. The six-year-old is second in the betting behind stablemate Limini, and it seems like they’ve picked out where each will be going before they compete to win the new race.
Steve Massey, one of the horses’ owners, said that Sandown or Fairyhouse would be her next destination. Massey added, “Willie’s got Limini as well, so I imagine one will go one way and the other horse will go for the other race.”
12th January 2024
Mountainous became the first horse since 1989 to win the Welsh National for the second time over the weekend. The race had fallen victim to bad weather over the Christmas period, but the 9/1 shot was led to victory in the rearranged meeting at Chepstow by Jamie Moore.
After the race, trainer Kerry Lee expressed her joy with the win, before setting a big target. Lee said that the 11-year-old’s next step would be to aim to win the Grand National in April. She said, “I think the Grand National has to be his target now this season, he really enjoys soft ground and this kind of trip, so it has to be on the cards.”
Yala Enki won the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton on Saturday, coming in two lengths clear of Western Warrior. The six-year-old raced in to a five length lead, and jockey Charlie Deutsch held off late challenges to secure victory in the race.
Recorder will miss the 200 Guineas and potentially the rest of the 2024 season, it has been confirmed. The horse, owned by The Queen, picked up an injury during the win at the Acomb Stakes in York. Trainer William Haggas said they would miss a minimum of five months, while they’re considering writing off the year and starting afresh in 2024.
Finally, Willie Mullins is Limini for a run in the UK ahead of entering her at the new mare’s race at the Cheltenham festival. Despite having run only once, Limini is 4/1 for the Grade Two Trull House Stud Mares’ Novice Hurdle.
Mullins told Racing UK, “There is a mares’ hurdle in England for her coming up and we have her pencilled in for that. Her form looks good and I think she has improved a good bit in her jumping.”
4th January 2024
The first big racing news of the New Year came from Cheltenham, in the BetBright Novices’ Chase on New Years’ Day. That brought a win for Seeyouatmidnight, the perfect name to back as the New Year rolled in.
After the race, trainer Sandy Thompson was full of praise for the eight year old, who came in as a 7/2 shot. “We’re so lucky to have him. He’s an absolute star. He just does everything you ask of him and he’s jumped brilliantly today.”
It didn’t seem like 2024 could get much better for AP McCoy, who had won numerous awards after retiring from racing. He picked up the Sports Personality lifetime achievement award in December, and he even earned rave film reviews after a documentary on him was released in cinemas.
But, he was given his highest award of all when it was announced that he was to be knighted. Sir Anthony McCoy was honoured, saying, “I never thought anything like this would be bestowed upon me. You can’t be recognised in any higher way.”
One big prize that was up for grabs towards the end of 2024 were the rights to terrestrial coverage of racing, with ITV pipping Channel 4 to the post. They claimed the rights from the start of 2024 in a £30million deal, which gives them coverage of Cheltenham Festival, Grand National, the Derby, Royal Ascot and more.
The move will see a minimum of 34 days of racing on the main ITV channel, with a further 60 expected to be shown on ITV4. Channel 4, who have broadcast racing for over 30 years, will hang on to the rights for the rest of this year, with their coverage finishing at the Challow Hurdle meeting at Newbury on 31 December.
30th December 2024
The past few days have been packed full of big racing action, with fans who flocked to courses up and down the country being richly rewarded. The highlight of the Festive racing was always set to be the King George Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
Vautour led for most of the race, and he looked set to claim victory as they went speeding towards the finish line. However, a late surge from Cue Card saw those two approach the finish neck and neck, with the Colin Tizzard trained nine-year old pulling off the win.
Favourite Don Cossack fell with two fences to go, while Silviniaco Conti, a two time winner in this race, pulled up. There is a potential £1million bonus up for grabs, if Cue Card can follow up wins at the Betfair Chase and here with victory at the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Sprinter Sacre’s impressive return continued as he won the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton. He edged out Sire de Grugy, following up his comeback win last month after a spell out due to heart troubles.
It was at this race two years ago when those heart troubles were first discovered, and few though that the Queen Mother Champion Chase winner would ever be back at this level again. He’s proved them all wrong, and this win shows just how well he’s bounced back with trainer Nicky Henderson. Helping him to win another Champion Chase is the aim for the trainer right now, and while that seems like a tall task, it’s hard to put anything past him.
One race that didn’t survive the Festive period was the Welsh Grand National, which was postponed after being hit by severe weather conditions. It’s been rearranged for Saturday 9th January, after the course was waterlogged due to heavy rain.
21st December 2024
Thistlecrack World Hurdle Favourite
Fresh from winning the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot, Thistlecrack has been installed as the favourite for the World Hurdle. Tom Scudamore rode the horse to a massive victory, destroying Saphir Du Rheu by more than 30 lengths and beating plenty of other top horses with ease too. Prior to the big Festival race, Thistelcrack will head to Cheltenham for Trials Day and another win there would see the current odds of 3/1 with Betfred look like great value.
Coneygree Injured and Could Miss the Gold Cup
2015 Gold Cup winner Coneygree could miss the 2024 race after suffering a hock injury and will certainly not take on either the King George or the Lexus. His trainer’s wife, Sara Bradstock, said “There is no question that he won’t get better, I am happy to say that. I’m pleased to say the prognosis is very good; it is just a matter of making sure we rehab him as best we can because, as you know, he has had quite a lot of time off before so we can get him back and win another Gold Cup hopefully.”
Smad Palace Set for King George
Smad Palace, currently priced at odds of 14/1 with Coral for the Gold Cup, is all set to race in Saturday’s King George. It will be, as ever, a hugely competitive field, but a win there, or even a very strong showing, could see his odds for the big one at the Festival cut even further after his earlier win in the Hennessy Gold Cup. Other Gold Cup contenders Don Cossack, Vautour, Cue Card and Silviniaco Conti, the latter looking for a King George hat-trick, will also be running at Kempton.
Cheltenham Festival Betting Offers 2024
Cheltenham Festival Betting Offers, Bonuses and Promotions 2024
The 2024 Cheltenham Festival will run between the 14th and 17th March and is the highlight of the National Hunt horse racing season. Cheltenham is where the best horses, trainers and jockeys compete over four days of the best racing you are likely to witness, and with it comes plenty of opportunity for winning money betting on the horses.
There are some massive races taking place over the four days, with each day having its own highlights: Day One has the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the much-anticipated Champion Hurdle; Day Two has the RSA Chase and the Queen Mother Champion Chase; Day Three has the Ryanair Chase and the World Hurdle; and the final day of the Festival has one of the greatest horse races of them all: the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Alongside the big races there are plenty of others that bring forth ample opportunity to get your bets on. And with so much top racing action concentrated over four day, the bookies are falling over themselves to offer the best odds and the most attractive betting offers, bonuses and promotions.
So read on for the best of them as we approach the most exciting festival in horse racing. If you like to get your Cheltenham Bets on early, be sure to check out our feature on which bookies are Non-Runner No Bet at Cheltenham. We’ll be adding more offers right here as they come in and there will be loads every day of the Festival, so check back regularly for the best Cheltenham Festival betting offers! (Incidentally, if you are interested in the latest horse racing betting offers, tips and news throughout the year, check out our sister site: racingbettingoffers.com.)
Cheltenham Festival 2024 Betting Offers and Bonuses
Note that the offers listed below were valid for the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. We will leave these here for now to give you an idea of the sorts of betting goodness you can expect in 2024 but we’ll update this with the current offers as and when the bookies release them.
Ladbrokes have a nice, simple £50 free bet available to new customers who join them, plus they have two very nice money back offers for the Cheltenham Festival:
Bet365 are consistently one of the best bookies in the business for a massive range of sports, but they certainly show their quality when it comes to racing. And this offer has to be one of the best of the lot: back a single winner at odds of 4/1 or greater in any race televised live on Channel 4, and you’ll be given a free bet equal to your stake (up to £50) to use on the next Channel 4 race!
Clearly this offer could prove VERY lucrative if you are able to pick out those winners – and with the televised races coming thick and fast during Cheltenham week, Bet365 have to be near the top of your list of bookies to visit for this year’s Festival.
There’s little worse than backing a horse and for them to be leading coming up to the final fence, only for them to completely stack it! But Coral’s fine offer gives you a nice insurance policy as they will offer refunds if you horse falls in any jumps race at the Cheltenham Festival as a free bet up to £25! (There were 22 races in which Coral paid out the fallers insurance at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, including the Annie Power fall at the last in the Mares’ Hurdle that cost punters dear.)
With Coral also recently introducing their new Bet £5 Get £20 free bet offer for new customers, and with this fine money back offer, they are a fantastic bookie to choose for your Cheltenham betting needs.
New customer to Sky Bet can not only take advantage of the standard Bet £5, Get £20 free bet offer, but you will also be given money back on losing bets on the first race of each day at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival as free bets of up to £25!
If you don’t already have a betting account with Sky Bet, get over there today and take advantage of this tasty offer! Not least because Sky Bet are now offering Non Runner No Bet on ALL Cheltenham Festival races!
RaceBets are a specialist horse racing bookie, and they are pulling out all the stop when it comes to their money back offers, giving racing punters a whole host of insurance policies. They will refund losing bets (as a free bet of up to £25) if any of the following occurs:
RaceBets will also give you a tasty £50 free bet when you join, and they have given hints that they’ll have plenty of fantastic promotions and bonuses available in the run up to the Cheltenham Festival, so check back here regularly for the latest betting offers.
Expired Offers – Cheltenham 2024
Betfair have a tasty offer for the opening day of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival – new customers who join them and bet £10 will get the usual £30 in free bets, but they will then also get THREE more free bets of up to £25 each if they back a winner at odds of 3/1 or greater on Day One of the Festival!
In fact, the offer is available to those who already have a betting account with Betfair too – i.e. back a winner at 3/1 or greater and get three free bets (each equal to your stake up a max of £25 each).
Betfair are also now non runner no bet of ALL Cheltenham races and have a nice ‘back a winner get a free bet’ offer for days two, three and four of the Festival!
In short, if you don’t have a Betfair betting account, get one in time for Cheltenham!
Coral’s latest enhanced odds option for customers who don’t have a betting account with them is a very nice 12/1 on Annie Power to win the Champion Hurdle, which runs at 15.30 on Tuesday 15th March.
Can Willie Mullins’ exceptional mare make up for her fall at the last in the Mares’ Hurdle last year? The bookies think so, so take full advantage of this offer!
Coral have come up with a corker of an offer for new customers: 8/1 on Willie Mullins to train at least one winner at this year’s Cheltenham Festival… on any day at all!
The max stake is £5 and the winnings are paid as free bets, but this is as generous an offer as we’ve seen so far given the outcome is all but assured.
So if you don’t already have a betting account with Coral, grab this offer with both hands today!
New customers to Betfair can grab this exceptional boosted treble of 25/1 on Min, Douvan and Annie Power all to win on day one of the Cheltenham Festival.
The Willie Mullins-trained trio ride in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the Arkle and the Champion Hurdle respectively, and all are favourites to win their race. So if you want to win £250 in free bets from a £10 stake, get over to Betfair right away!
Just like the Willie Mullins offers from Coral and RaceBets, this one from Betfair with odds of 5/1 on a Ruby Walsh winner on day one of the Festival is as close to a dead cert as you will get.
Simply join Betfair, bet £5 on Ruby Walsh to win a race on Day One and you’ll get paid £25 in free bets (plus you £5 stake in cash) when he inevitably gets a victory, possibly in the first race, certainly in the second! Easy money.
Racing specialist bookie RaceBets are giving new customers the chance to claim enhanced odds of 7/1 on Willie Mullins landing at least one winner on Day One of the Festival… and given he has plenty of favourites and won four on the opening day last year, this looks outstanding value to us!
The additional winnings are paid in free bets and the max stake is £5, and the free bets must be rolled over three times before you withdraw any profit.
RaceBets are a bookie that every racing punter should check out, so get over there right away if you haven’t already!
Latest Cheltenham Racing News
The 2024 Cheltenham Festival remains months away but as it draws closer we’ll be adding regular news and updates here to keep you informed. From ticketing information to course changes and key races to top Cheltenham horses, we’ll keep you posted with any updates of relevance to the world’s best racing Festival.
The Festival may still be almost bang on six months away but summer is now a thing of the past. That means the flat season is drawing to a close and already we’re seeing an increase in the number of National Hunt meetings on the calendar.
The Cheltenham contenders will be in full training and starting their long road to the Festival soon enough and it will be great to see them in action.
We’ll keep you posted on any significant injuries, odds movements and you can see an archive of all our previous news lower down the page too.
Cheltenham Festival News – October 2024
Of course it’s still early days and at the time of writing the Festival remains stubbornly almost five months away. However, there is no doubt that Cheltenham really is creeping up on us. The Flat season is drawing to a close and the National Hunt campaign is well underway.
One of the Festival’s top trainers, indeed the man who was champion trainer there for four years on the bounce between 2006 and 2009, has started the new NH season with a real bang. Paul Nicholls, who has 30 Cheltenham winners to his name, has already notched 50 winners this season.
One horse that seems unlikely to land him another race at the Festival is Marracudja, after Nicholls said that “Cheltenham is not the most perfect track for him and I’m not thinking of the Arkle.”
No doubt that the Somerset based legend will add to his tally though. His operation’s early season form is even more astounding considering he has been without top jockey Sam Twiston-Davies for part of the time due to injury.
Looking forward to next month we have just a few weeks to wait for the first Group 1 of the season. The Betfair Chase at Haydock on the 19th November is the first leg of a potentially lucrative triple crown.
If any single horse can win at Haydock and then also win the King George VI at Kempton and the Cheltenham Gold Cup they will take a handsome £1m bonus.
Cue Card is probably the leading contender for the triple and Colin Tizzard has said that’s the aim this season after his charge went so close last time around. Cue Card heads the betting for the Betfair Chase at 7/4 with Coral. He is priced at odds of 5/1 with Ladbrokes for the Boxing Day showdown and at 11/1 for the Cheltenham Festival showpiece.
Cheltenham Festival News – September 2024
Naturally at this stage there isn’t too much to report on. It was reported recently that Cue Card would be aiming for the treble again this season. That will start with the Betfair Chase on the 19th November, before the King George VI at Kempton on Boxing Day and then, if things go to plan, the £1m bonus will be on the line in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. It’s a massive ask but good luck we say! Cue Card is currently priced at odds of 10/1 with Ladbrokes for the Gold Cup, making it clear what a tough task the treble will be.
In slightly bizarre and hopefully Festival-unrelated news, French travellers have set up at Cheltenham racecourse! Around 30 caravans are currently parked at the track, with authorities struggling to remove them. The racecourse itself has now begun legal proceedings, with the first meeting just weeks away.
It is believed they are heading to London and not intending to stay long anyway but it would certainly make the Festival a touch more interesting if they became a new obstacle!
Ante Post Cheltenham Odds – August 2024
August is here and whilst for most punters it’s still all about the flat season, it won’t be too long before we seen a return to jumps. There isn’t all that much in the way of Cheltenham news just yet and so we thought a little look at the very early ante post betting might be a decent idea.
There are ante post odds available for most of the races at Cheltenham but here we’ll focus only on the four Championship races. If you do fancy a bet on any of these, be sure to claim a free bet to boost your chances of making a profit.
Champion Hurdle
Things are looking interesting here, with Faugheen the favourite at 9/4 with 888sport and Annie Power not too far behind at 4/1 with Betfred. Can an outsider, such as Yorkhill or Yanworth muscle their way in? It’s early days but if Faugheen races, we reckon Faugheen wins!
Queen Mother Champion Chase
As it was last year, when Sprinter Sacre so memorably rolled back the years to put in a brilliant performance, the Champion Chase may be the highlight of the Festival.
Douvan is the favourite at evens with Bet365, with Sprinter at 5/1 with Stan James and Un De Sceaux 14s at Sky Bet. Dodging Bullets may offer some each way appeal at odds of 33/1 with Ladbrokes but it’s clear that Douvan is the one to beat, with Willie Mullins set for more Cheltenham glory.
World Hurdle
Day 3’s feature sees Thistlecrack head the betting from Faugheen, who is deemed more likely to see Day 1 action. That pair are both around the 4/1 mark, with Annie Power also in the mix and it will be interesting to see how the trainers and owners decide their options.
Gold Cup
The big one, the Cheltenham Gold Cup! The highlight of the racing year for so many fans and there are some serious names at the top of the ante post betting. Thistlecrack, Vautour, Don Cossack and Cue Card are all around the 8/1 mark, whilst Douvan could yet be aimed at this one and is priced at odds of 12/1 with Coral.
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Here we will place our old Cheltenham Festival news stories, on the off chance you fancy sifting through it for that useful piece of info that might help you pick you bets…
Late Arrival Zubayr to Crash Triumph Hurdle Party? – 29 February 2024
Finally something puts in a performance to mark themselves out as a serious candidate for the 2024 Triumph Hurdle. It’s certainly taken some time, with the likes of Ivanovich Gorbatov and Fixe Le Kap blotting their copybooks in recent weeks. In Saturday’s Adonis Hurdle at Kempton we finally saw a performance worthy of a horse heading into a Grade 1 contest. It didn’t come from the runner who looked the most likely on paper however. Alan King’s Gibralfaro was sent off the even money favourite for this final key trial, but disappointed in finishing only fourth, nine and a half lengths adrift of the winner. His trainer was straight to the point when offering his reason for the disappointing performance, stating that Gibralfaro was, “not good enough”. The compilers took a similar view, with Coral pushing the horse out to 20/1 from 8/1 on the back of this effort.
So, on to the horse that did propel himself to the forefront of the betting market for the opening race on Cheltenham’s final day. Paul Nicholls saddled two similar types in the form of French recruits Pilsanberg and Zubayr. With only three weeks to the Triumph Hurdle, the pair couldn’t have left it much later to make their debuts over hurdles. Of the duo, Pilansberg had shown the greater level of form on the flat, having finished second in a Grade 2 contest. This was reflected in the starting prices of the pair, with Pilsanberg being sent off at 13/2 and Zubayr at 9/1. The two runners had somewhat contrasting fortunes here. Pilsanberg blundered around, failing to beat a rival, Zubayr on the other hand put in a sparkling display on his hurdling debut. The manner in which he rapidly made up ground was particularly taking and marks him down as a horse to follow as he can surely only improve from this.
In common with Nicholl’s 2011 Triumph Hurdle winner, Zarkandar, Zubayr was purchased out of the yard of Alain de Royer-Dupre. Interestingly he hails not only from the same yard, but was actually housed in the very same box that was previously home to Zarkander. Zarkandar also won the Adonis as part of his Triumph Hurdle preparations. Nicholls looks to have made a shrewd move in shelling out €380,000 for this son of Authorised and despite his relative inexperience he must head to Cheltenham with every chance. Unexpectedly Zubayr’s Triumph Hurdle odds were cut across the board with Sky Bet going 5/1 from 16/1.
Champion Hurdle Blown Wide Open – 22nd February 2024
As you might expect following the withdrawal of an odds on favourite, the announcement that the mighty Faugheen will miss this year’s Champion Hurdle has led to a dramatic restructuring of the betting market for the race. The perils of ante-post punting bore fruit once again with the sore suspensory ligament which has earned Faugheen an extended spell on the sidelines putting paid to what for many was the banker of the festival. One man’s misfortune is another’s gain however, and those holding ante-post tickets for the likes of Arctic Fire and Nichols Canyon will be sitting rather pretty now.
Not many will be in possession of a long term wager on the new favourite for the race however. Annie Power was long thought to be headed to the Mares Hurdle (scene of last year’s famous final flight collapse), or the World Hurdle to take on Thistlecrack. Like Faugheen, Annie Power races in the famous pink and green silks of owners Mrs S Ricci, and the Riccis appear set to substitute her in for, “The Machine”, for Cheltenham’s hurdling showpiece. Annie Power is now 7/4 favourite for the race with Coral.
With the race opening up, trainer Nicky Henderson appears set to take the scattergun approach to the contest. His quintet of My Tent Or Yours, Hargam, Peace And Co, Top Notch and Sign Of A Victory are now all stated as probable rather than possible runners. Having finished first, second and third in last year’s Triumph Hurdle, Peace And Co, Hargam and Top Notch all look interesting contenders. Top Notch has shown the most so far this season, most recently when recording a 12 length victory in impressive style at Kelso on Saturday. Top Notch is available at 20/1 with Ladbrokes.
The most interesting of Henderson’s runners though is undoubtedly My Tent Or Yours. Not seen on the track for approaching two years, the nine year old was a close second to Jezki in the 2024 Champion Hurdle and would have every chance if returning in the same form. Henderson has history here as he brought See You Then back from a similar layoff to take the Champion Hurdle back in the eighties. My Tent Or Yours is due to make his comeback this coming weekend and a good performance could see his shorten from his current odds of 8/1 with Sky Bet.
Henry de Bromhead’s Identity Thief is the horse who seems to be gathering momentum leading up to the race. A good level of form, including a second to Nichols Canyon last time out, and a number of positive comments emanating from the yard, see the six-year-old now rated a 5/1 shot with Bet365.
One thing’s for sure, the race now looks a far cry from being the foregone conclusion it did at this stage last week.
Cheltenham News: Final Fence Fallers and Flopping Festival Fancies – 15th February 2024
We were greeted with something of a feeling of déjà vu when watching this weekend’s major jumps races. Cheltenham hopefuls disappointing and Ruby Walsh being unshipped at the finl flight. Surely we have seen this somewhere before.
Whist we can’t be sure Valseur Lido would have taken the Irish Gold Cup when depositing Walsh onto the Leopardstown turf last week, he certainly seemed set to go close. Fast forward to the Grade 2 Ten Up Novice Chase at Navan on Sunday, once again Ruby travelled towards the final flight travelling oh so well aboard his mount Black Hercules, only to be cruelly dumped in the mud once again. Ruby will be hoping he uses all his bad luck up before Cheltenham rolls around. Despite this final flight mishap, Black Hercules travelled and jumped so well in the main that he has actually enhanced his Cheltenham prospects in the eyes of the compilers. The Heron Island gelding maintains his place at the head of the market for the National Hunt Chase (4/1 with Bet365), whilst BetVictor have trimmed him into 14/1 from 25/1 for the RSA Chase.
The two major disappoints of the weekend came from the powerful yards of Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson. Not seen since landing last season’s Champion Chase at the festival, Dodging Bullets made his eagerly awaited reappearance in the Betfair Exchange Chase at Newbury. Despite the ground being far from ideal and his rivals having a fitness edge, a ten length trouncing was hardly ideal preparation for a horse who will next line up against the mighty Un De Sceaux and rejuvenated Sprinter Sacre. The task at hand was not lost on trainer Paul Nicholls in the aftermath of this disappointment, the champion stating, “He has to make massive improvement between here and Cheltenham”. Ladbrokes reacted by pushing Dodging Bullets out to 12/1 from 8/1 for the March showpiece. Saturday’s 10 length winner Top Gamble saw his odds or the Ryanair Chase halve from 66/1 to 33/1. A word of caution however, as Top Gamble is only likely to take up this option should he get his favoured soft ground.
If the performance of Dodging Bullets was a slight disappointment, the effort of L’ami Serge in the Kingmaker Chase at Warwick was altogether more shocking. Unbeaten in two previous starts over fences, both of which had come on heavy ground, L’ami Serge was sent off at just 1/5 for this three runner contest. He was thrashed by the winner of last year’s Betfair Hurdle, Violet Dancer. L’ami Serge’s Arkle dreams initially appeared to be up in smoke following this effort but trainer Nicky Henderson is refusing to rule out a crack at Douvan in March. Sky Bet were amongst a host of firms to react strongly to this performance however, pushing the horse out to 16/1 from 6/1 for the Arkle. The same firm still rate him a more likely winner of that race than his conqueror here though, making Violet Dancer a 25/1 shot for the opening day contest. The real winner tin all this appears to be Douvan who has hardened into 2/5 across the board.
Cheltenham Festival: Weekend Clues – 8th February 2024
With the Cheltenham festival edging ever closer, this weekend provided us with a number of illuminating races. Many fancied runners were expected to solidify their claims for their targets in March, but it didn’t quite turn out as expected.
The first March event under the spotlight was the Neptune Novices Hurdle: The unbeaten Bellshill was the long-time market leader for this event, prior to the electrifying performance of Yanworth on trials day. Sent off as the 4/6 favourite for the Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown, he could manage only a weary third, a full eighteen lengths behind stablemate Bleu Et Rouge. So disappointing was this run, it may yet come to light that something was not quite right with the Graham and Andrea Wylie owned runner.
Sky Bet were distinctly unimpressed though pushing Bellshill out to 10/1 from 7/2 for the Neptune. The main beneficiary of this flop would appear to be the aforementioned Yanworth who is now as short as 4/5 with Coral for that race, a price which makes him the shortest priced British trained runner heading into the festival. Bleu Et Rouge may be slightly underestimated, he won well here and jumped nicely, the 16/1 with Sky Bet may prove a popular each way option. Bleu Et Rouge is the same price with Coral for the Supreme Novice Hurdle should connections decide to drop back in trip.
Next under the microscope was the Triumph Hurdle. Ivanovich Gorbatov had been the talking horse for this race for some time and had proved all the rage in the betting markets. That bubble appears to have been burst somewhat following Saturdays Gain Spring Juvenile Hurdle. Going off at 8/13, the Aidan O’Brien inmate looked a far cry from a Triumph hurdle winner, managing only fourth place behind a trio of Willie Mullins runners. It is a little surprising to Ivanovich Gorbatov just about maintain his place at the head of the market at 7/1 (out from 5/2) with Betfair.
Willie Mullins said of his first three home, “I’ll be keen to go to the Triumph with all three”. As such there may well be some value in the prices of Footpad (12/1 with Ladbrokes), Allblak Des Places (25/1 with Boylesport) and Let’s Dance (16/1 with Ladbrokes). Another to thrust himself into the Triumph betting picture was Paul Nicholl’s Connetable. The Betfred Racing “Follow us on twitter” Contenders Hurdle at Sandown provided a stepping stone for Nicholls previous Triumph winner , Zarkandar, and Connetable did the job well here. He’s 12/1 with BetVictor.
There were no such disappointments in the build up to the JLT Novices Chase. Both Outlander and Bristol De Mai underlined their credentials with authoritative victories. Outlander is 8/1 from 20/1 with Coral following his win in the Flogas Novice Chase. Nigel Twiston-Davies highly touted Bristol Des Mai is 5/1 from 10/1 with Sky Bet on the back of a smooth front running display in the Betfred TV Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase.
1st February 2024 – Trials Day Points to Festival Trio
Colin Tizzard’s Thistlecrack had been one of the most impressive performers of the season heading into Saturday’s Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham. The only major question mark against his World Hurdle credentials remaining was his ability to handle the track. Having been beaten by 61 lengths on his only previous attempt at the venue he came here attempting to prove that that run was simply a one off. And prove it he did, emphatically. Travelling like the winner from a long way out, he pulverised the opposition by an effortless 12 lengths.
Jockey Tom Scudamore seemed to be of the opinion that a repeat of this performance in March may well be enough, “This is the World Hurdle qualifier and he won by 12 lengths without coming off the bridle. Does he need to run any better than that to win a World Hurdle?”. The 6/4 with Bet365 about such an eventuality is likely to prove popular in the weeks remaining until the March showpiece.
The Neptune Novices Hurdle was the race in the spotlight in the similarly titled, Neptune Investment Management Novices Hurdle. The majority of an eight runner field were held in pretty high regard heading into this, but one horse proved to be in different league to the rest. Alan King’s Yanworth could hardly have been more impressive in coasting at an ‘oh so easy’ seven length romp. Amongst all the superlatives flying in Yanworth’s direction following this scintillating display, it was the comments of his trainer that really stood out. In the aftermath of the race King stated, “I don’t think I’ve trained anything like him,”. Coming from a man who already has wins in the World Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Champion Hurdle and Ryanair Chase, these comments must surely carry a lot of weight. Owner JP McManus likes nothing more than a festival winner and he appears to have an outstanding chance of adding another here. Yanworth is a best priced 5/2 with Betfair to land this year’s Neptune Novices Hurdle.
Meanwhile in the Coolmore N.H Sires Mares Novice Hurdle over at Fairyhouse, we may have seen the latest horse to cement her status amongst the team of Mullins festival bankers. Limini had been off the track for over seven months but showed no signs of ring rust in her comeback run. A field of smart mare prospects were put to the sword as none could live with her impressive engine. The cat was out of the bag before this victory as Rich Ricci had recently nominated the five-year-old by Peintre Celebre as one of his three most likely festival winners. Given the dream team with which Ricci heads to Prestbury Park this year, a team including Douvan, Vautour, Djakadam, Faugheen, Min, Annie Power and Vroum Vroum Mag, Limini must be thought of as being something pretty special. She certainly looked it here despite occasional jumping errors. It is thought that the better ground in March will help in this regard and she has the look of a festival good thing. From a general best price of 7/4 she is now Evs with Coral.
26th Jan 2024 – Mullins Full Steam Ahead and Pendleton Still On Track
They were short going into the weekend, they are all even shorter now. Un De Sceaux, Douvan, Faugheen and Vroum Vroum Mag fired the latest warnings shots to those looking to take on the might of Mullins at the Cheltenham Festival. Mullins notched a record 8 wins at last year’s festival and is threatening to completely take over in 2024.
In a captivating performance labelled “electrifying” by his trainer, defending Champion Hurdler Faugheen, capped off a perfect weekend with a 15 length romp at Leopardstown in the Irish Champion Hurdle. That came on the back of wins at Ascot on Saturday for Vroum Vroum Mag and Un De Sceaux as they made their final preparations for the Mares Hurdle and Queen Mother Champion Chase respectfully.
Equally as impressive as the aforementioned trio was the horse Mullins labelled as “a different species”, Douvan, who turned the Irish Arkle on Sunday into a procession and now heads to Cheltenham as an overwhelming favourite for the Arkle Trophy. Those four along with Min, Annie Power, Kilultagh Vic, Vautour, Djakadam and more comprise a team that will take some stopping at Prestbury Park. Could Mullins break his own record this year? We wouldn’t bet against it.
From a man who has experienced the highs of Cheltenham on many an occasion to a lady who is striving to make her first ever appearance at the Festival. Olympian Victoria Pendleton is nearing the end of her ambitious challenge to ride in the Foxhunter Chase. Pendleton may have only finished eighth of nine and sixth of six in her two point to point outings at Higham on Sunday, but that’s still another two completions under her belt and left the cycling champion in a positive frame of mind, stating,”I feel everything is ticking away nicely and every step is a bit closer to the goal.”
The ex Paul Nicholls trained Pacha Du Polder looks set to be the mount of Pendleton in the Foxhunters if all goes to plan. Her main aim will no doubt be to complete the course in the hustle and bustle of a Foxhunter Chase. For those who believe she can complete a fairy win in the contest, the price is 25/1 with Coral.
18th January 2024
Russe Blanc came out on top at the Classic Chase at Warwick to land a second win a week for trainer Kerry Lee. The 20/1 shot triumphed in front of Midnight Prayer as Lee followed up victory at the Welsh National last week.
The nine-year-old is rarity in racing, one of the few horses’ whose colour is officially considered to be white.
Lee, who is in her first season as a trainer, had worked for Channel 4’s production team covering racing, before taking over from her father this year. After the race, she said this win felt a lot like last weekend’s victory. “His jump at the last won him the race, similar to Mountainous last week. He thoroughly enjoyed himself.”
Empire of Dirt took the Coral.ie Handicap Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday, and his trainer quickly began talking up his future. The 8/1 shot was partnered by Jonathan Moore, and he landed the win after a late challenge by Killer Crow.
Trainer Colm Murphy said that they could change their approach for him, possibly putting him in to some big meetings. He said, “We had big plans for him last year but he fell at the first in the Irish National. I’m not sure if he’ll go that route again and we might look at Cheltenham and Aintree.”
Willie Mullins’ Myska is set for one more warm up race ahead of the Trull House Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. The six-year-old is second in the betting behind stablemate Limini, and it seems like they’ve picked out where each will be going before they compete to win the new race.
Steve Massey, one of the horses’ owners, said that Sandown or Fairyhouse would be her next destination. Massey added, “Willie’s got Limini as well, so I imagine one will go one way and the other horse will go for the other race.”
12th January 2024
Mountainous became the first horse since 1989 to win the Welsh National for the second time over the weekend. The race had fallen victim to bad weather over the Christmas period, but the 9/1 shot was led to victory in the rearranged meeting at Chepstow by Jamie Moore.
After the race, trainer Kerry Lee expressed her joy with the win, before setting a big target. Lee said that the 11-year-old’s next step would be to aim to win the Grand National in April. She said, “I think the Grand National has to be his target now this season, he really enjoys soft ground and this kind of trip, so it has to be on the cards.”
Yala Enki won the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton on Saturday, coming in two lengths clear of Western Warrior. The six-year-old raced in to a five length lead, and jockey Charlie Deutsch held off late challenges to secure victory in the race.
Recorder will miss the 200 Guineas and potentially the rest of the 2024 season, it has been confirmed. The horse, owned by The Queen, picked up an injury during the win at the Acomb Stakes in York. Trainer William Haggas said they would miss a minimum of five months, while they’re considering writing off the year and starting afresh in 2024.
Finally, Willie Mullins is Limini for a run in the UK ahead of entering her at the new mare’s race at the Cheltenham festival. Despite having run only once, Limini is 4/1 for the Grade Two Trull House Stud Mares’ Novice Hurdle.
Mullins told Racing UK, “There is a mares’ hurdle in England for her coming up and we have her pencilled in for that. Her form looks good and I think she has improved a good bit in her jumping.”
4th January 2024
The first big racing news of the New Year came from Cheltenham, in the BetBright Novices’ Chase on New Years’ Day. That brought a win for Seeyouatmidnight, the perfect name to back as the New Year rolled in.
After the race, trainer Sandy Thompson was full of praise for the eight year old, who came in as a 7/2 shot. “We’re so lucky to have him. He’s an absolute star. He just does everything you ask of him and he’s jumped brilliantly today.”
It didn’t seem like 2024 could get much better for AP McCoy, who had won numerous awards after retiring from racing. He picked up the Sports Personality lifetime achievement award in December, and he even earned rave film reviews after a documentary on him was released in cinemas.
But, he was given his highest award of all when it was announced that he was to be knighted. Sir Anthony McCoy was honoured, saying, “I never thought anything like this would be bestowed upon me. You can’t be recognised in any higher way.”
One big prize that was up for grabs towards the end of 2024 were the rights to terrestrial coverage of racing, with ITV pipping Channel 4 to the post. They claimed the rights from the start of 2024 in a £30million deal, which gives them coverage of Cheltenham Festival, Grand National, the Derby, Royal Ascot and more.
The move will see a minimum of 34 days of racing on the main ITV channel, with a further 60 expected to be shown on ITV4. Channel 4, who have broadcast racing for over 30 years, will hang on to the rights for the rest of this year, with their coverage finishing at the Challow Hurdle meeting at Newbury on 31 December.
30th December 2024
The past few days have been packed full of big racing action, with fans who flocked to courses up and down the country being richly rewarded. The highlight of the Festive racing was always set to be the King George Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
Vautour led for most of the race, and he looked set to claim victory as they went speeding towards the finish line. However, a late surge from Cue Card saw those two approach the finish neck and neck, with the Colin Tizzard trained nine-year old pulling off the win.
Favourite Don Cossack fell with two fences to go, while Silviniaco Conti, a two time winner in this race, pulled up. There is a potential £1million bonus up for grabs, if Cue Card can follow up wins at the Betfair Chase and here with victory at the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Sprinter Sacre’s impressive return continued as he won the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton. He edged out Sire de Grugy, following up his comeback win last month after a spell out due to heart troubles.
It was at this race two years ago when those heart troubles were first discovered, and few though that the Queen Mother Champion Chase winner would ever be back at this level again. He’s proved them all wrong, and this win shows just how well he’s bounced back with trainer Nicky Henderson. Helping him to win another Champion Chase is the aim for the trainer right now, and while that seems like a tall task, it’s hard to put anything past him.
One race that didn’t survive the Festive period was the Welsh Grand National, which was postponed after being hit by severe weather conditions. It’s been rearranged for Saturday 9th January, after the course was waterlogged due to heavy rain.
21st December 2024
Thistlecrack World Hurdle Favourite
Fresh from winning the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot, Thistlecrack has been installed as the favourite for the World Hurdle. Tom Scudamore rode the horse to a massive victory, destroying Saphir Du Rheu by more than 30 lengths and beating plenty of other top horses with ease too. Prior to the big Festival race, Thistelcrack will head to Cheltenham for Trials Day and another win there would see the current odds of 3/1 with Betfred look like great value.
Coneygree Injured and Could Miss the Gold Cup
2015 Gold Cup winner Coneygree could miss the 2024 race after suffering a hock injury and will certainly not take on either the King George or the Lexus. His trainer’s wife, Sara Bradstock, said “There is no question that he won’t get better, I am happy to say that. I’m pleased to say the prognosis is very good; it is just a matter of making sure we rehab him as best we can because, as you know, he has had quite a lot of time off before so we can get him back and win another Gold Cup hopefully.”
Smad Palace Set for King George
Smad Palace, currently priced at odds of 14/1 with Coral for the Gold Cup, is all set to race in Saturday’s King George. It will be, as ever, a hugely competitive field, but a win there, or even a very strong showing, could see his odds for the big one at the Festival cut even further after his earlier win in the Hennessy Gold Cup. Other Gold Cup contenders Don Cossack, Vautour, Cue Card and Silviniaco Conti, the latter looking for a King George hat-trick, will also be running at Kempton.
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