2021 Cheltenham Festival Betting Tips
After what had been labelled a ‘super spreader’ event 12 months ago as Covid-19 cases were picking up around the country, this time around the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ will be behind closed doors to the disappointment of thousands of fans around.
However, on the contrary, racing fans will still be able to watch all the racing from the comfort of their own home with every race being shown on TV.
Gordon Elliott Controversy
The biggest talking point in the build-up to this year’s event is the recent controversy surrounding Gordon Elliot. The top Irish trainer has been banned from horse racing for 12-months (with 6-months suspended), and that has meant a mass exodus of his horses to fellow Irish stables in the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival, including superstar Envoi Allen to Henry De Bromhead.
When you consider Elliot trained seven winners at the Festival last year, the likes of Willie Mullins and De Bromhead could be in for their most successful campaigns yet.
We’ll be taking you through the best angles and bets across the featured races. Starting with the opening two days of racing which is competed for on the old course – a slightly sharper and greater test of jumping ability – while the final two days will be on the new course, which puts more of an emphasis on pure stamina.
Day One – Champions Day
Race 1 (13:20) Sky Bet Supreme Novices Hurdle – 2m ½f
Sadly, we won’t be getting a ‘Cheltenham roar’ when the tapes go up for this year’s curtain raiser but we still have a hotly contested grade one on our hands.
The front three in the market are likely to be the ones to keep an eye on. Only one of the last 18 winners were older than six, meaning favourite Appreciate It (7/4) would have to overcome the trends in order to win Willie Mullins’ seventh Supreme. His performance at Dublin Racing Festival saw him hose up ahead of third favourite Ballyadam (7/1), to make him three from three over hurdles, but he certainly prefers the heavier ground underfoot.
The shortest-priced British contender is Metier (7/1) who is also unbeaten in three hurdle races, including a grade one in Unibet Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown in January when winning by 12 lengths over Shakem Up’Arry. At nearly three times the prices we’d definitely prefer to be with Harry Fry’s five-year-old over the favourite, while questions remain as to whether the change in yard will affect Ballyadam.
Cheltenham Festival Betting Tips:
Metier Each-way @ 6/1 with Betfair (4-places)
Did you know? 7 of the past 8 winners were sent off at single figures
Race 4 (15:05) Unibet Champion Hurdle – 2m ½f
The first of the featured races we’ll be covering over the week and the most prestigious hurdle event in national hunt racing. Nicky Henderson has dominated the proceedings in recent years, winning three of the last four renewals, including Epatante last year, as J. P. McManus owned each of them.
Unfortunately, 2019 winner Espoir d’Allen passed away and would probably be the most likely winner of the race having won by 15 lengths that year in what looked like one of the most hotly contested Champion Hurdles in recent times.
We do still have both of Henderson’s previous winners entered, two-time champion Buveur D’air (25/1) and mare Epatante (7/2). The former looks to be up against it with horses older than 10 going 0/29 in recent times, while he came second to 149 rated Navajo Pass at Haydock in January, although that was in heavy ground. The defending champion, meanwhile, lost to stable mate Silver Streak (14/1) by 6½ lengths in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, leaving question marks over her prep.
Given only five mares have run in this race this century and two have won it, that certainly makes favourite Honeysuckle (11/4) very interesting. The 2020 Mares Hurdle winner is 10/10 under rules, and coming here off the back of a 10-length win in February over the likes of fourth and sixth favourites Abacadabras (12/1) and Sharjah (16/1) respectively at Dublin Racing festival, she’s the one to beat for us.
Cheltenham Festival Betting Tips:
Honeysuckle to Win at 5/2 with William Hill
Did you know? 5 year old’s are 2-105 over the past 34 years (Goshen, Aspire Tower & James Du Berlais)
Day Two – Ladies Day
Race 2 (15:05) Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase – 1m 7f
Altior (7/1), having won his first 14 races over fences has come under question in more recent times. He’s finished second in two of his last three outings, although one of those was when stepping up in trip at Ascot in November 2019, while his defeat to Dan Skelton’s Nubre Negra (9/1) at Kempton in December showed the 11-year-old’s decline in pace – only 1 of the past 42 winners have been older than 10. It should be noted though, the previous four-time Cheltenham champion will be wearing cheeky pieces to improve his sharpness.
Odds-on favourite, Chacun Pour Soi (10/11), has some blistering form this season, winning all three of his races by a minimum of 6½ lengths, with both the last two being grade ones. He beat the likes of Notebook (33/1) and Fakir Doudairies (25/1) over in Ireland, but the strongest competition for the first-time Festival goer looks to come from the English contingent.
For us though, the defending champion Politologue (10/1) deserves more credit in the market. A disappointing result last time out when finishing behind First Flow wouldn’t worry us too much, given he’s proven it at the Festival in both his last two appearances after poor performances in the build-up, and an each-way bet looks a great option.
Cheltenham Festival Betting Tips:
Politologue Each-way 10/1 with William Hill
Did you know? 12 of the past 20 winners were previous Festival winners
Day Three – St Patrick’s Thursday
Race 4 (15:05) Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle – 2m 7f
This 50/1 shot Lisnagar Oscar (16/1) took the honours in this race 12 months ago and it’ll be a tall order for him to do so again. That remains his solitary victory from his last 11 races since the 2019 edition of the Festival, and that sort of form will see him exposed.
Considering only two of the past 16 winners returned greater than 12/1, we’re keen on the front end of the betting market here. With Roksana (12/1) most likely to head for the Mares Hurdle, it could well be a three-way tussle between 2019 champion Paisley Park (3/1), Thyme Hill (7/2) and Sire De Berlais (8/1).
Second favourite, Thyme Hill may have beaten Paisley when they met at Newbury in November, but he was given a 3lb advantage that day when winning by 1½ lengths, and the form was turned around last time out off even weights at Ascot. With Sire Du Berlais’ place at the Festival up in the air coming from Gordon Elliot’s yard, we’d have to stick with the favourite in this one.
Cheltenham Festival Betting Tips:
Paisley Park to Win @ 10/3 with Betfair
Did you know? 14 of the past 21 winners either Won (10) or placed in a Graded race last-time out
Day Four – Gold Cup Day
Race 4 (15:05) Wellchild Cheltenham Gold Cup – 3m 2f
The Gold Cup is viewed as the best race in terms of quality of the National Hunt season – a supreme test of stamina and jumping ability. Willie Mullins’ Al Boum Photo (11/4) joined Kauto Star and Best Mate as the only other horse to win the blue-ribbon event twice this century. The latter remains the only horse since Arkle in 1966 to win three times on the bounce, and although many wouldn’t put Mullins’ nine-year-old in the same category as those greats, when looking at his performances it’s difficult to see why not.
Since making his Cheltenham debut in 2018, only Kemboy (Punchestown 2019) has beaten him when excluding run outs and falls from his seven such races. Given this looks a fairly weak renewal on paper and he won the New Year’s Day Chase for the third year running at Tramore by 19 lengths, he deserves his current price.
Last year’s RSA winner, Champ (5/1), looks like the worthiest challenger to the two-time champion and his price has shortened in since finishing second to Sceau Royal at Newbury last month over a much shorter 2m ½f trip. The only concern with him is that his preparation is less than ideal for a race as testing as this, and if he shows any sign of being too fresh early on, it’ll be curtains for Nicky Henderson’s superstar.
2018 winner Native River (16/1) will likely go an aggressive pace from the off, like he did when beating Mite Bite three years ago. He missed last years’ renewal due to a tendon injury, but now back he looks as good as ever. He did blow away the likes of Bristol De Mai and Santini (14/1) at Sandown early last month over 3m by 9 ½ lengths, but he certainly needs the heavier ground in order to seriously test this field.
Should conditions go his way he looks the bet of the race at 16’s, but with the weather looking like easing up, we can’t look past Al Boum Photo to make history with only two winners this century returning odds shorter than 8/1.
Cheltenham Festival Betting Tips:
Al Boum Photo to Win @ 11/4 with William Hill
Did you know? 20 of the past 21 winners were aged between 7-9
* Cheltenham Festival betting tips odds 2021 were correct at the time of writing. All odds are subject to change.
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