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[sportingwayscom]

Upping The Ante: Cheltenham Festival Preview Week Six

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[sportingwayscom]

Cheltenham Festival 2019 Ante Postcast: Champion Chase | Stayers’ Hurdle

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How our ante-post Cheltenham tips have fared

How our ante-post Cheltenham tips have fared

Yanworth: unbeaten this season and favourite for the Champion Hurdle  PICTURE:Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)   By Peter Scargill 4:00PM 2 MAR 2017  AFTER the Cheltenham Festival every year the Racing Post tipsters gaze into their crystal balls and predict who may be winning at the meeting in 12 month’s time. We look at what our experts selected last year and how their picks have fared…

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[ukhorseracingtipster]

All onto Sire De Grugy as Sprinter Sacre is ruled out of Cheltenham

All onto Sire De Grugy as Sprinter Sacre is ruled out of Cheltenham

All onto Sire De Grugy as Sprinter Sacre is ruled out of Cheltenham

By UK Hot Tips (edited by The UK Horse Racing Tipster)

It’s come as sad news indeed that Sprinter Sacre, undoubtably the star horse last year, has been ruled out of this years Cheltenham Festival and the BetVictor Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Only last week Nicky Hendersonhad kept everyone’s hopes alive that he would be attending

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[silksblog-blog]

Antepost Update - Cheltenham Lessons

To think that it will be an entire 51 weeks till next year’s festival was a difficult thought to stomach on Monday. Yet this is the New Years Day of antepost punters as the marathon begins again. Restraint is to be enforced at this stage as the market’s most brutal variables are at their most potent. Injury, loss of form and race selection all loom large over the coming year. Bet Victor have provided a lifeline though with their Non-runner Free Bet offer on Championship races and that’s where the money will be going. Here are three selections that the festival inspired for it’s own renewal:

  Champion Hurdle – 1pt e/w The New One 8/1, 1pt e/w My Tent Or Yours 10/1 

My Tent Or Yours beaten by 1/2 length in the Cheltenham opener. 

One of the most striking aspects of this year’s festival was just how impressive the novice hurdlers were. The old Champion Hurdle guard ran an exciting race this year, but compared to the fresher legs of the Supreme, Neptune and Triumph runners, next year might see an entirely different top 3. There is little scope at this stage to criticise leading contenders but plenty for the appraisal of a select few.

  First is The New One. His turn of foot to rocket up the famous hill must have instilled fear in team Mullins, not only for their favourite Pont Alexandre but also for Hurricane Fly’s 2014 return. Twiston-Davies rates him as one of the best he’s ever had and his trophy cabinet isn’t exactly bare. He certainly represents better value than Our Conor at this stage and has proven himself over all surfaces, unlike the Triumph winner, although the slightly quicker ground did seem to suit last Friday.

  Another for this race is My Tent or Yours. Although a starting favourite for the festival’s opener, Henderson’s star did no wrong in his defeat to Champagne Fever. The combination of an excellent ride and Cheltenham experience prevailed in the Supreme but MTOY will only come on for it. The ill-fated Darlan was 2nd in the same race in 2012 and looked the most likely Champion Hurdle winner this year till his tragic end. It’s easy to see Henderson plotting a similar path with this McManus hurdler who, barring no misfortune, should find himself in the mix come Champions day next year. 

 World Hurdle – 0.5pt e/w Zarkandar 10/1

  Zarkandar wins the International Hurdle

The Aintree Hurdle could be the first stepping-stone to a fresh campaign over long distance for Zarkandar. Having acknowledged he can’t mix it with the best two milers, Nicholls is adamant he will thrive over further. If he’s right 10/1 is a steal. If he’s wrong that free bet will always come in handy. Big Buck’s is the enigma at this stage, whether he makes it or not, so 3/1 represents far too little value for me.  

    Gold Cup – 0.5pt e/w Cue Card 25/1

       With all fit and faster ground, next year’s pinnacle could be the best contest for years. If this year’s cast return with Al Ferof, Boston Bob and others of that ilk joining the party, Bobs Worth would have to pull out all the stops to score back to back victories. Aside from a minor blip in the King George Cue Card has romped home in middle distance chases, demonstrating his electric pace on good ground. His Ryanair victory was further proof, finishing nine lengths ahead of a horse that has twice jumped the last alongside Bobs Worth.     

Cue Card - King George bound?

He meets Flemenstar at Aintree where, if the Lexus Chase form is franked, we may see his odds tumble here. Trainer Colin Tizzard has made some bullish claims about retackling the King George and if he's victorious there he will certainly challenge here. Distance options do pose a risk but on account of NRFB this could be a very worthwhile bet.

[silksblog-blog]

Antepost Review 2013

An overview of the Cheltenham Festival's highs and lows that months of betting had preceded: 

  Best

    The New One 14/1 January 2013. SP 7/2

Transformed from a Fiat into a Ferrari from Sam Twiston-Davies’ slightest encouragement. Beating My Tent Or Yours at Aintree last year made him a stand out antepost pick as Henderson’s horse developed.

Bobs Worth 8/1 November 2012. SP 5/2

Expectations were high going into the Hennessy, yet he surpassed them emphatically. 8/1 the day before was an easy selection considering his Cheltenham form. 

Champagne Fever 9/1 to win any race October 2012. SP 5/1

The perfect sort of horse for this type of bet, not even Willie knew where he was going until the last minute. Slight panic after his 40 length 3rd to Rule The World but luckily just a blip.

Cue Card 7/1 December 2012. SP 7/2

An uncomfortable run in the King George and the dominance of Sprinter Sacre led to this race being the best chance for Colin Tizzard’s star.  

  Worst 

    Cinders and Ashes 10/1, SP 16/1.

Simply disappointed this season, perhaps due to the ground, perhaps due to the competition; the Fighting Fifth was just the beginning.

Sanctuaire 10/1, SP 20/1.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, especially when your foresight imagined Sanctuaire to be the toppler of Sprinter Sacre.

The World Hurdle

Big Buck's created a frenzy when he pulled out with great profit to be made but even more competition to be had. Money for Peddlers Cross, Oscar Whisky and Get Me Out of Here was all lost before Solwhit jumped the last after a bizarre race.

Non Runners - Big Bucks and Tidal Bay primarily.

The ultimate chagrin to antepost punters, this year threw up some enormous stumbling blocks. The loss of Big Buck's brought several doubles and triples down in an instant.

[silksblog-blog]

2013 - 2014

Cheltenham festivals have been reviewed and reanalysed countless times, whether it be for gleaning hints or glassy-eyed reminiscing. Yet harking back to this year’s action can only be done under the weight of a great shadow, as form study pales against overarching sadness and perspective.  JT McNamara’s well-documented injury and recovery process has reminded us all of the perils these sporting paragons of bravery face every time they enter the saddle. Every jockey’s tempered reaction to winning on the Gold Cup day was a testament to the regard in which they hold JT and the camaraderie that their profession engenders. Friday also saw Paul Nicholls’ Salubrious remind us of tragedy away from the racecourse, as the trainer was fast to dedicate the victory to the recently deceased son, Dominic, of his head stable lad Clifford Baker.

       Those four days were the epitome of equine competition, displaying some of the most competitive races all year and some of the most outstanding horses. To recap the vast amount of column inches dedicated to Sprinter Sacre’s peerless pace or Bobs Worth’s tenacity would not do justice to their and others’ achievements. Still the racing calendar rolls on leaving little time for reflection before the Aintree and Punchestown festivals begin. Most excitingly though is the rebirth of the antepost market, already plied with odds for next year’s races that only the most daring take a punt on. The big questions that dictate these markets are already being asked: Where does Simonsig go? Will this year’s novice hurdlers compete with the old guard? Can Bobs Worth, Quevega and Big Buck's make even more history? It is here that these questions will have answers, whether they are correct or not is another matter.

       However, if anything is to be learnt from this year’s spectacular it’s that bet slips and formbooks are easily discarded, but human lives are too, especially aboard those animals that we appraise and adore.