Cheltenham

Only once since 2010 has the Cheltenham Festival top trainer title been won by a British handler. Proof, as if needed, that the best horses are in Ireland was there for all to see last year. Willie Mullins heads Cheltenham top trainer odds once again with the bookies with what looks a top Festival team. When he trains the favourites of at least 10 ante post favourites for the meeting, according to horse racing betting sites, it’s no wonder. Mullins has already been top handler at the Festival eight times since 2011, so expect the Closutton battalions hitting Prestbury Park again. National Hunt horse racing has more than one master handler in the Emerald Isle, though. Much like Cheltenham top jockey odds, if there’s a tie for the number of winners, placed horses count. That’s not the way an...

Willie Mullins has nine in the Arkle betting following the release of entries for the Grade 1 Cheltenham Festival race. There are 24 horses in contention in total with Ferny Hollow favourite for more success at this meeting. Mullins mounts dominate the market with the stable responsible for four of the first six in the Arkle betting now. Injury robbed Ferny Hollow (6/4) of a novice hurdle campaign after just one run last season. However, the Cheveley Park Stud owned seven-year-old is two from two over fences since returning. An impressive weight carrying performance against then four-year-old filly Riviere D’Etel, so unusual in Grade 1 company, at Leopardstown over Christmas helped Ferny Hollow firm up in the Arkle betting with online bookmakers as favourite. He won the 2020 Champion ...

Ahead of the four-day Festival in March, there are already bookmakers offering Cheltenham non runner no bet (NRNB) terms. That means punters get a run for their money or stakes back in full as cash. Which bookmakers are non runner no bet at Cheltenham, we hear the betting public ask? At first, only a few horse racing betting sites dare to offer these terms. As we get closer to the Festival, though, then more bookies will put this deal out there. It is definitely to the advantage of punters that the NRNB promotion runs. While the online bookmakers will shorten their odds to factor this liability of returning stakes in to their prices, nobody loses outright like regular ante post betting. Weighing up such pros and cons is what gambling on sports such as horse racing is all about. At first it...

As yet unbeaten over fences, Shishkin is the clear favourite among 2022 Queen Mother Champion Chase odds and 22 entries from the Ladies Day Cheltenham Festival feature. Opposition to Nicky Henderson’s stable star includes an 11-strong Irish challenge for the 2m Grade 1 contest on Wednesday, 16 March.  Dual Cheltenham Festival winner Shishkin will face his toughest task to date seeking a third consecutive victory at the meeting. According to horse racing betting sites, this already looks a two-horse race on paper with Queen Mother Champion Chase odds of 12/1 and bigger bar the favourite and Energumene (5/2). It depends which bookmaker punters bet with as to whether Shishkin is odds-on, Evens or odds against. Both the market principals hold entries in the Clarence House Chase at th...

Some 33 horses feature among the 2022 Stayers Hurdle odds and betting after early closing entries for the 3m Grade 1 contest on Thursday, 17 March at the Cheltenham Festival were revealed. Just more than half of potential runners are trained in Ireland. The Emerald Isle has only produced four Stayers Hurdle winners (formerly the World Hurdle) since 2005. However, those successes have all come since 2013. Willie Mullins has seven possible entries. Heading those and the betting is Klassical Dream (11/4). A ready winner of the 2019 Supreme Novices Hurdle on his last visit to Cheltenham, the eight-year-old goes well fresh and is two from two over this longer trip. Mullins landed the Stayers Hurdle with Nichols Canyon and Penhill, who also didn’t take much racing. Following victories in the Pun...

More than half of the 23 early closing entries for the Unibet Champion Hurdle at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival come from Ireland. The one they all have to beat whether trained in Britain or the Emerald Isle, though, is Honeysuckle. She has been at the head of the Champion Hurdle betting ever since winning last year’s renewal of the opening day feature. According to the Betfred ante post market, which is now Non Runner No Bet, the main dangers to Henry De Bromhead’s wonder-mare Honeysuckle (8/13) are two of the four entries from the Willie Mullins stable. Appreciate It (5/1) was the runaway winner of the Supreme Novices Hurdle over the Champion Hurdle course and distance at the Festival last season. A slight setback has delayed his chasing career, so Mullins keeps him over the smaller o...

Some 30 early closing Cheltenham Gold Cup 2022 entries have been made for this year’s renewal of the blue riband event of steeplechasing. The centrepiece race of the Cheltenham Festival takes place this year on Friday, 16 March (3:30). Just over half of the potential Cheltenham Gold Cup runners are trained in Ireland. Closutton master trainer Willie Mullins has seven among the initial entries. They are dual Gold Cup hero Al Boum Photo; Allaho, who should defend his Ryanair Chase crown the day before instead; the unlucky Asterion Forlonge; Carefully Selected, who has been off the track for some time; Franco De Port; Melon and King George VI Chase hero Tornado Flyer. Al Boum Photo is the shortest price of these possible Mullins mounts with William Hill going 10/1. Long-time Emerald...