The Cheltenham Festival 2018 takes place from Tuesday, 13 March until Friday, 16 March and is widely billed as the best four days of National Hunt horse racing in the world.
Although mostly broadcast live on terrestrial TV in the UK, there are still ways to watch all the action over jumps if you’re at work or on the go. There are favourites to back and gambles to land too, of course, if betting interests you.
Take a tip and avoid backing market principals in those notoriously competitive Festival handicaps as their record in such races are poor. Other Cheltenham contests are more likely to reward punters who support favourites though.
You can qualify for Cheltenham Festival 2018 live streaming with most bookmakers by betting just £1 on a given race. It’s now a widely accepted part of the gambling experience you get with horse racing.
So, with that in mind, what are the top five races at this year’s Cheltenham Festival that are worth streaming?
Champion Hurdle
Can Faugheen be the force of old again and challenge fellow former 2m championship winner Buveur D’Air for top honours? Will the latter’s Nicky Henderson stablemate and fellow JP McManus owned horse My Tent Or Yours run into a Champion Hurdle place yet again?
Could something else from Willie Mullins’ yard turn up? Melon, Wicklow Brave, Yorkhill? How will the likely supplemented Elgin fare for Alan King?
This renewal of the Champion Hurdle has more subplots than just that battle between odds-on favourite Buveur D’Air, who has had the British opposition running scared, and a hopeful Faugheen rolling back the years.
RSA Chase
There’s a little more to this year’s RSA than just the all-Irish clash of market principals Presenting Percy and Monalee. Both are promising staying novice chasers – perhaps with long-term Gold Cup ambitions – and head over on raids from the Emerald Isle.
Standing up to them is the diminutive and plucky race-by-race improver Black Corton, who has helped launch the career of conditional jockey Bryony Frost. It’s hard to see a more popular combination winning for Paul Nicholls and, unlike the opposition from Ireland, Black Corton has the course and distance form over 3m.
Queen Mother Champion Chase
All has not gone to plan with red-hot Champion Chase fancy Altior this season. He needed a wind operation and missed the Tingle Creek at Sandown during the winter, but Henderson’s star 2m chaser returned to action with a bang at Newbury.
Only Mullins’ Min looks capable of thwarting Altior, because stablemate Douvan may not be ready in time for Cheltenham and the promising Politologue had his bubble burst.
Is anyone backing Special Tiara to repeat last year’s Champion Chase success? He is a big price in the market to retain his crown.
Ryanair Chase
Un De Sceaux put in a truly bold and memorable round of jumping in the intermediate champion chase race at last year’s Festival. Although he heads the betting, Mullins’ machine is another year older now and could be challenged by Waiting Patiently, who was trained by the late Malcolm Jefferson and is unbeaten over fences.
The Ryanair is another stop on the beloved Cue Card’s farewell tour. He helped to put Colin Tizzard on the map, but only sentiment says he can win this 2m 5f contest again aged 12.
Cheltenham Gold Cup
If you love horse racing, then of course the big one is one you’d stream. This renewal of the Cheltenham Gold Cup is looking pretty open. So many things to ponder.
Will talented ante post Gold Cup favourite Might Bite repeat his quirks that so nearly cost him at last year’s Festival? Is the lightly-raced Native River a good thing for at least a place?
Can Irish raiders Sizing John and Our Duke put far from ideal campaigns behind them and deliver for Jessica Harrington? Sizing John is trying to repeat last year’s Cheltenham triumph and is trading at a similar price in the betting.
How about Mullins’ hopes Total Recall and Killultagh Vic, as he tries to finally get that Gold Cup monkey off his back? Is the Grand National the true target for the former? Can the latter stay on his feet after taking a tumble at Leopardstown? You’d be mad to miss out on all that.
