On Tuesday 12th March the best British and Irish jockeys will descend on Cheltenham for a four-day festival of horse racing excellence. The bookies already have their favourites and some say you should never bet against the wisdom of a bookmaker.
Those that bet on 25/1 outsider Labaik in the 2017 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle would beg to differ though. Just because the bookies play it safe with their odds, it doesn’t mean that they don’t get caught out by a wild outsider every now and then.
In this article, we take a closer look at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival, examining 5 of the best outside bets for this year’s festival.
(The 2018 Gold Cup was a dramatic affair with the favourites battling it out for the win. Will an outsider triumph in 2019?)
Race: Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
Horse: Itchy Feet
Trainer: Olly Murphy
Odds: 33/1
Itchy Feet is the ultimate outsider, and that’s represented in his long odds for this race, but he is definitely worth a punt. This horse has won 2/3 of his hurdle encounters and didn’t go down lightly to Elixir de Nutz in the official Supreme Novices’ Trial over C&D in November. 33/1 are great odds for a supremely talented horse.
Race: Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
Horse: Klassical Dream
Trainer: WP Mullins
Odds: 16/1
A winning record of 2/7 in hurdle races wouldn’t normally fill you with confidence in a horse for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. But it’s all about form with horses, and Klassical Dream is in top form. After a dramatic last-gasp win at the Grade 1 meeting at Leopardstown, Klassical Dream’s odds have shortened to 16/1. Expect to see the odds fall as the race approaches, but for now this is a safer ‘outside’ bet than Itchy Feet.
Race: Champion Hurdle
Horse: Espoir D’Allen
Trainer: Gavin Cromwell
Odds: 20/1
A couple of months ago you could have found odds of 50/1 on Espoir D’Allen that was before he destroyed everything he faced. The five-year-old upset Stormy Ireland in a Grade 3 contest in Limerick before romping to victory in the Limestone Lad Hurdle at the end of January. Act quickly with this one as the odds will undoubtedly shorten as the race approaches.
(Gavin Cromwell gives us a sneak peek into a morning with Espoir D’Allen.)
Race: Cheltenham Gold Cup
Horse: Bellshill
Trainer: WP Mullins
Odds: 16/1
At the time of writing, the Gold Cup market is wide open with no clear favourite yet to emerge. Presenting Percy is expected to be the favourite but he is no sure bet as he hasn’t run yet this term. Bellshill shaped well in the Savills Chase to finish fourth and could be a good bet to romp to victory in this year’s Gold Cup.
Race: Queen Mother Champion Chase
Horse: Min
Trainer: WP Mullins
Odds: 14/1
Altior is the heavy favourite for this race with many punters expecting him to join the list of dual winners of the two-mile chasers’. Willie Mullins best alternative to Altior is Min, a top-class chaser who ran Altior close last year. An each-way bet on Min is the smart choice, leaving you quids in should Altior fail to live up to the hype.
Summary
Cheltenham odds are drifting on a daily basis, keep your eyes peeled for generous odds on the horses mentioned in this article. Also look out for the results in relevant pre-Cheltenham races to predict how your horse might do.
