Cheltenham Festival 2024: Ante-Post Market Movers
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Although the 2024 Cheltenham Festival is less than a week away, we are still in the dark where several high-profile horses are going to run.
It’s also been a bombshell week for Constitution Hill fans, who will now not get to see the world’s best national hunt horse race on the biggest stage of all.
It looks as though betting sites ante-post markets are going to remain a hive of activity through this week so here is a quick recap of some of the most interesting market activity this week.
Champion Hurdle Shenanigans
The absence of Constitution Hill means that the Champion Hurdle market now looks very different to that which had been dominated by the reigning champion all season.
State Man, beaten nine lengths in last year’s Champion, is now a red-hot favourite to cash in on the absence of Constitution Hill and bag a remarkable ninth Grade 1 success.
In what now looks a race with very little depth, it appears that connections of Irish Point are going to switch to the Champion Hurdle from the Stayers’ Hurdle, where they already have market leader Teahupoo.
Irish Point has been supported into 6/1 third favourite, although that price will surely contract further should second-favourite Lossiemouth be confirmed, as expected, for the Mares’ Hurdle.
On Tuesday it was announced that Iberico Lord had been supplemented for the Champion Hurdle, for which he is a 20/1 chance.
It looks a shrewd move given the lack of depth in the race, and probably suggests that Nicky Henderson thinks his improving charge is capable of hitting the frame. It looks as though he’ll get his ground and we know he handles the track well.
Teahupoo Now A Clear Stayers’ Hurdle Favourite
With stable and owner-mate Irish Point now looking set to head to the Champion Hurdle, Teahupoo is now a strong 2/1 favourite in the Cheltenham odds to win the Stayers’ Hurdle at the second attempt.
Teahupoo, who was three-quarters of a length behind Sire Du Berlais 12 months ago, has been saved for this since Hatton’s Grace win at the beginning of December, with his trainer now adamant that this horse needs to be fresh to show his best.
Elliott recently gave a positive update on Sire Du Berlais (20/1), who is apparently showing more with each passing day.
Some nice weather would aid his cause further but with conditions now soft, heavy in places, as well as a mixed forecast, it’s unlikely he’ll get the nice spring ground that serves him so well.
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A Wide-Open Arkle Chase
The injury of Marine Nationale, who had been at the head of Arkle Chase all winter, means we now have one of the most wide-open renewals in years.
It’s 4/1 the field now, with Il Etait Temps, Found A Fifty and Gaelic Warrior vying for outright favouritism, although it would be a little surprising should the last-named turned up here given he looks for all the world like a horse who wants at least two and a half miles.
Hunters Yarn (5/1) and Quilixios (6/1) are the ones that have attracted support in a market that has eight horses trading at under 10/1 right now. JPR One, a 7/1 chance, looks just about the only hope of a British success in the race.
Conflated Attracts Support In Ryanair
Conflated has entries in the Cross Country Chase, Gold Cup and Ryanair Chase and there had been few clues as to which option he might take up.
However, that picture looks a little clearer now given he’s been supported into 7/1 (from 11/1) for the Ryanair Chase.
Gordon Elliott already has Galvin, Delta Work and Coko Beach for the Cross Country Chase and Conflated would surely struggle to win a Gold Cup, so it’s hardly a surprise that connections appear to be leaning towards the Ryanair Chase now.
The other horse to attract some nibbles in that market is Protektorat, who also had the Gold Cup as a possible destination.
He’s as short as 10/1 in places, in what could turn out to be a wide-open heat if conditions come up soft, which is becoming increasingly likely.
Gold Cup Favourite On The Drift
Bookmakers are always much slower to push horses out compared to shortening then up, so it’s no major surprise that the sportsbooks have yet to react to Galopin De Champs exchange drift.
The reigning champ has steadily ticked up from 2.0 to 2.54 in the last few days, which has largely gone unnoticed.
The reason? That’s not something we can be sure of right now but it looks a much stronger race than 12 months ago and even a repeat of last year’s performance might not be enough for Galopin Des Champs to successfully defend his crown.
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Crebilly All The Rage In Plate
The JP McManus-owned Crebilly is turning into one of the handicap gambles of festival after tumbling to as short as 4/1 with horse racing betting sites for the Plate Handicap Chase on Thursday.
Crebilly looks potentially well-handicapped off a mark of 140 given he might have beaten Ginnys Destiny at Cheltenham in November, then wasn’t far behind that same rival and Grey Dawning the following month, despite making bad mistakes at the fourth and third-last fences.
The way he finished his race off to win at Exeter last time suggests he’ll relish the stiff Cheltenham finish providing he can hold his jumping together in the heat of a big-field festival handicap.
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