Cheltenham Festival Specials & Additional Markets
The 2025 Cheltenham Festival is set to deliver another great week of top-class horse racing as we get ever closer to proceedings getting underway.
Although the traditional race winner gets the majority of attention, betting sites are offering a wide array of opportunities beyond the usual markets.
In this article, we look at some interesting markets and pick out some value bets that may have gone under the radar.
Day One Official Going
The official going on day one of the meeting is nearly always good to soft, and this year, it looks like it will be no different.
The weather forecast until the festival is relatively dry, so that takes soft ground, 2/1 with betting apps, out of the occasion.
The ground has never been described as good at Cheltenham, which makes it a no-bet at 10/1.
However, good to soft ground at 3/10 looks like banker material for those looking to play at shorter prices.
Which Day Will Have The Most SP Winners?
Tuesday heads the market for the day with the most SP winners at 1/2 with horse racing betting sites, as Kopek Des Bordes, Majborough and Constitution Hill all trade at odds-on.
Friday is next in the betting at 5/2, but bar Galopin Des Champs and Dinoblue, it looks like an open enough card.
Wednesday could be a great bet at 8/1. Willie Mullins has the first two short-priced favourites, Final Demand and Ballyburn.
Jonbon is odds-on for the Champion Chase, while Stumptown and Gameofinches could go off a lot shorter than their current odds for the Cross Country Chase and Bumper, respectively.
Who Will Be Top Owner At Cheltenham?
JP Mcmanus has been the leading owner at the Cheltenham Festival on several occasions.
He holds the record for the most winners at the festival, with 78 victories.
His green and gold colours are regularly seen bounding up the hill to festival glory, and he looks unopposable in this market at 1/10.
Mrs J Donnelly and Gigginstown House Stud have nice teams in their own right, but it is impossible to see them laying a glove on JP, who looks certain to be amongst the winners at Prestbury Park again.
Race With The Biggest And Shortest Winning Distance
The race with the biggest winning distance is headed by the Arkle at 8/1, and it’s easy to see why, as Majborough is one of the shortest-priced horses of the week.
The Champion Hurdle is next in the betting at 9/1, where punters will be hoping Constitution Hill can repeat what he did in 2022 when winning the Supreme by an amazing 22 lengths.
The Gold Cup may be good value in this market at 11/1. Galopin Des Champs is a red-hot favourite in what looks like a very weak renewal, and he is no stranger to winning races by wide margins.
The race with the shortest winning distance is a much more open affair and is even harder to predict. The County Hurdle, the Pertemps, and the Coral Cup are all co-favourites here, and it’s a market that is best avoided.
