Hunters' Chase Cheltenham Tips: 2022 Betting Preview & Trends

Gavin Beech

March 18th, 2022

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Nine horses have won the Hunters' Chase at Cheltenham more than once, so it's always wise to take the last few years into account when picking out Hunters' Chase tips.

This race is widely regarded as the Gold Cup for amateur riders and horse racing betting sites offer ante-post odds in the months leading up to the race, with entries usually announced a couple of weeks before the Cheltenham Festival gets underway in March.

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Hunters' Chase Runners in Focus

We've looked at the main contenders for the Hunters' Chase in detail below:

2021 Cheltenham Festival Form Could be Key

There was just a short-head separating Porlock Bay and Billaway in a humdinger of a Festival Hunters' Chase in 2021, with the pair 13 lengths clear of the rest. If they turn up at Cheltenham in good form again, then they look sure to play a big part.

Billaway has now finished second in two Festival Hunters' Chases and he went agonisingly close to justifying favouritism in 2021, just losing out in a hard-fought tussle with Porlock Bay up the hill.

Billaway was also sent off favourite for the big Hunter Chase at Punchestown the following month but he was again beaten by a narrow margin, this time by Bob and Co (more on him shortly).

Billaway’s consistency in big races is admirable and there can be no doubt that he deserves to land a big festival prize but his strike-rate is hardly exceptional (just 4-16 under rules) and it wasn’t particularly encouraging that he was thrashed by Winged Leader at Thurles in January, for all that it was his first run of the season.

There are undoubtedly better value alternatives when looking at Cheltenham Hunters' Chase betting tips.

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Nicholls’ Runner Could Have Big Say

Bob And Co could play a big part here. Paul Nicholls has won the Cheltenham Hunters' Chase four times and that could have become five if Bob And Co hadn't stumbled badly and unseated his rider three out in 2021.

That’s far enough out to make it impossible to be confident about what might have happened, but he appeared to be going well enough at the time and his subsequent narrow defeat of Billaway in the big Punchestown Hunter Chase strongly suggests he would have played a big part in the finish at Cheltenham.

Bob And Co was below his best when beaten at Stratford in May but it would be churlish to judge him on an end-of-season run on a sharp track. Nicholls is sure to have him primed for another major assault on the big spring prizes.

Read More: Get the best Cheltenham offers

Leader Not to be Underestimated

Winged Leader was a major mover in Hunters' Chase ante-post lists after trouncing Billaway at Thurles in January and it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that this up-and-coming eight-year-old will go off favourite on the big day.

Winged Leader probably held a fitness advantage over his main rival at Thurles but it was hard not to be taken by the way he powered clear after the last, looking a really strong stayer in the process.

He’s not been to Cheltenham yet but he is proving versatile ground-wise (equally effective on good or heavy) and he could be the new kid on the block in this division. He is greatly feared but the value in his price has disappeared.

Read More: Check out our Gold Cup tips

Hunters' Chase Odds  

• *Odds correct as of 18/03/2022 - For full latest odds head over to FansBet

Hunters' Chase Cheltenham Trends  

• Class counts: Nine of the last 10 Festival Hunter Chase winners were rated at least 130.
• Prep vital: Every one of the last 12 winners had run at least once that season. That could be an issue for Bob And Co, who hasn’t been seen since May.
• Age range: The last seven Cheltenham Hunters' Chase winners were aged 10 or 11 but the majority of winners between the turn of the century and 2014 were aged 7-9. The key is to avoid horses older than 11.
• Irish dominance: Horses trained in Ireland have a strong record, winning nine of the last 15 editions. However, the 2021 winner and our leading Hunters' Chase tips selection Porlock Bay is trained in Somerset.
• Double winners: Previous winners need serious respect. Nine horses have won the race twice, including three in the last decade.
• Rules winners have edge: 10 of the last 14 winners had won at least twice under rules.
• Look beyond market leaders: There have been 16/1, 66/1, 25/1 and 16/1 winners in the last five years so it can pay to be more speculative with Hunters' Chase betting.

Cheltenham Hunters' Chase Winners  

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