William Hill are offering a whopping 4/1 on Grand Crus to win the World Hurdle this afternoon.
The offer is limited, so get in quick if you think Big Buck’s can be beaten by the rising star. New members will also get a £25 free bet.
Once the 4/1 on Grand Crus has been taken, the horse is expected to go off at 10/3 at William Hill.
The firm also go 4/1 on Poquelin in the Ryanair Chase.
The 3.20pm at Cheltenham on Day One is the much-anticipated Champion Hurdle. At the head of the market sit three word-class hurdlers in Hurricane Fly, Menorah and Peddlers Cross. The Champion Hurdle odds are the tightest we are likely to see all week.
Our preference would be for Hurricane Fly, who has been solid as ever this season – although admittedly yet to face a stiff challenge. Back the horse with Boylesports who are offering money back if your horse finishes 2nd when you sign up via Gamble Select.
The 2nd race on the card for Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival is the Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase.
The grey runner Medermit will almost certainly go off as favourite. But you should look past the Alan King trained horse and seek out the 5/1 being offered at Victory Chandler on Finians Rainbow. The horse is unbeaten over fences and is open to further improvement still.
The latest odds on the Arkle Trophy are available below.
The Cheltenham Festival kicks off in style with the Supreme Novices Hurdle, one of the most hotly contested races of the whole week. The latest Cheltenham Odds suggest that Cue Card will romp home. Paddy Power aren’t so convinced, however, and will refund all losing bets should Cue Card win.
This gives you a great opportunity to back a larger priced horse with the security of getting your money back should the hot favourite Cue Card win.
Our pick for the race is Zaidpour, who hasn’t enjoyed the more testing ground in his last few outings. Cue Card’s form is well exposed, with the horse not reaching the heights many expected after his early season runs and win in last years Champion Bumper.
Riverside Theatre hopes to put on a show as he’s the favourite to take tomorrow’s Aon Chase at Newbury.
The horse is 10/11 with Paddy Power to power through the field of seven runners, with the going good to soft, for the £22,804 purse in a race that will be shown live on Channel 4.
Riverside Theatre is owned by actor Jimmy Nesbitt and was second to stablemate Long Run but in front of Kauto Star in the William Hill King George VI Chase at Kempton.
Nicky Henderson reckons that the horse has a good chance as he’s in ‘great shape.’
“This is the obvious race for him with few to choose from, although it looks a hot race,” Henderson told the Racing Post.
The Paul Nicholls-trained What A Friend available at 11/8 with Bet365 and Nicholls has also entered Fair Along in the race, who is a 14/1 shot with Paddy Power, in his firast run over fences in nearly three years.
“Fair Along is going back over fences because we feel he is not competitive in the three-mile conditions hurdles,” trainer Philip Hobbs told the racing Post.
Noland is 12/1 with VC Bet and Mahogany Blaze is 20/1 with Bet 365.
You can get odds of 33/1 at Paddy Power for Ogee while the race outsider is Dance Island at 50/1 with the same bookie.
But the favourite Riverside Theatre should be taking all the applause in this one.
There’s no Doctor Jekyll running in the 3.00 at Sandown – but Mister Hyde is the favourite to take the Totescoop6 Heroes handicap Hurdle.
You can get odds of 6/1 at Blue Square on the 6-year-old Jonjo O’Neill trained horse. It won last time out, but the long odds reflect the difficulty in making an impact in a 21 horse field.
A P McCoy has been enjoying some success on the Irish horse and he’ll be looking for another win tomorrow.
The going is good to soft over the 2m6f course with a purse of £18,813 on offer. The race will be shown live on Channel 4.
Lush Life is 7/1 at William Hill and Alfie Spinner 8/1 at Bet365 and you can earn some bumper returns by backing the right horse in this race.
Kilcrea Kim won four off the belt before finishing a disappointing fifth last time out and this is reflected in his 10/1 odds at VC Bet.
Like A Hurricane is looking a good each way bet at 12/1 with William Hill while Prince Tom is 14/1 at William Hill.
Supreme De Paille could show out of the pack at 14/1 with Paddy Power and Pause and Clause is 16/1 with the same bookmaker.
The rest of the field is ranking from odds of 20/1 on County Zen at William Hill all the way out to the unfancied National Trust at 66/1 with Blue Square.
But with 6/1 odds it’s hard to see past Mister Hyde and as long as the race doesn’t turn into a horror show, A P McCoy should be parading in the winners enclosure and you’ll be patting the wad of notes in your wallet.
The bookies have Grad Crus as the favourite to take the Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham tomorrow.
The six year old David Pipe trained horse is 2/1 with Bet365 for the 3m race over good to soft ground which will be shown live on Channel 4.
With a large field of 19 runners, Grand Crus will have to show early and avoid getting snarled up in the pack.
His form is red hot with three wins and two seconds from his last five outings and second favourite Bensalem, at odds of 7/2 with Ladbrokes, is expected to pose the firmest opposition from the field.
Spirit River is 6/1 with Paddy Power, along with Organisatuer, whose good recent form could make him a good each way bet.
Fair Along and Restless Harry are 10/1 with William Hill and Cristal Bonus is 14.1 with VC Bet.
The middle pack includes Oscar Dan Dan at 16/1 with William Hill while VC Bet have 20/1 odds on Arcalis and Mobaasher.
Gwanako, Teaforthree and Kayf Aramis are 25/1 shots at William Hill and the little fancied Ballyfoy, Hills of Aran and Viking Blond are 66/1 punts at VC Bet.
Benbane Head is a bumper 100/1 with the same bookmaker while you can have a daft each way punt on Sweet Seville, who won his last race, at 250/1 with VC Bet.
It could be worth a couple of quid. That’s why it’s called gambling.
Kauto Star is the name on everyone’s lips in the 3.00 from Kempton as the popular horse bids for an epic fifth win in a row in the King George VI Chase.
The ten-year-old French-bred racer is the 8/11 favourite to beat the record of four race victories he holds jointly with Desert Orchid.
Owner Clive Smith says “to win five would be a fantastic record and would suit his standing in the world of National Hunt racing.”
Injured jockey Ruby Walsh will be replaced by Tony McCoy, who will be riding Kauto Star at Kempton for the first time.
The King George VI Chase was due to be run on Boxing Day but was postponed because of a frozen track, while the going is expected to be good to soft for the field of nine runners for the £102, 618 purse.
The race will be screened live on Channel 4 and the bookies have Long Run earmarked as the top opposition to halt Kauto Star’s winning sequence.
He is 6/1 at Bet365 to pull off a surprise, while Kauto Star’s stablemate The Nightingale has seen his odds cut from 16/1 to 9/1 at some bookies as he looks to make a challenge.
Nacarat is 10/1 at Blue Square with Forpadydeplasterer 12/1 at SportingBet.
Planet of Sound and Riverside Theatre are at around 16/1 while you can get best odds of 40/1 on Madison Du Berlais with Blue Square.
Alberta’s Run is 25/1 with Sporting Bet but there should be no surprises in this race.
Kauto Star will be shining bright again tomorrow.
AP McCoy will look to claim his first Welsh National success on 4/1 shot Synchronised at Chepstow tomorrow.
The race, which will be screened live on BBC2 if it beats the winter weather, has a full field of 20 runners over the 3m 5f course with the going expected to be soft.
McCoy, who has 15 jumps wins under his belt, will look to get the best out of the JP McManus horse, which has finished 5th and 6th in its last two outings.
“Jonjo (O’Neill, the horse’s trainer) seems quite happy with him and hopefully the weather will be alright for him. He’s pretty adaptable on that front,” McManus’s racing manager Frank Berry told Racing Web.
“He’ll have his share of weight which is a pity but there’s nothing we can do about that.”
Maktu, at 6/1 with Paddy Power, could be a better pick to take the Welsh National with Dance Island also up there at 8/1 with William Hill.
His trainer, Ben Case, told Racing Web: “He likes the ground at Chepstow, he’s won over hurdles round there and he’s off a nice racing weight and is still improving.”
Watamu Bay is at 10/1 with VC Bet while you can get odds of 14/1 on Silver By Nature and Dream Alliance at Blue Square.
Exmoor Ranger, Arbor Supreme and Giles Cross are 16/1 shots with William Hill and a clutch of horses are around 20/1 including I’moncloudnine, Old Benny, Ballyfoy and Ballyfitz.
The betting runs out to 66/1 with Eric’s Charm the least fancied of the pack at Blue Square.
Carole’s Legacy is the 9/2 favourite to take the Victorchandler.com Chase Handicap at Cheltenham tomorrow.
NJ Henderson’s 6-year-old heads the odds in a bumper field of 15 runners for the £22, 804 pot over 2m 5 furlongs on good to soft ground. The race starts at 2.35 and will be shown live on Channel 4.
The main opposition is likely to come from Tartak, who carries top weight. He won the Peterborough Chase and trainer Tom George reckons that he has shown an improvement from last year. This is reflected in his odds of 11/2 at Bet365 while Taranis is 7/1 at VCBet. The Paul Nicholls-trained horse should put in a decent show.
Last year’s winner Can’t Buy Time is out at 10/1 at William Hill and with such a big field, any horse could pick the opportunity to shine in the New Year.
Hey Big Spender has won a couple of races, but his inconsistency has him at 9/1 at Bet365 with Knockara Beau at 10/1 with VC Bet.
Five Dream has placed second in four of its last five run-outs and could be worth a 10/1 flutter at William Hill and Mister McGoldrick, a winner last time out, could be another contender at 14/1 at VC Bet.
Pickamus and Quito Du Tresor are out at around 20/1 in the betting at Bet365 with Mahogany Blaze and Moon Over Miami not setting the field alight at 28/1 with VC Bet.
The long shots are Door Boy at 33/1 with William Hill and Patman Du Charmil at 50/1 with Bet365.
But your best bet for sticking some New Year readies in your back pocket should be to get on Tartak, whose weight may carry an advantage over the ground in the Grade 3 Class 1 meet.