THE chatter on the way to the Cheltenham Festival is always about banker bets and monster gambles.
Punters return every year to pile into the big-race favourites hoping to line their pockets with the week’s leading fancies.
On the toughest stage there’s no guarantees and the Festival’s roll of honour is littered with big-price winners.
Last year Eglantine Du Seuil and Minella Indo both struck at 50-1 with Croco Bay’s Grand Annual success coming at 66-1. Throw in 28-1 shot William Henry and 20-1 Triumph Hurdle hero Pentland Hills, it’s clear there’s money to be made hunting for winners off the beaten track.
Here’s a few Cheltenham contenders at tasty odds that could easily help you walk off with the bookies’ cash.
Edwardstone 20-1
There’s nothing better than kicking off the meeting by backing the winner of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. If it comes in a decent odds it sets you up for the four-day battle with a stash of ammo to aim at the bookies.
Shishkin sits atop of the betting for this year’s curtain raiser with Irish raiders Asterion Forlonge and Abacadabras snapping at his heels. Further down the list sits Alan King’s EDWARDSTONE but don’t be fooled into thinking he’s only a bit-part player.
His defeat of subsequent Grade One winner Fiddlerontheroof on his hurdles debut was a cracking starting point and he followed it up by seeing off another Festival hopeful, Harry Senior, at Aintree.
He went through a Haydock Grade Two like the best horse but was mugged on the line having pulled too hard in the early stages of that four-runner contest.
The faster pace and bigger field should be ideal for Edwardstone and he is a cracking bet at 20-1.
Discorama 12-1
Some of the best Cheltenham trials take place exactly 12 months previously. There just is no substitute for Festival form.
DISCORAMA just lost out to Le Breuil in a brutal battle for the National Hunt Chase on the opening day last year.
Thriller!
The game Le Breuil edges out Discorama in a thrilling finish to an incident-packed National Hunt Chase
The Coddfather delivers the goods
: @RacingTV pic.twitter.com/wPORV0w97d
— ODDSbible Racing (@ODDSbibleRacing) March 12, 2019
He went on to chase home Delta Work in the Grade One novice chase at Punchestown and this season seems to have been geared around a return to Cheltenham.
There was nothing wrong with his comeback second behind smart novice Champagne Classic and he was far from disgraced behind Chris’s Dream in the Troytown at Navan.
A spin over hurdles at Christmas kept him ticking over and he’s since had his breathing tinkered with. He heads to the Ultima Chase fresh and nicely handicapped. The 12-1 is worth snapping up.
Black Op 20-1
There were some fingers burnt when Champ – named after AP McCoy by his long-time boss JP McManus – was turned over by City Island when runner-up in last year’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.
He’s switched to fences this season and, it seems, his supporters are on a recovery mission in the RSA Chase. That’s despite him hitting the deck at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day and his jumping has to be a worry.
BLACK OP was only a length-and-a-quarter behind Champ at Newbury in November when Tom George’s hope was just outspeeded in the closing stages over the 2m4f trip.
Champ made things tricky for himself last time out at Newbury…
Will you be siding with him today in the Dipper Novices' Chase?
: @RacingTV pic.twitter.com/5S51NBFtcz
— HorseRacing.net (@HorseRacing_Net) January 1, 2020
The track was a bit too sharp when he was second behind Slate House in the Grade One Kauto Star Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Everything is in place for him in the RSA Chase. He was second behind Samcro in the Ballymore two years ago and went on to win a Grade One at Aintree.
His jumping took a while to warm up when switched to fences last season but he was still able to finish close behind top-class chasers like Defi Du Seuil, Lostintranslation and Topofthegame.
It’s hard to understand how he is 20-1.
Rockadenn 33-1
The Boodles Juvenile Handicap has been a happy hunting ground for those willing to chance the outsiders. Six of the last eight winners have gone off at odds of 25-1 or bigger.
French raider ROCKADENN is available at big odds and I just cannot work out why.
He won his last four races in France – two over hurdles and two chases. The last of those came at Listed level and he’s a horse with plenty of experience.
He was readily brushed aside by Sir Psycho in the Victor Ludorum at Haydock on his British debut but there was plenty of promise in that run.
He took a while to get used to British hurdles but he moved like a decent horse before finding the winner too strong on the run in.
The bigger field of the Boodles is sure to suit as he showed his best form when held up in the rear in the early stages.
Cheltenham punters might not know much about his trainer Julien Merienne but he looks to be in with a shout of making it into the winners’ enclosure.
Kilbricken Storm 20-1
The weather has been unusually reliable this winter. Sadly, it’s been reliable because it hasn’t stopped raining and that means it won’t take much more wet weather to turn the ground incredibly testing. That won’t stop KILBRICKEN STORM in the Pertemps Final.
He loves a slog in the mud and stays incredible well as he showed when seeing off Ok Corral and Santini in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival two years ago.
Things might not have gone to plan since but he has looked on the way back in recent starts. His third behind Welsh Saint in a qualifier for this race was a decent effort and it should have put an edge on him.
Colin Tizzard’s ace is incredibly well handicapped on his best form and, with conditions likely to be in his favour, he must have a fine chance in what is often one of the most competitive races of the week.
