Category: Cheltenham Festival

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is run over 3 miles, 2 furlongs on the New Course at Prestbury Park on the fourth, and final, day of the celebrated Cheltenham Festival in March each year. Worth £625,000 in guaranteed prize money, it is the most valuable weight-for-age steeplechase in the British National Hunt calendar and, arguably, the most prestigious race of ist kind to be find anywhere in the world. Valuable and prestigious it may be, but, since 2019 – when, coincidentally, the first-ever Cheltenham Gold Cup, dating from 1924, was reinstated as a perpetual trophy – the race has been ‘farmed’ by horses trained in Ireland.

In 2019, Al Boum Photo finally brought an end to the Gold Cup ‘hoodoo’ of perennial Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins, who had previously saddled the runner-up on six separate occasions. In 2020, shortly before the first coronavirus lockdown in Britain, Al Boum Photo won the ‘Blue Riband’ event again, thereby becoming the first horse since Best Mate, in 2003, to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup two years running. Mullins was also responsible for the 2023 winner, Galopin Des Champ and, in between times, Co. Waterford trainer weighed in with Minella Indo and A Plus Tard, who finished first and second, in reverse order, in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

To answer the headline question, though, the last Cheltenham Gold Cup winner trained on the British mainland was Native River, who, in 2018, fought a ding-dong battle with market rival Might Bite for most of the way, before asserting on the run-in to win by 4½ lengths in very game fashion. Trained by the now-retired Colin Tizzard in Milborne Port, near Sherborne, Dorset, Native River had finished third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2017 and went on to finish fourth in both 2019 and 2021.

Cheltenham Festival provides punters with a conveyor belt of horse racing betting markets, and there’s no shortage of bettors willing to snap up what’s on offer. It is held in high esteem in the sporting calendar and sees some of the most considerable gambling activity out of any UK-based sports events throughout the year.

A tsunami of welcome offers and promotions awaits those looking to place a bet this year. Cheltenham odds 2024 will take shape the day before each race as the conditions and big bets begin to play a role in the market. However, we’ve shuffled through the pack to see which horses are the favourites going into each day to give you an idea of some picks.

Last year’s Gold Cup saw the favourite Galopin Des Champs storm to victory, jockeyed by the formidable Paul Townend. Horse racing bettors know that the favourites storming to victory can be few and far between, with many surprises on the way. With that in mind, don’t just accept our picks; remember to do your own research too!

First day

Cheltenham’s first day can be a reserved affair at times, with stables and owners gearing up and getting settled into the rhythm of the event. The Champion Hurdle is always the pick of the first day’s action – and State Man is going into the race as a huge 2/5 favourite. However, as we know, with the level of gambling activity that ensues in the hours leading up to the race, these odds could fluctuate in either direction between now and day one.

With such nailed-on odds, some bettors might be put off by the lack of value. Quilixios could be a good outside punt for the first day – some tipsters have highlighted him as the first day’s pick. With odds ranging between 5/1 and 7/1, he could be the fabled dark horse, considering how well De Bromhead has his team prepared for the big meet in Cheltenham.

Day two

As the action picks up, Wednesday’s big race, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, showcases some of the top talent in UK and Irish horse racing – as it does yearly. El Fabiolo is a 1/2 favourite, with the second favourite, Jonbon, miles behind at 7/2, despite their rivalry over the last few months.

Stranger things have happened, and horses with higher odds have upset the status quo at Cheltenham and The Grand National before. Still, there’s a reason that El Fabiolo is such a solid favourite, with the shortest odds out of any race on the second day.

Thursday’s favourites

El Fabiolo leads again for the 14:50 on the penultimate day. However, the Ryanair Chase odds are tightly packed together, and it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Envoi Allen or Banbridge win this one.

Looking at the odds for Thursday, many markets are nip and tuck, and we suspect the fine margins will decide many of these races. Given that El Fabiolo is probably the strongest favourite for any race throughout Thursday but is still 6/4 compared to Banbridge’s 3/1, it shows how competitive it could get.

Final day – Gold Cup 2024 betting odds

Undoubtedly, the biggest race at Cheltenham is the Gold Cup on Friday; for many people, the Gold Cup is the main topic of discussion when discussing Cheltenham. Galopin Des Champs is again the favourite going in, with similar odds to last year when Paul Townend rode him first past the post.

While he’s not as strong a favourite currently, big money will likely pile in as we get closer to the final day. Fastorslow and Shishkin might be causing a slight fanfare, but given that they’re so far behind such a talented and consistent horse, we’d say bet against Galopin at your peril.

Although keen horse racing bettors like to divide their analysis across each of the four days at Cheltenham, all eyes are on the Gold Cup. Not only does it attract the most significant numbers on the box, but it also sees the most gambling activity and attracts the most significant spectator numbers out of any race at the meet.

Summary

Part of the appeal of betting on Cheltenham is that it’s very rare for tipsters to get it all right. As with so many horse racing betting markets, excellent value can be found if you know what to look for and what the rub of the green is that day.

Always look into these markets for yourself, and don’t gamble with money you cannot afford to lose. As long as you use these tips as a guide, don’t take them as guarantees, and stay within the parameters of safe gambling, you’ll get a taste of why so many people enjoy placing bets on Cheltenham.

It’s inevitable that curveballs will result in a big hit for the bookies; however, this is what the drama is all about, and it is a significant part of why punters flock to Cheltenham in their thousands. Each day at Cheltenham encompasses half a dozen different races, and with the stage set for another bumper festival, bettors cannot wait for the action to unfold on Tuesday.

 

Any horse racing fan worth their salt will be eagerly awaiting the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. With 28 races over four spellbinding days of races, this March Tuesday 12^th – Friday 15^th national hunt festival is a gathering of the best talent there in the racing world. Many of the races in this prestigious event are both steeped in history, and also makers of history – as i’m sure we’ll have some of the races on repeat for years to come. Cheltenham is one of those events the whole nation tends to tune in to when it comes around, and being that it’s free to air and ever popular (viewing figure were into the millions last year) I doubt this year will be an exception to the rule.

Running from Tuesday to Friday, some of the highlights include the Supreme Novices Hurdle on Tuesday, the much loved Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase on Wednesday (at time of writing the Willie Mullins trained favourite El Fabiolo is a super short 2/5, with Jonbon at 7/2) the Stayers Hurdle on Thursday and of course the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday.

The current lay of the land for the Gold Cup Cheltenham betting sees Galopin Des Champs as clear favourite at 10/11 at time of writing, with FastorSlow at 4-1, with others deemed to be in with a decent shot at 8-1 and thereabouts. The bookies certainly look to setting out their stall in such a way that they think they know how this pans out, so it’ll be fascinating to see it play out in real time. Considering Galopin Des Champs form both now and in winning the Gold Cup last year, it’s hard to see past him. Life has a habit of surprising us though, and racing is certainly no exception to that.

Horse racing remains one of the UK’s top sports and much of this comes down to the majestic festivals that racegoers can enjoy each year. The Cheltenham Festival is easily one of the most popular and is held at the iconic Cheltenham Racecourse.

Spread over four days of intense action, it is thought that more than 250,000 fans make it to Prestbury Park each year to watch the best trainers, jockeys and horses compete. With a massive 14 Grade 1 contests to marvel at, those who make it in person or watch online always have an amazing time.

As you would expect, the Cheltenham Festival is also hugely popular with punters and sees plenty of betting action. This is from experienced horse race bettors and more casual punters looking to have a flutter. One thing that is key for anyone to understand before diving in is how odds work for festivals like this and how bookies calculate Cheltenham betting odds.

How do Cheltenham betting odds work and what do they tell you?

Odds really are essential to understand when betting at events like the Cheltenham Festival 2024. They tell you how likely the bookmaker thinks a horse is to win the race, and also how much money a winning bet will pay out.

The lowest that odds can generally go at popular platforms like the Betfair Exchange are 1/100. This means that the bookmaker feels the horse in question has a 99% chance of winning. While this is not guaranteed, it is useful information to ponder when researching which horses to back in Cheltenham Festival races.

In addition, odds of 1/100 show that a bet of £100 would generate a £1 profit. Knowing this is not only useful for seeing what return a bet like this would deliver but also how much value it offers. Many people, for example, would feel that risking £100 to make only £1 is not worth it.

On the flipside of this, a horse may have much bigger odds – even up to something like 100/1 to win. These kinds of odds show that bookies feel the horse has little chance of winning (a 1% chance, in fact!) but punters would get a much better payout if this were to happen.

If we look at horses that are odds-on in the market, they have a greater than 50% chance of winning, which many punters at events like Cheltenham value. A 4/11 shot, for example, would have a 73.3% chance of winning in the bookie’s eyes, which can be handy to know when deciding if placing a bet on the horse in question is worthwhile.

How do bookmakers calculate Cheltenham Festival betting odds?

Horse racing as a sport is full of famous names – from legendary Staffordshire trainer John Porter to Red Rum, Sir AP McCoy and more. It is also home to some truly iconic events to bet on, with the Cheltenham Festival being a superb example. Anyone planning on placing wagers at Cheltenham, though, should first take time to research how bookies calculate odds for its races.

In truth, bookmakers spend a lot of time working out odds for the festival. This sees them using a specific formula to set the odds for each race, which show the probability of a certain event happening. They then add in a little wriggle room for profit, as this is where they make their money.

Once this formula has been used to set the odds for every horse, the percentage chance each has of winning is added up to form the market. A perfect market at Cheltenham should come to 100% when the probabilities of each horse winning are added together. Anything extra is the percentage profit the bookie makes on the entire race. It is common to see Cheltenham markets adding up to figures like 103%, for example.

Which bookmakers offer the best Cheltenham Festival odds?

When they calculate odds for the Cheltenham Festival, some bookies will offer better prices than others. It is key to find the bookmakers who do this, as this means you get a bigger payout if your bet wins. An easy way to do this is using an odds comparison site such as Oddschecker to find the best odds at all the top sportsbooks for each race of the festival.

Another good tip is to focus on popular sportsbooks that are well-known for offering great value odds and other promotions for Cheltenham betting. William Hill, for instance, always has some of the best odds around on races like the Stayers’ Hurdle, and a Best Odds Guarantee that sees the bookie match the price of a horse if it drifts in the market after you back it!

Paddy Power and bet365 are also two safe, secure places to bet on the Cheltenham Festival that offer their own Best Odds Guarantee. BetVictor is another excellent choice for best value Cheltenham odds and is known for outstanding customer support, secure payment options and a seamless mobile betting experience.

Cheltenham Festival betting odds calculated carefully

Bookies use a specific formula to calculate Cheltenham betting odds, which shows how likely a horse is to win the race. This is something that is done for each race in the festival and helps to show punters not only how much a wager will return but also how probable it is that a horse could win the race.