2017 Cheltenham Festival Ante Post Thread

Chaps, let's stop beating around the bush. It's April which means we are already on the trail for the 2017 Cheltenham Festival.

Let's be having your chat. I'll be putting up every single ante post bet I have before the Festival and we can use this for the normal arguments/disagreements/hopeful stabs in the dark and bits of info leading up to the greatest week of the year.

Current Ante Post Odds

 

This could be nothing but Moon Racer's connections have asked for a price from Will Hill for their horse to win the 2017 Arkle. They were offered 20/1.

 

Faugheen 2/1 Champion Hurdle and Douvan 5/4 (QMCC) double placed when i was drunk on the 18th March 2016. I already regret this. They'll both win if they turn up but bloody hell they're not the most generous prices.

 

Vautour 8/1 Gold Cup
Limini 5/2 Mares Hurdle
Douvan 5/4 QMCC
Yorkhill 7/2 Arkle

Accumulator

 

I like Yorkshill for the Arkle but 7/2 is way to short with 11 months to go,I'd be tempted to play now if he were 5/6s.I expect the Gold Cup to be very competitive next year so would be wary backing Vatour at this stage.Douvan looks a shoe in for the Champion Chase but again priced accordingly.Overall the ante post market is a non runner for me now with those pesky bookie chaps being so stingy with their prices

 

Never too early to start one of these Bob

I have been burned by antepost before but having had a very good Festival I thought "Sod it" and I've certainly got my feet wet...

£30 on YORKHILL 5/1 Arkle

£7.50 Acca on...
YORKHILL 4/1 Arkle
LIMINI 9/4 Mares
NICHOLLS CANYON 10/1 WH
BALLYANDY 12/1 Neptune

Another £7.50 acca on the top 3 but replace BALLYANDY with SENEWALK 12/1 in the Supreme.

A £5 acca on all 5 at those prices.

A £5 acca on YH 5/1, LIM, SW and FAUGHEEN 2/1 Champ Hurdle.

A £3.53 acca on YH 5/1, ALTIOR 6/1 Champ Hurdle, BATTLEFORD 16/1 Supreme and THISTLECRACK 7/1 GC.

Those are from just one of my accounts!! Madness I know!! I think I've laid out about £80 in total already

 

I wouldn't be at all convinced that Yorkhill will be going for the Arkle. Mullins came up with that line about winning it with his mouth open after his Neptune win but we all know he loves to send the punters of piste. I saw an interview with Graham Wylie where he said he'd got this one to win a Gold Cup. JLT or further for this one I reckon.

 

With this morning's 'news' about Don Cossack, Thistlecrack's possible continued dominance of the staying hurdle division and Rich Ricci's targets for Douvan and Vautour could Djakadam do a 'The Fellow' and win a Cheltenham Gold Cup on the third attempt. I am not sure if any of this year's novice chasers have shown both the class or ability to stay the Gold Cup distance. I am aware that the opening months of next season could prove me wrong with Black Hercules proving he can stay the distance or Native River can improve overall however I am finding it difficult to begin my 'scattergun' ante-post punting on the 2017 Gold Cup.

 

Very, very early days.

Gold Cup is a really tough one. Don Cossacks injury is very worrying, Cue Card will be 11, Vautour and Douvan (someone had to mention it) both have other trip opportunities, Blaklion and the novices looked a bit pants this year.

The couple I'd say are definite intended candidates at double figures are Coneygree (16/1) and if forgiving his woeful effort in March, More Of That (33/1) but it's ****ing miles away and who knows what might crop up.

 

Agreed; very, very early days however I always begin my 'savings scheme' shortly after the current year's event. This 'scheme' has allowed me to profit (first, second and third backed E/W) every year since 2000 apart from 2012. This however is the first year that I have been unable to pick, say, five horses to invest in at this early stage. The 'five' usually contain two from the recent CGC, two novices and a progressive handicapper. With injury doubts, lack of set targets at the Festival and the paucity of novices which would seem likely to progress to Gold Cup standard I may not make my usual 'early' investments.
As the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe are the only two races I take a serious interest in (no daily/Saturday punting) this exercise keeps my retiral amusing.

Ho-hum!

 

INVITATION ONLY 16/1 Neptune.
You're welcome

 

Air Force Blue for the triumph @ 8/11

 

The only certs I see for next year are:

• Douvan
• Annie Power
• Vroum Vroum Mag

in whichever race they run

 

KILLULTAGH VIC 33/1 Gold Cup
VROUM VROUM MAG 8/1 Ryanair

Absolutely no point backing anything sub 5/1 at this stage. Antepost pays off if you get a few right towards double figure (or better) prices.

We often laugh at the madness of antepost prices, but THISTLECRACK fav for the Gold Cup takes some beating A horse who has YET to jump a fence in public is ahead of the 2015 winner, a dual runner up and an impressive Ryanair winner! He's not even a novice FFS, yet the books have him in as jolly! Absolute insanity, if you're backing that at this stage.

 

Time to bump this as the jumps approach and yards start to be able to assess their stars!

Anyone got any snippets? Seems to be a bit of a word for Melon of Willies for the supreme

 

Crikey this is early days. Usually whatever runs at this time of year has no chance so I was disappointed to hear Shantou Village ran on chase debut recently.

 

Scattergun out for Cheltenham Gold Cup!!!!!!