Cheltenham 2022 - Ante-Post Bets

Cowards Antepost betting I know but with bookies now offering NRNB on some races at Cheltenham I’ve had my first look. Delta Work @ 33/1 looks a sporting ew bet in the Gold Cup. Has course form, multiple Grade 1 winner and ran very respectably as a 7 year old in the CGC in 2020.

 

I actually think Champ would have won the last 2 Stayers Hurdles had he ran in them. However, I very much doubt he will be able to beat Klassical Dream this time around. Was so impressed by that one over the Christmas period.

I can't see Champ winning the CGC though. He's now a 10YO and quite simply horses aged in double digits don't win modern day CGC's - none since 1998.

 

No, I don’t think Champ jumps well enough to win a Gold Cup but, if he does go for the race, he’s certainly worth a saver.
Logic dictates he’ll go the Stayer’s Hurdle route, and I certainly believe he’s a massive player. He travelled like a dream at Ascot and was the winner three out.
Unbeaten in his two runs over three miles, I fancy he’ll worry Klassical Dream out of it up that final hill.
PS. Agreed, Barney, about the last two Stayer’s Hurdles.

 

Hunters Chase

Highway Jewel 33/1 e/w WH, others 20/1

I put her on here for this race last year 40/1. The rest is history, one of the most grotesque and regrettable in recent years. If anyone wants to know what happened it's in the 2021 thread (pages 7 and 9). She hasn't made his debut yet this year but I'm not worried because none of the favourites have, in fact the current favourite (Billaway) is due to do so on Sunday at Thurles. I hope the mare's inactivity is not due to injury. I said last year a couple of times that if she had run think she would have won, this year I have no idea but I can't abandon her. There are new additions (Kimberlite Candy for example) but I'm not worried, if she keeps last year's form she can handle anything.

 

How much is the mares allowance in the Foxhunters??? If its the same as the Champion Hurdle and CGC (7 lbs) then she would be of huge interest.

I noticed Kimberlite Candy's listing yesterday. But surely he will be up against it, time wise, to get himself qualified for the final. Unless qualification, in Covid times, is now different.

 

After posting the above I note he could go as early as Sunday (at Warwick) so maybe qualification wouldn't be as arduous as I first thought.

 

I honestly don't know if they have changed the conditions again for this year because last year they changed them but they were only supposed to be for 2021. Last year's conditions were like this:

https://www.britishhorseracing.com/...s-chase-randox-foxhunters-open-hunters-chase/

Regarding the weight issue I think there is no mares allowance but I can't say for sure, which as you say would be very interesting because the mare is tiny but has a tremendous heart, and also the more distance the better for her, or at least that was what his trainer said last year when she won a PTP to Hazel Hill (winner of the hunter chase Festival 2019) by 25 lengths which was when I discovered her.

Watch out! Don't call the race "Foxhunters". That's not her name since last year, that was the reason the mare didn't run, one of her owners refused because they changed the name and removed the term "Fox".

 

Wasn't aware that they changed the name. Don't know how I managed to miss that.

I've had a look at the last 2 runnings and in '21 everything ran off 12 stone but in '20 the mare, Kalabaloo, carried just 11-7 (so mares got 7 lbs) - I would imagine no mares ran in '21 so the 7 lbs for mares would be a permanent fixture of the heat. That would make Highway Jewel even more attractive.

 

Thank you. I just looked up the 2021 to look at the weight and saw that they all had the same weight because there was no mare. If so, all the better because she is very small. Now I just need her to show up soon to see if she is like last year. I'm not saying she's going to win but I am saying that if she's on the start line I don't think she'll be 33/1, far from it. We'll have to wait until March 1st to find out, the Hunters Chase, Bumper and Cross Country entries are the last to go.

 

It's clear that, although not very reliable in terms of security, I don't know what we would do without google. I just found this:

https://pointingdc.co.uk/2022/01/18/tiverton-p2p-preview-chipley-park-20221023/

So there seems to be no health problems with the mare and if nothing unusual happens she will make her debut this year on Sunday.

 

That's very disappointing news. Blazing Khal was one of the horses I was most looking forward to seeing at the Festival. As I said, last month, loved his performance at Cheltenham last month and rarely had I ever seen a 3 mile novice storm up the hill like he did after the last.

I see his trainer states that Blazing Khal's injury is 'not serous' so hopeful he may make it to Punchestown.

 

Concentrating on opening Tuesday
Cannot see anything overcoming Honeysuckle in the champion hurdle!
I have taken e/w on Echoes in Rain but it appears to be listed for a few other races, can anyone offer an explanation of how I figure out which race it runs in?

 

That's the million dollar question, you've played Mullins bingo and you have to wait.

Very few horses know which race they are going to run for sure. I've already had a few bets thrown away because they have no entry.

 

Highway Jewel won yesterday's PTP in which she was making his season debut.

The 33/1 WH is gone, now 20/1 like most bookies.

 

Just thought id post these updates from the Oddschecker web site...

Nicholls gives update on potential Cheltenham targets
Paul Nicholls provided an update on possible targets for his horses on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast.

• Stage Star is going straight to the Ballymore at the Festival
• Bravemansgame is going to Newbury (Betfair Super Saturday) for the 3m Novices' Chase before the Festival (Festival Novices' Chase)
• Clan Des Obeaux and Frodon are both possibles for the Dublin Racing Festival but neither is likely to be going to the Cheltenham Festival, although Clan Des Obeaux will likely otherwise take in the Denman Chase at Newbury on Betfair Super Saturday
• Knappers Hill will go to the Betfair Hurdle on Betfair Super Saturday
• Hitman is avoiding Shishkin and Energumene at Ascot this weekend in preference of the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury before potentially being aimed at the Festival.

Key entries from the Irish contingent include:

• Bob Olinger - Brown Advisory/Turners
• Galopin Des Champs - Brown Advisory/Turners
• Ferny Hollow - Arkle/Turners
• Blue Lord - Arkle/Turners
• Run Wild Fred - Brown Advisory/Turners/National Hunt Chase

Whilst some stand-out British-trained runners include:

• Bravemansgame - Brown Advisory/Turners
• Threeunderthrufive - Brown Advisory/National Hunt Chase
• Edwardstone - Arkle
• L'Homme Presse - Brown Advisory/Turners
• Ahoy Senor - Brown Advisory