The Tide News Cheltenham Festival Guide

The Cheltenham Festival is almost upon us. It’s the annual horse racing pilgrimage where tens of thousands of punters gamble millions at National Hunt racing’s ‘Holy Grail’.

Over the course of four days the bookmakers and punters will compete in what has become a ‘them vs us’ battle, namely the cream of the Irish horse racing crop in a heads-up battle with the home defence.

Of course there is a dark cloud looming over Cheltenham 2020 with the very real threat of the Festival being cancelled due to the spread of coronavirus. Back in 2001 the Festival was cancelled due to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease and bookmakers are already speculating on this year’s event going ahead. Right now it is considered around 9/4 (approximately 30 percent chance) on the Betfair betting exchange that Cheltenham will be cancelled this year.

Let’s presume things proceed as planned, just how is the best way to experience the buzz of the Festival in 2020? For starters if the prospect of winning big for limited outlay excites you, you can enjoy Cheltenham free bets at which means you are guaranteed a lot of fun for nothing. But where will the big winners come from?  This is how we see it:

Banker Bet

Paisley Park won last year’s Stayers Hurdle and has done nothing wrong this term. Seeking to join a long list of back-to-back winners this winner of his last seven starts looks the banker bet of the 2020 Festival and the one to stick into your doubles and treble bets.

Each-Way Bet

At 6/1 Abacadabras is an each-way price because you will more than get your stakes back if he makes the frame but fails to win.

Owned by Michael O’Leary who runs Ryanair, Abacadabras has only been beaten once in his last four starts and in taking the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown looks capable of huge run in the Supreme Novice Hurdle, the opening race on the opening day of the Festival.

Big Race Winner

This year’s showpiece Cheltenham Gold Cup looks massively competitive. The home trained Santini is the bookies favourite.

Last year’s Gold Cup winner, Al Boum Photo, is well fancied in the betting odds at 7/2. But it’s the Irish trained Kemboy that makes the most appeal. He may have been slightly disappointing so far this year but he accounted for Al Boum Photo last May at Punchestown and might just be a ‘spring horse’ who shows his best form once the cold wet winter has passed.