Normally, we focus on giving you the best free football tips, but with the 2019 Cheltenham Festival (12th-15th March) on the horizon, we thought we would bring you some tipping advice for the big event. Of course, as with football betting, pinpointing the value is paramount to making a profit. There are some big names, such as Altior (4/11, Bet365) in the Champion Chase, who look nailed on for the win. But we have instead plumped for some big-priced horses, who may offer some value in the each-way markets or surprise with a win.
Bristol De Mai 40/1 Cheltenham Gold Cup (Betfair)
Bristol De Mai has a strange record, capable of beating the likes of Cue Card, Native River, Might Bite one day, then slumping to a puzzling defeat the next. He has been cited as being an early season specialist, pulling out big wins at Haydock when the rest of the field looks rusty. However, he certainly has a big run in him. And, they don’t come bigger than the Gold Cup. 40/1 is a huge price from Betfair, when you consider other bookies giving Cheltenham betting odds, such as Ladbrokes, are just 16/1 on Bristol De Mai.
Bachasson 25/1 Stayers’ Hurdle (William Hill/Ladbrokes)
Bachasson, trained by Willie Mullins, seems not yet to have found his niche in racing. He fell in the Gold Cup last year, but he has looked a decent prospect when switching back to hurdles this season. On the plus side, Bachasson has an excellent record, including a handful of Grade 1 wins. On the downside, he has either fell or thrown his rider anytime he has appeared at Cheltenham. The good, but unremarkable, Paisley Park leads the Stayers’ Hurdle odds at just 7/4 with William Hill, Bachasson offers way more value.
Annamix 25/1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Bet365)
When the rumour is Willie Mullins and the Ricci Family have an exciting prospect on their hands, the racing world takes notice. Such is the reputation of the owners, Annamix led the odds for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle for months before even appearing in a competitive race in Ireland. A disappointing debut yielded only a second-place finish, and the odds tumbled. Annamix could well be worth another chance.
Sharjah 10/1 William Hill Champion Hurdle (William Hill/Betfair)
10/1 might not be massive odds for our purposes here, but you have to consider just who Sharjah is up against in the Champion Hurdle – the mighty Buveur D’Air. The two-time winner is just 7/4 to do the hat-trick of Champion Hurdle victories, but Buveur D’Air showed the slightest hint of weakness when narrowly losing over Christmas. Sharjah, meanwhile, has been ripping it up in recent months, taking scalps like Faugheen, Samcro, Supasundae, Melon and Petit Mouchoir this season. A chance to dethrone the king of hurdles.
Elegant Escape 25/1 Cheltenham Gold Cup (Betfair)
Yes, we have already mentioned Bristol De Mai as a possible outside for the big one at Cheltenham, but if you don’t fancy the hit-and-miss grey to deliver, perhaps take a look at Elegant Escape instead. This is a horse with stamina, one who just ran out of turf when finishing behind Frodon at Cheltenham in the Cotswold Chase last week. All observers could see Elegant Escape would have caught the tiring Frodon if there was an extra furlong (200m) added to the race. The Gold Cup just happens to be a furlong longer than the Cotswold Chase. The perfect type of stamina horse for the challenge ahead of him.
