Cheltenham 2023 Ante Post Bets

Come on,Oddy! Don’t talk about him, back him!
He’s still about 12/1 for the Turners

 

So far:

Mares Hurdle: Brandy Love 8/1 win only

National Hunt Chase: Ballygrifincottage 25/1 e/w

Ballymore: Facile Vega 4/1

RSA: James Du Berlais 20/1 e/w

Turners: Three Stripe Life 16/1 e/w

Stayers: Zanahiyr 20/1 e/w

Mares Novice Hurdle: Between Waters 25/1 e/w

Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle: Lisnagar Fortune 25/1 e/w

Gold Cup: Stattler 20/1 e/w

Mares Chase. Scarlet And Dove 12/1 e/w

Treble: Allaho 6/4, Delta Work 2/1, Energumene 5/2

 

I see that she may debut over hurdles, at Newbury, next Wednesday. Nicky Henderson has though, currently, got half a dozen in that Royal Berkshire novices' heat!!!

 

Yes. She won his PTP easily, second won his maiden at Bangor just over a month ago by 9l, third won his maiden at Huntingdon by 26l. If Henderson runs more than one horse, the choice of jockey might tell us more.

 

Between Waters has now been given some more entries. Ffos Las (Thurs) and Ascot (Fri). It would appear that she will make her hurdling bow as soon as Mother Nature decides to relent.

 

Triumph Hurdle: Bo Zenith 20/1 e/w

 

Gold Cup - Galopin Des Champs 13/8

 

Vauban has a 6 months absence to overcome tomorrow which could be his undoing. The big question for me is will he run well enough to indicate that he could beat all these at Cheltenham. He has the big P from Timeform but, on what he has achieved so far, has 10lbs to find with the top 2 and 20 odd lbs to find with Constitution Hill. If he does win tomorrow, his 12/1 for the CH will shrink to 6/1 at best. Will that big P still be there after tomorrow?

Willie Mullins, trainer of Sharjah, State Man, Vauban
State Man is a horse who pleases me all the time and we're looking forward to seeing him again. He improved nicely from the novice ranks to win the Morgiana but this is another step up for him and he probably has most to fear from stablemate Sharjah. He's in fine form, though, and I think he has improved since his run in Punchestown. Sharjah has won this race the last four years and seems to shine at Christmas on this track. This is his big day. Vauban is having his first outing of the season and because of a lack of other opportunities in January I'm letting him start out here. He will improve a lot for this race, and it will give us an idea of where he is at this time.

It is a very interesting race tomorrow but barring a fall, or very bad mistake costing 10l or more, or not turning up, surely there is nothing around to get near Constitution Hill at Cheltenham in March. I'm not convinced that Vauban will impress sufficiently to become a serious challenger for the CH so I've just talked myself out of the 12/1 ew, given that second is the best he can probably achieve

Sorry, bit of a waste of a post

 

Took 12/1 win only a few days ago in case CH gets injured.

 

I’ve felt for a while that Vauban is the only horse with the potential to give Constitution Hill a race.
He progressed race by race last season, and his surge up the Cheltenham hill to win the Triumph Hurdle was dwarfed by his subsequent Punchestown canter.
Having said that, he faces the “curse” of the second season young hurdler and, despite facing two good stablemates today, he would need to show improved hurdling technique- and dispose of them with authority- to even give himself any hope of taking on Henderson’s impressive charge.
Given the market price and Townend’s choice of State Man as his mount, it’s possible that Vauban has been slow to come to hand- and he may show himself to be a “Spring horse.”
Today’s race should be informative.

 

Elliott’s easy Pertemps winner from yesterday now 4/1 fav for the festival final. Maxxum won easy but crikey, 4/1 for a handicap at the festival. Madness.

 

Not sure what to make of that. Very promising from Vauban and if, as Mullins said before the race, he will come on a lot for the run, one has to think he could reverse placings with Statesman. So I expect Pilgrim's 12/1 won't be around for long

 

10/1 now.

 

Well, to me, that looks better value than State Man at half those odds. And Honeysuckle at 9/1 probably won't run