With seven weeks left to go before the start of one of the biggest weeks in the horse racing calendar in the UK, many people are already starting to formulate what their Cheltenham Festival betting strategies are going to be.
The event is one of the most eagerly anticipated sports events of the year in the UK and attracts hundreds of thousands of racegoers to this quiet corner of the country to witness four days of top jump racing, featuring some of the biggest names in the sport.
And of course, with St Patrick’s Day falling in the meeting each year, the heavy Irish presence at the event in terms of runners, riders, trainers, and spectators always gives the Cheltenham Festival a party atmosphere.
In fact, alongside the Derby Meeting at Epsom, Royal Ascot, the Guineas meet at Newmarket and the Aintree Grand National, Cheltenham is one of the cornerstone highlights of the racing season.
Not surprisingly, many punters like to get their bets on early for the event and you can now take advantage of bet365 Sport’s Best Odds Guarantee and Non-Runner No Bet offers.
Bet365 Cheltenham Betting Offers Explained
If you want to place your bets for Cheltenham early, then there are two options available for you. Bet365 offers standard Antepost betting on a wide selection of races at the festival and these are available under the Cheltenham Festival tab under Antepost betting.
However, if you want to use the two bet365 Sport offers for Cheltenham, then these are available on the five main races of the festival and are listed under the Cheltenham Festival NRNB section in the Antepost betting part of the site.
The first offer is the Best Odds Guarantee which means that whichever is the highest price out of the odds you receive when you place your bet, or the starting price of the horse when the race begins, you will always be paid out at the higher of the two prices.
The other offer is the Non-Runner No Bet offer which means that if you place a bet on any of the runners that bet365 offers odds on for the five main races listed, and your horse is a non-runner, then you will receive your stake money back as a refund.
General Offer Terms & Conditions
- Best Odds Guaranteed and Non-Runner No Bet will apply to all Ante-Post bets placed on the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Stayers’ Hurdle, Ryanair Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup from 12.00 UK Time on 3rd January 2022.
- These offers are only available to new and eligible customers. You can see a full list of your available offers by logging in and selecting the Offers section on mobile or the Promotions section on desktop. Bet365 maintains a record of customer contact in relation to eligibility for offers and this record, including the date and time of any restrictions being imposed, will be final in the event of any dispute.
- Offer applies to bets placed on Win and Each Way Fixed Odds markets only.
- This offer includes all races where we offer Win and Each Way betting.
- Where no industry SP is declared, if the bet365 price at the race off is greater than the price already taken, your bet will be settled at the higher price.
Restrictions
- Adjusted place terms (Each Way Extra), Enhanced Place Terms, Ante-Post bets (unless otherwise stated) and Tote/Pari-Mutuel/Colossus (bets and dividends) are excluded from this offer. All racing in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong is excluded.
- Adjusted place terms (Each Way Extra) markets refers to prices which do not match the Win and Each Way market displayed in the Fixed Odds tab on the racecard, either because the price has been taken from the Each Way Extra tab or the place terms for the bet have been adjusted via the bet slip. Bets placed at such terms will not count for this offer.
General
- Where any term of the offer or promotion is breached or there is any evidence of a series of bets place by a customer or group of customers, which due to enhanced payments, Free Bets, risk free bets, Bet Credits or any other promotional offer results in guaranteed customer profits irrespective of the outcome, whether individually or part of a group, bet365 may reclaim the enhanced payment, Free Bet, risk free bet or Bet Credit element of such offers and/or void any bet funded by the Free Bet or Bet Credits. In addition, where there is evidence of such activity, bet365 may levy an administration charge on the customer up to the value of the Bet Credits, Free Bet, risk free bet or enhanced payment towards the administrative costs incurred in identifying and taking action against the activity.
- Bet365 may reclaim any bonus amount, Free Bets, Bet Credits or enhanced payments that have been awarded in error.
- Bet365 may, at any time, make minor amendments to this promotion to correct typographical errors or to improve on clarity or customer experience and may cancel this promotion for legal or regulatory reasons.
- Employees, officers and directors of bet365, its promotional or other agencies, licensees and licensors, service providers and any other associated or affiliated companies shall not be eligible for the promotion. The same shall apply to the direct families of such persons.
Who Are The Early Market Movers For The Big Five Races At The Cheltenham Festival 2022?
This year’s Cheltenham Festival gets underway on Tuesday 15th March and runs through to Friday 18th March, giving us four fantastic days of racing, with the Cheltenham Gold Cup capping things off nicely on Friday.
There’s plenty of other Grade 1 racing to look forward to across the four days, so let’s take a look now at some of the early markets with bet365 for the five key races of the festival.
Tuesday 15th March
The Champion Hurdle – 3.05pm
- Distance – 2 miles and–half a furlong
- First Run – 1927
- Qualification – Four-years-old and up.
- Recent Winners (2011-2021) – Honeysuckle (2021), Epatante (2020), Espoir d’Allen (2019), Buveur d’Air (2016 & 2017), Annie Power (2016), Faugheen (2015), Jezki (2014), Hurricane Fly (2013 & 2011), Rock On Ruby (2012)
Honeysuckle is back to try and land back to back wins this year and the horse remains the strong 4/6 odds on favourite to win the race again in 2022. Epatante has drifter very slightly in the betting over the last couple of weeks, moving from 9/1 out to 10/1.
Appreciate it (5/1) and Sharjah (6/1) are rated as the most likely challengers to Honeysuckle with Zanahiyr another 10/1 chance.
Outsiders include four 20/1 chances Teahupoo, Quilixios, Adagio and Saint Felicien, with Saint Roi and Tommy’s Oscar both rated at 25/1. You can even get 66/1 on the winner from 2016 and 2017, Buveur d’Air.
Wednesday 16th March
The Champion Chase – 3.05pm
- Distance – 1 mile 7 furlongs
- First Run – 1959
- Qualification – Five-years-old and up
- Recent Winners (2011-2021) – Put The Kettle On (2021), Politologue (2020), Altior (2018, 2019), Special Tiara (2017), Sprinter Sacre (2013, 2016), Dodging Bullets (2015), Sire de Grugy (2014), Finian’s Rainbow (2012), Sizing Europe (2011)
Put The Kettle On is back to defend the title this year, but last year’s winner is a 16/1 chance (alongside Captain Guinness, Hitman and 2020 winner Politologue) with a number of horses ranked as being better options by the bookmakers.
Shishkin has shortened considerably over the last couple of weeks, coming in from 4/5 to now being rated the 8/15 favourite. Energumene has seen its price shorten from 3/1 to 15/8. Allaho has remained a steady 5/1 with Chacun Pour Soi drifting slightly to 8/1 alongside Envoi Allen, while Greaneteen and Nuba Negra both remain steady 9/1 chances.
Thursday 17th March
The Ryanair Chase – 2.30pm
- Distance – 2 miles 4 furlongs
- First Run – 2005
- Qualification – Five-years-old and up
- Recent Winners (2010-2021) – Allaho (2021), Min (2020), Frodon (2019), Balko des Flos (2018), Un de Sceaux (2017), Vautour (2016), Uxizandre (2015), Dynaste (2014), Cue Card (2013), Riverside Theatre (2012), Albertas Run (2010 & 2011)
Allaho could well opt to defend the Ryanair Chase crown it won last year instead of going in The Champion Chase and the horse is the 5/4 favourite to land the Ryanair once again this year.
Another couple of runners that could go in the Champion Chase are also ranked well in the betting with Energumene the 7/2 second favourite and Envoi Allen and Chacun Pour Soi both 10/1 for this race.
There are four options at 8/1 including Mister Fiser, A Plus Tard, Asterion Forlonge and Tornado Flyer. Fakir D’oudaries has drifted out from 8/1 to 12/1 over the last couple of weeks.
The Stayers’ Hurdle – 3.05pm
- Distance – 2 Miles 7 furlongs, 213 yards
- First Run – 1912 to 1953, but renewed in 1972.
- Qualification – Four-years-old and up
- Recent Winners (2009-2020) – Flooring Porter (2021), Lisnager Oscar (2020), Paisley Park (2019), Penhill (2018), Nichol’s Canyon (2017), Thistlecrack (2016), Cole Harden (2015), More of That (2014), Solwhit (2013), Big Bucks (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
Klassical Dream has been a consistent 2/1 favourite for this race over the last couple of weeks ahead of Champ at 7/2 and Thyme Hill at 5/1, who is alongside last years winner Flooring Porter in the betting.
Paisley Park is 16/1 to repeat his success of 2019 alongside Thomas Darby, Burning Victory and Song For Someone, with Sporting John now a 12/1 shot in the betting.
Friday 18th March
The Cheltenham Gold Cup – 3.05pm
- Distance – 3 miles 2 furlongs and 70 yards
- First Run – 1924
- Qualification – Five-years-old and up
- Recent Winners (2010-2021) – Minella Indo (2021), Al Boum Photo (2019, 2020), Native River (2018), Sizing John (2017), Don Cossack (2016), Coneygree (2015), Lord Windermere (2014), Bobs Worth (2013), Synchronised (2012), Long Run (2011), Imperial Commander (2010)
Minella Indo is back to try and follow Al Boum Photo as a back-to-back winner of the Gold Cup and the horse is 7/1 to land the win this year. A Plus Tard is the 3/1 favourite and has remained steady in the betting over the last few weeks, as has the 4/1 chance Galvin.
Al Boum Photo is 8/1 to win the race for a third time, with Protektorat coming in slightly from 10/1 to 9/1 over the last couple of weeks. Allaho is 10/1, but may be more likely to race in the Ryanair Chase.
Odds shown here were correct in the bet365 Non Runner No Bet antepost betting markets but may change over time.
Tags: bet365 Sport betting tips Cheltenham Festival
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