The 2010 Cheltenham Festival gets underway on Tuesday the 16th of March, with the town of Cheltenham bracing itself for an invasion of racing fans from across the world. Hundreds of thousands of punters will pass through the Prestbury Park turnstiles during Britain’s most beloved festival of national hunt racing.
To whet racing appetites we’ve prepared the following 2010 Cheltenham Festival preview of the feature races at this year’s meeting.
2010 Champion Hurdle
The 2010 Champion Hurdle gets feature race action underway at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. French raider Solwhit has generated most of the buzz ahead of this race, and comes to Cheltenham with an impressive string of results that includes 11 consecutive places, including 8 wins. Trading at 4/1 at William Hill, Solwhit is a great each-way to nothing bet.
2009 Christmas Hurdle winner, Go Native, also has the Fighting Fifth Hurdle beneath his belt and has strong backing ahead of the 2010 Champion Hurdle. Noel Meade’s entry took 6 wins in 2009, but has remained untested in the new year. At 9/2 at William Hill, Go Native is another banker for each-way bets.
Finally, punters shouldn’t be ignoring incumbent champion, Punjabi, for this race. While his form has dipped somewhat since taking the 2009 Champion Hurdle, Nicky Henderson’s entry looks to have found form ahead of the 2010 Cheltenham Festival with a win at Kempton Park in February. At 8/1 he’s great each-way value.
2010 Queen Mother Champion Chase
Master Minded will look to take his third consecutive Champion Chase title in the 2010 Queen Mother Champion Chase. Paul Nicholls’ classy 2 mile specialist left the field in his dust last year but hit a bump in the road at the Connaught Chase earlier this season when he was beaten by Well Chief. Trading below evens, Master Minded may attract more than a few lay bets.
Kalahari King is trading a distant second in the 2010 Queen Mother Champion Chase betting markets. Ferdy Murphy’s entry has an impressive record in top grade novice chases, but shouldn’t be a major threat to Master Minded’s title aspirations unless something goes very wrong for the champion.
Twist Magic looks a more interesting prospect at 6/1. Paul Nicholls’ entry fell during last year’s race, but has bounced back with some big results in top quality races, including the Tingle Creek Chase and Victor Chandler Chase. It remains to be seen whether he’ll maintain form without Ruby Walsh onboard.
World Hurdle
The most prestigious race for staying hurdler’s has produced a strong antepost favourite in 2010. Big Buck’s is best priced at 7/10 by Betfair to win the 2010 World Hurdle. Big Buck’s comes into the 2010 Cheltenham Festival on the back of six consecutive wins, and has beat the best in the business on his way to Prestbury Park.
The quality of the remainder of the field is variable at best, and punters will probably be looking to get value on each-way bets. Second-priced entry, Karabak, isn’t a bad option, coming into the race on the back of a string of places in high-grade races.
Tidal Bay comes into the race on the back of a Grade 2 win at Cheltenham, and also doesn’t look anywhere close to matching Big Buck’s. However, with a better than average record he won’t be ignored by punters looking to bank value each-way bets on the 2010 World Hurdle.
2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup
The blue riband race of the 2010 Cheltenham Festival will once again set pulses racing on the final day of the meeting. The 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup is shaping up as a duel between stablemates Denman and Kauto Star, with the latter trading at below evens across the board.
Kauto Star hasn’t put a hoof wrong since taking the Gold Cup in 2009 and looked to be at his imperious best at the 2009 King George VI Chase. Denman, meanwhile, has looked temperamental in the new season, failing to finish two races but taking an impressive win under weights in the Hennessy Gold Cup.
Can another horse beat Paul Nicholls’ star duo? If anyone can do it, it will be Imperial Commander, the heir apparent to the staying chaser’s crown. While Nigel Twiston-Davies’ entry hasn’t won since taking the Ryanair Chase in 2009, few will forget how close he pushed Kauto Star in the 2009 Betfair Chase.
More on the 2010 Cheltenham Festival
If you want more information on the 2010 Cheltenham Festival, don’t miss out on Gambling Guru’s dedicated Cheltenham Festival site. Easily the most comprehensive resource for Cheltenham Festival betting, odds, races and news, our Cheltenham Festival guide will cover every moment of the action from Prestbury Park.
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