Cheltenham Specials: Top trainer price difference makes Elliott value bet

When it comes to finding an informative method that will influence a punter’s betting strategy at the Cheltenham Festival, one important aspect of solidifying your chances is to pinpoint trainers that bring an all-round solid team to Prestbury Park. 

Given the obvious Cheltenham Festival firepower for Mullins, who has claimed the top spot on no fewer than eight occasions, it is no surprise to see the master of Closutton a warm-favourite at a general 4/11 to repeat the feat this year, especially when looking at the relentless star-quality who are ready to take to the main stage from his stable. 

His main hopefuls include the likes of Allaho, arguably the banker of the meeting according to most, Facile Vega, Appreciate It, Galopin Des Champs, Vauban, Sir Gerhard, Stattler, two-time Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo and also Energumene. 

On reflection of his squad members for this year’s four-day meeting, I think this is one of, if not, the strongest team he will have ever sent to Cheltenham and it is going to be tough for any other trainer, even of Henry De Bromhead’s high-quality standard, who claimed the Festival’s ‘Holy Trinity’ 12 months ago, to topple the Cheltenham legend. 

There are other trainers you may want to look out for though who shouldn’t be underestimated, and one man who could seriously challenge Mullins is Gordon Elliott, who has come back stronger than ever this season. He has some really good chances across the four day’s with American Mike, Run Wild Fred, Farouk D’alene, Galvin, Minella Crooner, Death Duty, Teahupoo and the legend that is Tiger Roll just a sample of a huge team he’s likely to send on their travels to Cheltenham.

I think the general 7/2 for Elliott to take top honours ahead of his main rival is quite appealing given he’s already saddled 32 winners at the Festival with plenty more to come. 

Next on the list is Henry de Bromhead, a general 8/1 chance, who pushed Mullins all the way to the final race last term, as the pair were level on six winners before the latter clinched the title in the Martin Pipe, courtesy of Galopin Des Champs. 

The price tag on de Bromhead to go one better than 12 months ago could be a bit of value given the likes of Honeysuckle, Bob Olinger, Minella Indo and Put The Kettle On - all successful at the meeting last year - have strong credentials this time round, while A Plus Tard, another representative of his stable, is currently favourite to take revenge on stablemate Minella Indo in this year’s Gold Cup. 

At the time of writing, though, the one who appeals most to me is Elliott at 7/2, whose ammunition is equally as strong as Mullins’ squad this year and the differential between both their odds is too great after identifying their intended runners.

It proved to be a memorable week for Rachael Blackmore last year, who lit up Prestbury Park with some masterclass performances in the saddle, which saw her claim six winners in total en route to winning the leading jockey award. 

We can fully expect her to gain more winner’s at this year’s meeting, especially for her main boss - de Bromhead, but it’s certainly going to be a lot tougher this time around to match last year’s heights, especially with Paul Townend having a fantastic book of rides - he is currently 4/5 to take the top spot for the second time in three years. Essentially, Townend will be on the back of all Mullins’ main protagonists and is bound to have numerous winners, provided he remains injury-free. 

He’s a worthy favourite but for those looking for some value, perhaps Elliott’s duo Jack Kennedy at 14/1 and Davy Russell at 6/1 come into the equation who know what it takes to deliver on the biggest stage of them all. 

For instance, if you go back and watch Kennedy’s four winner’s last year on Black Tears, Minella Indo, Mount Ida and Galvin, he exhibited his qualities in each of them, producing each mount perfectly to claim the spoils. In Russell’s absence, he was brilliant, and while the latter will be at this year’s fixture, Kennedy will still have an excellent book of rides and is sure to prove popular.

Russell, on the other hand, needs no introduction, who barely goes a Cheltenham Festival without a winner and made a remarkable recovery from a serious injury earlier this term. 

An elite jockey you definitely want to give a second look to. Others to quickly mention, include Jamie Codd and Patrick Mullins, who regularly do well at this fixture, while Mark Walsh, who’s also had great success in the past here, is one that could have a productive campaign given he will be riding most of the McManus-owned runners. 

In conclusion, Townend is going to be hard to stop but from a value perspective, but Russell is worth a small wager at 6/1, having showed more than enough signs that he’s still at the top of his game. After what he has been through over the last couple of years, it would be a fairytale story to see him roll back the years and show the younger brigade how it’s done.