Hitman and Protektorat are big market movers for the Cheltenham Festival 2023 after winning at Haydock, where Gold Cup hero A Plus Tard was pulled up three from home.
Hitman: 33/1 > 16/1 (25/1 Best Price) for the Champion Chase
Having convincingly delivered as a big odds on favourite (8/13) in a Class 2 chase at Haydock on Saturday, Hitman has been cut from as long as 33/1 into 16/1 (25/1 best price) for the Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival 2023.
More pressingly, Hitman has now emerged as a serious rival to stablemate Bravemansgame in the King George VI Chase. Bravemansgame remains the 11/8 favourite for the Boxing Day headline act Kempton's Christmas Festival but Hitman has come in from 12/1 before the weekend to a best price 7/1 (6/1 with some bookmakers).
A Plus Tard: 4/1 > 12/1 for the Gold Cup
Trainer Henry de Bromhead has reportedly been left perplexed by A Plus Tard's performance in the defence of his Betfair Chase crown at Haydock. The 1/2 pre-race favourite was slow over the fourth fence from home before being pulled up by Rachael Blackmore.
Going into the race, Gavin Lynch told Racing Weekly viewers that a win for A Plus Tard would see him shorten into 5/2 for the Gold Cup 2023, but instead the eight-year-old has gone the other way - lengthening from 4/1 to 12/1 with bet365.
Protektorat: 33/1 > 8/1 (12/1 Best Price) for the Gold Cup
With every big market drifter inevitably brings a beneficiary, in this case the Betfair Chase winner Protektorat, who came home by 11 lengths from Eldorado Allen.
The Dan Skelton trained seven-year-old has subsequently shortened from 33/1 before Saturday's race to a best price 12/1 for the Gold Cup at Cheltenham 2023 (8/1 with one bookmaker).
