We look at who Oddschecker punters have been backing for the Cheltenham Festival in March
Mengli Khan - 18.97% of all Cheltenham ante-post bets
Gordon Elliott’s second-season novice continued his progression with Grade 1 success in the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse on Sunday. The imposing four-year-old has now won all three of his starts this season with Sunday’s performance marking him out as one of Ireland’s leading novice hopes for the Festival in March. Indeed it appears both punters and bookmakers were suitably impressed with the former Hugo Palmer inmate now 7/1 clear favourite (from 12’s) for the Supreme Novice Hurdle.
Mengli Khan wins the Grade 1 @BarOneRacing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle! @Fairyhouse pic.twitter.com/5RGU2L9Kuo
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) December 3, 2017
Presenting Percy - 10.73%
Last year’s Pertemps winner bounced back to winning ways on Sunday with a bloodless victory in the Porterstown Handicap over 3m5f. Beaten on his previous start at even money, Patrick Kelly’s six-year-old stepped up six furlongs in trip and appeared to appreciate every yard, travelling strongly throughout before pulling clear after the last to win by 11 lengths. Bookmakers reacted by cutting him into as short as 17/2 from 16’s for the RSA (best price 11/1) and just 8/1 from 33/1 for the National Hunt Chase (best price 14/1).
Apples Jade - 9.09%
She’s some mare. Her career form figures now read 1121/1221211-11 as she added more Grade 1 success to her CV on Sunday. The scary thing is that is she is still improving, with her 9 length demolition of Nichols Canyon probably her finest performance to date. Gigginstown owner Michael O’Leary was adamant pre-race she would be aimed at the race she was most likely to win with the Mares Hurdle top of that list. Unsurprisingly she shortened further off the back of her weekend performance with one bookie now just even money from 5/2 (best price 7/4).
Buveur D’air – 8.2%
Job done as far as Nicky Henderson was concerned on Saturday as the current Champion Hurdler won the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle eased down under a motionless Barry Geraghty. His odds of 1/6 tell the story as to the quality of the opposition but you can only beat what is put in front of you. The six-year-old dealt with the unfavourable ground conditions and jumped and travelled with enough authority to suggest he could be even better than he was last season. A mouth-watering clash with Faugheen in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton is a possibility but it looks likely we will have to wait until March to see the pair clash. Bookies have the Irish machine at 7/4 with the current champ still best price 4/1.
An extremely classy performance from Buveur D'Air who wins the @unibet Fighting Fifth Hurdle in fine style at @NewcastleRaces under @BarryJGeraghty: pic.twitter.com/alHU1cNttZ
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) December 2, 2017
Whisper - 8.14%
Always the bridesmaid never the bride. Nicky Henderson’s nine-year-old has now finished second in two Grade 1 chases (a nose and 2 lengths) and was beaten just a neck in Saturday’s Ladbrokes Trophy after attempting to give the well-handicapped Total Recall 14lb. That performance can be marked up even further with the post-race comments from the winner’s trainer who hinted his horse could well be a Gold Cup horse in the making. Indeed both punters and bookies believe Whisper himself could hold his own in the Gold Cup field with the 33/1 available before the weekend now just 12/1 in places (best price 20/1).
