Nicky Henderson's horse is the clear favourite for the Albert Bartlett.
Over the last 48 hours, Oddschecker punters have been backing Nicky Henderson’s Santini to prevail in the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle.
The six-year-old has received over 24% of all bets over the last couple of days and heads the market at 9/2. Although Santini has only run twice, he has certainly caught the attention with the way he has travelled and having won a Class 1 event at Cheltenham in January, punters know he can handle testing conditions and the track.
The intention from Henderson’s yard was always to head to Cheltenham, depending on how he would cope around the course but his performance was so impressive Henderson had very little choice but to take him to the Festival.
Winning rider Jeremiah McGrath after his Cheltenham victory said: “For a big horse, Santini is very agile. He popped the last nicely and has kept the momentum up. He is a horse for the future. We didn’t think that he would cope with the ground today, but his ability has seen him out. He is bred to be a three-miler so it is onwards and upwards.
Oddschecker spokesman George Elek: “Santini has been very impressive in both of his starts and his ability to handle the testing conditions at Cheltenham in January would have only impressed Nicky Henderson even more. The fact he only has two runs to his name and the fact he is a short priced favourite may raise a few eyebrows, but he is clearly a very talented horse and more than capable of coming out on top.”
