It's more likely to be cancelled than Native River was to win the Gold Cup.
Bookmakers are predicting a 1-in-5 chance that the Cheltenham Festival does not go ahead on the 12th March.
The equine flu pandemic continues to affect British Horse Racing, with no meetings scheduled until Wednesday at the earliest.
Now, bookmakers have priced up the odds of Cheltenham not commencing on Tuesday 12th March, and it makes for sobering reading.
It’s currently 9/2 that the festival does not start as scheduled, which implies an 18.2% probability.
To put that into perspective, last year’s Gold Cup winner Native Winner won at a bigger SP (5/1) than that.
On the other side of the line, it's 1/10 the festival starts as planned, with everyone in the industry hoping to avoid a situation like 2001, where the entire festival was cancelled due to a Foot and Mouth outbreak.
Oddschecker spokesperson George Elek: “Those with any kind of affinity with racing do not need explaining just how much of a big deal Cheltenham Festival is.
“The pinnacle of the sport, the idea that it could be cancelled is literally the worst possible narrative that could hit racing.
“Considering just days ago there was a 100% chance of the Festival going ahead, punters and bookies alike will be praying that racing will resume after next Wednesday.”
