The Irish horses are being shunned for the most coveted Cheltenham races
As equine flu hit UK racing hard, the uncertainty surrounding horses on these shores saw punters look toward the Irish horses for their ante post bets.
However, racing in Great Britain has come back with a bang and Somerset trainer Paul Nicholls has been in red hot form. With Nicky Henderson also heading to the festival with his best armoury in recent memory, it mat be a long journey home for the Irish contingent.
In particular, the Champion race of each day has seen a surge in bets for those in the English stables...
Champion Hurdle – Buveur D’air 2/1
Buveur D’air has received 35.3% of all bets on the Champion Hurdle market in the last two weeks, almost the same as Irish trained mares Apples Jade (23.2%) and Laurina (15.6%) combined. In the two weeks previous, it was Gordon Elliott's Apples Jade who was dominating the betting, taking 49.6% of bets.
You won’t find many punters betting against Altior, the horse widely accepted as the best in training. Whilst Nicky Henderson’s star remains the most backed for the race, he has become even more popular and is subject to 4 out of 5 bets on the race in the last 14 days.
Stayers’ Hurdle – Paisley Park 9/4
Ever since winning the Cleeve Hurdle so impressively at Cheltenham in January, Paisley Park has been the first name on a lot of ante-post betslips. Emma Lavelle’s charge has received 52.7% of all bets on the Stayers’ market in 2019 and is the only English horse in the top five. Faugheen, Penhill, Samcro and Supansundae all remain largely unfancied.
Cheltenham Gold Cup – Clan Des Obeaux 9/2
Despite not going chasing this season, Presenting Percy has been dominating the Gold Cup betting but in the last two weeks, the tide has turned towards Clan Des Obeaux. A scintillating performance in the King George was proved to be no fluke as Paul Nicholls’ stayer cruised to victory in the Denman Chase. Since then he has received 29.6% of Gold Cup bets, more than the Galway-trained Presenting Percy (22.3%).
Oddschecker spokesman, George Elek: 'It could be worth snapping up the 7/4 about Great Britain winning the Prestbury Cup this year if the current betting trends are right.
'With Paul Nichols on fire and Nicky Henderson boasting an embarrassment of riches, it's no surprise to see optimism ahead of the Festival.'
