Cheltenham Festival: How Many Irish Trained Winners Will There Be?
The biggest certainty according to the best betting sites at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival is that Ireland will win the Prestbury Cup - just don’t expect to get rich backing it.
Ireland are trading as short as 1/20 with William Hill to lift the Prestbury Cup on Friday, and with good reason.
The Irish dominated the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, winning 23 of the 28 races and many expect a similarly one-sided set of results this time around.
However, the British squad appears to have more strength in depth to it than 12 months ago and it is by no means out of the question that the home side could be 3-0 up by the time Honeysuckle takes to the track to defend her Champion Hurdle crown at the mid-point of Tuesday afternoon.
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It would certainly be a blow to British hopes for the week if Constitution Hill or Jonbon don’t land the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, for all that the likes of Dysart Dynamo and Kilcruit are worthy adversaries.
Edwardstone appears to have a favourite’s chance in the Arkle Chase while the Ultima Handicap Chase pretty much always goes to a British-trained runner.
Shishkin Flying the British Flag
Barring Shishkin in the Arkle Chase, Ireland dominated the novice divisions in 2021 but the likes of Bravemansgame, Edwardstone and L’Homme Presse all have good chances in their respective novice chases this time around.
Ireland won all four championship races last year but they will do well to repeat that feat in 2022 given Shishkin is such a red-hot favourite for the Champion Chase. Champ and Thyme Hill are big runners in the Stayers’ Hurdle while Protektorat isn’t unfancied to upset the big Irish challenge in Friday’s Gold Cup.
Irish horses tend to win the majority of the handicaps but it’s not as if there is a shortage of home challengers, and the likes of Good Risk At All (Coral Cup), Alaphillipe (Pertemps Final), Imperial Alcazar (Paddy Power Plate) and Langer Dan (Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle) are all front rank in their respective betting lists so it would be a bit of a surprise if the home side land at least a couple of the handicap races.
There is a Betfair Exchange market on whether Ireland will be responsible for 19 or more winners and yes is trading around 4/6 which feels a touch short given the depth of the home challenge.
There will be plenty of Irish folk that will have this week down as another landslide victory for the Emerald green but the signs are that the home challenge is going to put up a bit more resistance this time around and that is why the 6/4 about Ireland to train 19 winner or fewer in that market looks decent value with with horse racing betting sites.
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