The Cheltenham Festival is one of the biggest horse racing meeting in the world and the 2019 event will take place between Tuesday 12th and Friday 15th March.
There were doubts over whether it would take place thanks to the outbreak of Equine Flu but this has been controlled and we are set for a great week of racing. There are several races to look forward to and below you will find three of the best.
The Arkle Chase
Irish horses are going to be many peoples favourites throughout the Cheltenham Festival and Le Richebourg is one of the standout contenders to win the Arkle Chase priced at 3/1 with William Hill. Le Richebourg was already in good form having won three of his four previous races but cemented his place at the forefront of the betting by winning the Irish Arkle at the beginning of February.
Nonetheless, many punters believe this is going to be one of the more open races at Cheltenham in 2019 with other contenders including Lalor at 4/1, Kalashnikov at 11/2 and Cilaos Emery at 5/1, all with Ladbrokes.
For those looking to back an outsider, Hardline might be worth a look at 25/1 with William Hill. He picked up a win at Limerick on Boxing Day and has won three of his last five outings.
Champions Chase
There is one horse which looks the clear favourite for the Champion Chase and it is the defending champion, Altior. He is aiming to become the fourth horse to win the Champion Chase on more than one occasion since the turn of the century having succeeded last year.
Altior is available at just 4/9 with Betfair and has a record of 17 races undefeated since 2015, which is fantastic. Having won at Ascot in January, the bookies are confident Altior is going win again at Cheltenham this year.
Potential challengers to Altior include the 2018 Arkle winner Footpad, who is on offer at 6/1 with Ladbrokes but has been below his best in recent appearances. Min is available at 8/1 with William Hill and finished second to Altior last year so will be hoping to go one better in 2019.
Cheltenham Gold Cup
This is the one race everyone is looking forward to and the favourite for the 2019 Cheltenham Gold Cup is Presenting Percy at 11/4 with BetVictor. Having won the Insurance Novice’s Chase at Cheltenham in 2018, Presenting Percy has only recently returned to action in January by winning the John Mulhern Galmoy Hurdle. He will also race in the Red Mills Chase on Saturday 16th February.
If Presenting Percy wins the Red Mills Chase, he will cement his place as the favourite.
Other contenders for the Cheltenham Gold Cup include Native River, who won the race last year. He has been below his best recently in the Betfair Chase and the King George but remains at 5/1 with Ladbrokes.
Outside of these two horses, Clan des Obeaux makes an interesting each/way bet at 10/1 with William Hill having been in good form and won the King George at Ascot on Boxing Day.