Four Cheltenham Festival Betting Angles

Finding winners in horse racing is never an easy task and that’s particularly accurate with regards to the Cheltenham Festival. It’s the most fiercely contested meeting on the Jump racing calendar, as every owner, trainer and jockey wants a winner.

There are different angles to consider in an attempt to gain advantages where you can as a punter. While there are never any guarantees in this game, we have picked out several key strategies that are often successful.

Horses for courses

Every track is different and the same is true for every horse, so some can perform better at certain tracks and underperform at others. This is a significant factor when it comes to Cheltenham as it’s a big galloping track with a pronounced incline on the run-in.

Some horses prefer flat tracks so the stiff uphill finish can be very detrimental to their chances. For example, a horse may have won over three miles at Kempton before but the Cheltenham hill can make horses look like non-stayers over the same distance.

With that in mind, if you fancy backing a particular horse, it might be worth checking their previous record at Cheltenham, or other stiff courses.

The occasion can get to some horses as the sold out crowds create quite an atmosphere and it can be too much. It’s handy to know if a horse has run well at the Festival before, as you know that the noise and occasion won’t be too much to handle.

Suitable ground is key

Similar to the course factor, there are some horses who can perform at their best on any ground but most tend to have a preference. Some horses can be entirely ground dependent so their chances hinge on conditions being suitable for them.

Fast ground horses like it when the rain stays away, as they can glide along the surface, getting from A to B as quickly as possible. This often suits horses with a bit more natural pace as quicker ground usually generates faster times.

Those horses tend to get a bit stuck in the mud, while horses who like getting their hooves into the mud love it when the turf is flying everywhere. Obviously there are some horses who aren’t at all ground dependent but they can be quite rare and most have a preference.

The Willie Mullins factor

No name inspires more bookmakers’ nightmares than Irish trainer Willie Mullins. He’s currently the champion trainer on both sides of the Irish Sea and he has dominated the Cheltenham Festival in recent seasons.

Not only is he the best trainer, he also sources the best horses and that’s the best possible combination. The Mullins accumulators are very popular, especially on Day 1, and he’s all but guaranteed to end the week as the meeting’s top trainer.

Looking for unexposed handicappers

Cheltenham Festival races are very competitive and hard to win, especially the handicaps, so it’s often wise to look out for those who could be a little ahead of the handicapper.

It’s not impossible for exposed types to come out on top but those with scope for improvement have a distinct advantage. This is why novices have fairly good records in most of the handicaps, as they are still improving and can be generously handicapped.