CHELTENHAM Festival is as much about getting one over the bookies as it is the action on the track.
After all, who doesn’t love winning some cash?
And with a number of runners fancied to back up their short odds, there will be some big accumulators hoping they justify favouritism.
Here, we look at what the bookies are saying ahead of the biggest punting week of the year.
Elimay was available at 12-1 in January, but this Mares’ Chase entry has been backed to smithereens and is now big favourite at 13-8.
Colreevy is second favourite back at 3-1 while Shattered Love is further away at 7-1 for the final race of the final day.
Pat Cooney, of Bet365, told the Racing Post: “One we’re concerned about is Elimay in the Mares’ Chase who was 12-1 with us after winning a Grade 2 at Thurles in mid-January.
“She looks even better based on her last run, and is currently our biggest race-by-race individual loser.”
Betfair’s Barry Orr also told the Post about some of the liabilities they have on the exchange on some fancied runners.
He said of the £235,000 so far staked on the Arkle, some £144,000 was on favourite Shishkin.
While Monkfish in the Brown Advisory and Envoi Allen – one of the eight horses Cheveley Park Stud removed from Gordon Elliott’s yard – in the Marsh also gobbled up most of their respective markets.
But back to Shishkin, who could form part of a monster accumulator with favourite backers on the first day.
Appreciate It is a big 11-8 favourite in the first race on Tuesday, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
Shiskin comes next before Honeysuckle will look to win the Champion Hurdle at odds of 9-4.
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Concertista is a 6-5 chance to land the Mares’ Hurdle, with Roksana second favourite on 3-1.
Royal Pagaille is an 11-8 shot to win the National Hunt Chase in the final race on the first day.
But bookies think there will be some upsets.
Coral’s David Stevens said: “Although on paper there are a host of warm favourites for Tuesday’s races, Shishkin faces a top class Arkle rival in Energumene, Honeysuckle surely faces her toughest task to date against Epatante and Goshen, and Annie Power and Benie Des Dieux were both beaten at short prices in the Mares’ Hurdle, which will give us hope when Concertista lines up in the race next week.
“That said, these horses are sure to feature in plenty of day one multiples, so we wouldn’t really want to see Appreciate It get the ball rolling for favourite backers in the Supreme, and we certainly don’t want Shishkin, Honeysuckle and Concertista to all oblige as well.”
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